Compassion when the world barely warrants it
The Seed of Compassion; Our World is a Family; Something Happened in Our Town
This week has been the lead-up to Passover and Easter, it brings us to the midpoint of Ramadan. The war in Ukraine continues. And we are coping with the murder of Patrick Lyoya, a black man, by a police officer. Here are a few books to help us help our littles as we struggle to reconcile all of this.
In “The Seed of Compassion,” The Dalai Lama writes about his childhood and the ways he learned to grow his compassion, reminding children that everyone has compassion inside, and that we all must work every day to increase it.
The Seed of Compassion. 2020, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Bao Luu. Target ages: 4-8 [Similar titles for older kids] [read aloud, libraries, book stores]
“Our World is a Family” teaches the importance of welcoming newcomers and gives concrete ideas for how we can help immigrants and refugees feel a part of our communities.
Our World is a Family. 2022, Miry Whitehill, Jennifer Jackson, Nomar Perez. Target ages: 4-8. [read aloud, libraries, book stores]
Published by an imprint of the American Psychological Association Press, “Something Happened in Our Town” is about a police shooting and racial bias, and it acknowledges the sensitivity of our youngest children to these “mistakes that are part of a pattern.”
Something Happened in Our Town. 2018, Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, Ann Hazzard. Target ages: 4-8. [read aloud, further reading, libraries, book stores]
More nonfic for thought…
Jessica Grose writes this week about the long-running Japanese television show, now available on Netflix, Old Enough, how it would be different if set in the US, and research that supports fostering independence in children.