Kindness is a virtue. Empathy, affection and the act of giving—these are traits that we wish to impart to our children as they journey in life.
School may be where children learn their hard skills, but with the school holidays, what better way to now work on their soft skills by combining leisurely activities with character education than the joy of reading?
This June holidays, treat your kids to our curated series of books about kindness and friendship, where not only can they discover perfect role models to emulate, but also learn more about the world they live in.
The Reading Tree by Khoo Kim Choo
Image source: Epigram Books
What begins as a kind offer from a little boy to read to his new friend, the talking Little Tree, blossoms into an unlikely lifelong friendship and a communal library.
As climate change takes the front seat in public discourse, it is important for us and our children to reevaluate our relationship with nature, especially as city-dwellers. Being kind to our environment is definitely a good way to begin. And what better story to exemplify the saying, “we reap what we sow?”
Heritage Picture Book Series by Quek Hong Shin
Image source: Epigram Books
Although they hail from different cultural backgrounds, Nora, Xiaoming, Asha and Simon never fail to have each other’s backs.
Follow these four friends on their adventures in early independence Singapore as they explore the potential uses of seemingly ordinary items, all the while helping each other and their communities.
Bonus: You get to learn more about the cultural practices and histories of the various groups in Singapore too!
Emma and Ginger Series by Lily Kong
Image source: Epigram Books
While schools can impart technical knowledge to its students, there are far more important lessons that children can learn outside the classroom. Take for example, empathy.
In Dad’s at Home, Dad loses his job and Emma tries to cheer him up in her own way: by buying him ice cream and playing pranks on Mum together. But such sweet gestures go both ways.
When Mum and Dad find out that Emma’s dyslexic in Dad’s Dyslexic Too, they show her the same love and kindness she did when Dad lost his job. What a wholesome family!
Just a Little Mynah by Evelyn Sue Wong
Image source: Epigram Books
The friendly and multilingual Little Mynah thinks she’s too ordinary beside her friends like the beautiful Peacock and spectacular Hornbill. But the friendships she forges allow her to rally enough birds to free a heron trapped in balloons!
Just a Little Mynah not only teaches your child the importance of being kind to the people around us, but also to our environment.
The Great Singapore Poo Sale by Maureen Yeo
Image source: Epigram Books
Amidst all the buzz about the Singapore Green Plan 2030, it is time we inculcate in our children a healthier relationship with nature—to think of it not as something we control, but as a cohabitant of our planet.
In the book, as the animals’ habitats and lives are threatened by deforestation and hunting activities, they scramble to come up with ideas to please the humans and save their homes. They try changing the constitution, putting up circus acts and even dropping money from the sky—but all of that doesn’t work. But what will? You’ll be surprised to find out.
Tibby and Scaredy Snout by Emily Lim
Image source: Epigram Books
It’s easy to be scared of the unknown, but facing these fears is so much easier with a friend like Tibby the fearless tiger-bunny (yes, a tiger with bunny ears—how cute is that?) to show us that things are often not as scary as they seem!
Follow Tibby and Snout the timid boar (think baby Pumbaa) as they explore the world around them together. Their adorable friendship (and illustrations) are sure to make you go “aww!”
ALSO READ:
P Is For Pandemic: Best 4 Kids’ Books About Coronavirus
Recommended Reads: 7 Books To Gift Your Kids During The School Holidays