Give by Jen Arena, Rahele Jomepour Bell
Published by Random House Children's Books ISBN: 1524714992
Genres: Juvenile Fiction / Action & Adventure / General
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

Give is a powerful, near-wordless picture book showing the power of kindness in a day. The richly detailed illustrations by Rahele Jomepour Bell show one boy helping his classmate as they walk in the wind and rain. On the next few pages, we see that same classmate offer her scarf to a friend who looks cold. That classmate then helps her teacher by offering her a new pencil when her lead breaks. The cycle of kindness continues throughout the day in a “pay-it-forward” style of storytelling.

The writing by Jen Arena is simple, yet poignant, giving just enough context for each moment of generosity. Children will love looking over the pictures and watching the different classmates interact differently throughout the day. The boy from the first page is carrying a gift box in his hands, and by the last page, we discover that he has cupcakes for every single classmate to enjoy. The line on that page says, “The good you do comes back to you.”

This picture book can be for a variety of ages from early childhood to upper elementary. Highly recommend it as a tool for modeling altruistic behavior and empathy for other humans and animals. Four stars.

Reviewed by Gia Pilgrim Charles, Patten Free Library, Bath