Carol McCloud

The cover of this book has been staring at me all year from the shelf it's displayed on in my son's classroom, until I finally picked it up at the library. I was so ready to not like it and dismiss it as simplistic, but I have to admit that the metaphor of the bucket is not only "dead on" but also so wonderfully easy for kids to relate to. It immediately caught my 5 year old's attention that the "filling" goes both ways. He was quite eager to provide his own personal input on various ways to show more fill other people's buckets, no explanations needed. Picturing bullies as " dipping" into buckets was very enlightening as well. Of particular interest was to think that "dipping" doesn't help fill your bucket at all. I'm sure we'll both carry the idea of the "invisible bucket" at the back of our head for a while ... show less

Buddy the Bucket Filler is a great way to teach kids how to demonstrate empathy. The extensions at the beginning and end of the book will be great ways to further the discussion from what was read. A school librarian could easily have a ready-made lesson from this book. The illustrations are cute and follow Buddy on the time he spent with his father and uncle and the lessons they learned. Short and to the point, this picture book easily gets its message across to young readers.

“Buddy the Bucket Filler” is an opportunity to explore kindness and the importance of reaching out to others. With colorful illustrations and a short tale of Buddy’s visit with his uncle and the ways he stepped forward to be thoughtful to others, the story drives home the happiness the giver receives as he fills his kindness bucket. I received my copy of this book through LibraryThing’s early reader program.

Using a bucket as a metaphor, this book talks about how positive interactions between one's self and others create happiness. Doing good for friends and family members helps make the doer feel good as well. It does not really get into helping strangers in need, but focusses more on playing together, sharing, cuddling, etc.

The illustrations with smiling buckets filling up with a rainbow of hearts and stars really make this book. It's a tad too much on the didactic side in the text, but it show more does appear to be designed for very young children, so I think it works for the audience. I could see this making for a warm and cozy lapsit read between a parent and a child, opening up a conversation about other nice things they can do for those around them. show less