Kristi Yamaguchi

I really enjoyed this wonderful story. The lesson of being kind and caring as well as passing it on to another person is timeless and important. When Cara notices Darby Dog is sad, she goes over to see if she can help cheer him up. It turns out he can not skate is afraid to try. Cara teaches him how and when he tries to thank her, she tells him just to pass it on. The story continues with various other animals needing some kind of help and when it is given they are told to pass it on. When the mole, who is blind needs help, he is given a play by play of the hockey game. When it is his turn to pass it on, he does so wonderfully. It is great to see the way the author deals with this blind character. Not only is he treated the same as all the other friends, but he is also able to pass it on in a fantastic way showing the he also has gifts to help others. This is a wonderful book with a great message.

The illustrations are very well done. They are large, detailed, cute and colourful which will certainly appeal to young children. This is a great book to have in public, school, classroom and family libraries. I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.… (more)

This story is about a little pig, Poppy, who had big dreams. Throughout the story she pursued many of her aspirations, like dancing, singing, and even modeling. Although Poppy failed at these aspirations, she continued on with the support of her mother, grandparents, and good friend, Emma. Poppy eventually found her way to the ice skating rink. Her first time out she slipped and fell all over the rink. She continued to pursue her dream of becoming an ice skater. With practice and positive self talk, Poppy became an excellent ice skater.

This book would be a great way to discuss setting goals, being disciplined, and believing in yourself. Through dedication and a positive attitude, your dreams really can come true.

This book would be great for 1st-5th grade.… (more)

There are two reasons why I really liked the book Cara’s Kindness. The first reason relates to the language used in it. Yamaguchi provides repetition throughout the book to push her message through. The sentence that is repeated throughout the book is “No worries…. just pass on the kindness.” Before this line is said, a character shows an act of kindness. An example of this is when Cara, the main character, shows her friend Darby how to ice skate. This begins the cycle of kindness. Another reason why I like this book is that the characters are well developed. Each character is thought out to the point where the reader knows who they are. In the end, the reader learns that all the characters that are shown, are Caras’ friends. The most well-developed character is Cara. In the beginning of the book, she is the one character to start the kindness circle and because of this, she is then shown kindness herself at the end. Finally, the overall message in this book is that everyone should be kind to one another and to always pass on some sort of kindness to someone else.… (more)