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

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

This book takes children on a journey of how our actions have an impact on those around us each and every day. The bright illustrations vividly show how we can build each other up or pull each other down. This is a great book to help children understand kindness and appreciating what others do for them on a daily basis.

I liked this book because it showed ways to help without needing recognition and it visually showed buckets being filled, either yours or others. I loved the farm scenes because it showed a normal farm, not a modernized farm. In this day and age, I think children need to see the things that are not so plentiful now. Good story line and good illustrations.