Last week of August Be Kind to Humankind Week

Speak Kind Words Saturday falls within the Be Kind to Humankind Week, established in 1988. This annual celebration is the occasion to make your corner of the world a better place. This day, in particular, reminds us of the power of words: they can inspire and heal people, as well as hurt and break them. Think well before you speak; watch what you say. Will my words help my interlocutor?

Observed in the last week of August each year, Be Kind to Humankind Week is a way for people to celebrate kindness, generosity, service, and forgiveness to our fellow human beings. It serves as a reminder that kind words and acts should be the norm, as supporting one another is a direct way to help people thrive. 

The website suggests you do something different for each day.

This could be made simpler for children and only done on school days. eg.

Day 1: Perform a random act (or two) of kindness.

A girl in a red hat finds the courage to be kind to the new student in class. Her kindness spreads, kind act by kind act, until her whole community experiences the magical shift that happens when everyone understands—and acts on—what it means to be kind.

What does it mean to be kind? When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate contemplates how to make her feel better and what it means to be kind. From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what a child can do to be kind.

Day 2: Send a letter or card to a friend—as a surprise.

"A sweet and charming book about a little girl who writes a letter to a friend and the unexpected route (and results) that follow."

Day 3: Volunteer to help someone.

A little old lady who is nobody's granny lives in a small cottage. The children from the nearby flats like to play in the overgrown garden. When a new fence is built, they no longer come to play and the little old lady grows lonely and decides to do something about it.

Every day Amos McGee spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it's time they returned the favour. 

Day 4: Create a list of kind things to say.

A guide to teaching young children how to negotiate new experiences and big emotions with empathy and words from the heart. Speaking up can be difficult, especially in tricky situations.

Day 5: Play a social emotional health game.

Let's make a deal: You want this. I want that. How can we both get what we want?” Brainstorm solutions and choose the best idea for right now. 

Jack likes trucks. Alex likes dolls. What will they play together? With a little bit of compromise their new favourite game, of course!

Simon and his friend Ferdinand are playing with their cars. Simon has a yellow one, a blue one, and a green one. But when he spots Ferdinands extraordinary red car, he must have it! And so begin the negotiations... Will someone end up with more than he bargained for?

We all know learning can be hard and life skills don't always come right away ... sometimes, we need to keep trying! 

And if you need to forgive a foe, read 

2nd January Motivation and Inspiration Day

Motivation and Inspiration Day is celebrated on 2nd January in the United States of America. It is a day to sober up after all the festivities of New Year’s Eve and really get to work on resolutions. At the start of each new year, we all resolve that this is the year we will achieve our set goals and improve ourselves in general. So maybe, 2026 should also be the Year of Emotional Intelligence. After all, just as statistics show that people who read do better and earn more, statistics also show that people with high emotional intelligence do better and earn more after completing their education. Just as we teach reading as a subject at school, emotional intelligence can be taught.

This is the first four lines of a New Year poem by Jackie Kay. It is a perfect way to introduce what you think should be part of this year and your future.

Promise

by Jackie Kay

Remember, the time of year
when the future appears
like a blank sheet of paper
a clean calendar, a new chance.

From A Poem For Every Day Of The Year by Allie Esiri

Given the world extremes that students have been privy to recently, war, intolerance, racism, and the total disregard of others and their views, it is time to up the time spent on emotional intelligence, teaching empathy and about inclusion. The best way to do this is through circle time, class meetings, literature and strategies that enable students to understand different viewpoints.

The phrase 'a new year of kindness' has evolved from a hopeful sentiment into a structured intention for societal healing and emotional resilience. Unlike fleeting trends, it emphasises sustainable acts of care, inclusion, and active listening. It encourages individuals to reflect on how their words and actions impact others—not just during holidays but throughout the calendar year. What will you resolve to do with a clean calendar and a blank sheet of paper?

Emotional intelligence is not about being nice or kind all the time. It is about being self-aware enough to navigate discomfort and uncertainty, to connect without losing yourself. Vulnerability should not equate with weakness. 

At school we do a good job of ensuring students are in touch with their emotions and to know how to express them, but emotional intelligence is not about controlling emotions. It is about collaborating with them and using them to express empathy, to feel deeply and to make a difference for others.

There are five elements of Emotional Intelligence. One of them is empathy, but it is not enough on its own. There are many images online which provide a graphic for Emotional Intelligence. This is just one, but I like it  because it gives a brief detail about each of the elements.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) plays an important role in mental health. It can help us build resilience, promote wellbeing, and develop emotional resilience.

Empathy and sympathy are not the same thing.

I am not saying 'empathy' is easy to teach, but I do think too many teachers put it in 'the-too-hard basket'. I find it very easy to read to and share books with my students that take them beyond their life and their comfort zone. Of course they may need scaffolding and I always ensure there is time for discussion. Questions I ask my students often are 'What is puzzling you?' and 'What are you wondering about?' as ways to understand what they are thinking about. 

The annual 

"Read for Empathy" booklist is announced in February by the non-profit EmpathyLab. I use these lists as research for my library shopping lists. I like the way it is divided into sections and age groups.

Similarly, Inclusive Books for Children provide wonderful annotated lists which will help teachers and teacher-librarians match their SEL (social-emotional learning) needs to the right books.

Book sites like these are extremely helpful as they mean teachers get to know what is new and appropriate. Otherwise there is a tendency to fall back on books they know from their own education and students miss out on what is new and pertinent.

13th November World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day is a global day that promotes the importance of being kind to each other, to yourself, and to the world.

If every Australian performed an act of kindness on World Kindness Day, we would have 25 million acts of kindness in a single day.

The day was established by the World Kindness Movement in 1998. It serves as a reminder of the power of empathy. 

Reading books and putting yourself in a character's 'shoes' develops empathy so the  library is a great place to collect books that you could read on this day. We will display some. Usually I steer away from books that have the 'theme' as the 'title' because often they are heavy-handed, preachy and dogmatic, but today I have chosen to suggest some books which do have 'kind' or 'kindness' in the title because for my young audience these books are worth sharing.

22nd August Be an Angel Day

The school reception area has had a display about compassion (one of our school values) encouraging us to share and make a difference in each other's lives and to let our light shine beyond our walls and out into the community.

The school's teacher of religious studies (who is an angel in disguise) has been working with the students to help each other and spot acts of compassion in action. With Book Week happening this week she even used a quote about compassion from Winnie the Pooh, “A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.”

Being an angel means that you are practising acts of kindness and compassion without a second thought and with young children Circle Time and picture books are an ideal way to spark a discussion.

Aesop's fables are renowned for featuring some fundamental morals such as "no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." The Lion and the Mouse

Looking for more books about compassion. Try

• I Walk With Vanessa and I Forgive Alex by Kerascoët

• How to Mend a Friend  by Karl Newson and Clara Anganuzzi

• Come With Me  by Holly McGhee

• A Small Act of Kindness  by Stacy McAnulty and Wendy Leach

 

22nd January Chinese New Year The Year of the Rabbit (Part 1)

 

     

Once upon a time, the city of Beijing was experiencing a pandemic. All the doctors there did not know how to end the pandemic. When the White Rabbit who was busy preparing medicine for immortals in the Moon Palace heard about the pandemic, she felt so worried that she flew to Beijing, as she wanted to help patients. The White Rabbit knocked on the door of an old grandpa's house and tried to offer treatment, but the old grandpa believed that only the human doctor could cure him. In order to convince the old grandpa, the White Rabbit disguised herself as a human being with the clothes that she took from a statue in a nearby temple. After the White Rabbit made several visits to the grandpa's house, the grandpa was touched by her persistence, and finally became willing to receive her treatment. After taking the pills made by the White Rabbit, the old grandpa recovered quickly. As the good news travelled around the city, all the neighbours came to seek the medicine from the White Rabbit. However, unexpectedly, some people became even sicker after taking the pills. What should the White Rabbit do to resolve the crisis brought by the pandemic? Read the story to find out!

This is the blurb for Li Jian's latest zodiac story and I am still waiting for the library copy to arrive. It sounds very pertinent to the times we have experienced. It makes the rabbit out to be a very special 'person' who is kind, caring, persevering, understating just like the rabbit's qualities that are revered in the zodiac and birth sign.

'According to Chinese astrology, Rabbits are predicted to be gentle, quiet, elegant, and alert as well as quick, skillful, kind, patient, and very responsible, sometimes reluctant to reveal their minds to others and having a tendency to escape reality, but always faithful to those around them.'

There is another book in the library about the Year of the Rabbit. Rabbit's Year (2011)  and Rabbit and His Zodiac Friends (2015) by Melissa Keil & Jedda Robaard. This is the same story in both books. It was reissued with a new cover.

A story about finding your place, with the animals of the Chinese Zodiac.  
Little Rabbit is sad. All he wants is a friend, but he is too shy to approach the other animals. Instead, Rabbit watches from the sidelines, playing his music alone while the other animals play together. How will rabbit find the courage to overcome his fears? And will the other animals be able to recognise Rabbit's true qualities? 

 I am planning to start the year off with a display of rabbit books, most of which will have nothing to do with Chinese New Year but it gives them a chance to be borrowed. These books which feature a rabbit, however, do have a rabbit in them who does display many of the qualities listed for rabbits in Chinese astrology.

• Rabbit's Gift by George Shannon & Laura Dronzek

A fable from China. On a snowy day, there's nothing warmer than a meal with friends! Snow is coming, coming soon, so Rabbit needs to find food fast. Just in time, a turnip turns up, and a second one, too. Who in the woods wouldn't want to tuck away an extra turnip for the long winter? Not Rabbit. He chooses a different path - and starts a wave of generosity that spreads among all his forest friends. 

• Rabbit's Pancake Picnic by Tegan Evans & Paula Bowles

A sweet and funny picture book about friendship. It's finally the day of Rabbit's pancake picnic! She's going to make the pancakes all by herself . Her friends try to help.

•  Mr Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow & Maurice Sendak

Little Girl really needs to find a birthday present for her mother in her favourite colour. But with so many things to choose from, she's going to need some help from Rabbit . 

• Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry

Oliver is a tabby cat who is always the center of attention.  
Marshmallow is a baby rabbit who moves into Oliver's home.  
At first Oliver does not welcome Marshmallow, but the little bunny's charms are impossible to resist. This is the true story of how Oliver and Marshmallow become friends. 

• Moon Rabbit  by Natalie Russell

One night Little Rabbit meets Brown Rabbit in the park, and he's just the friend she's been wishing for. He likes to play music and she likes to tell stories: together they make the perfect team.

• Lion vs Rabbit  by Alex Latimer

Lion bullies all the other animals until finally they can't take it anymore. They post an ad, asking for help. One animal after another tries and fails to defeat Lion. Can no one stop him? Finally, a rabbit arrives. No one thinks that such a small animal will be brave enough or strong enough to defeat Lion. But this rabbit might just be smart enough! 

• Grab That Rabbit 
 by Polly Faber & Briony May Smith

Hodge, an adorable bunny, is minding his own business... well, he's stealing some carrots from Mrs Sprat's garden, actually... when he ends up stuck in the hedge. Mrs Sprat advances, wanting to get rid of the pesky bunny, and a buzzard overheard spies a tasty rabbit dinner, too. Can Hodge escape from bird of prey and angry gardener in time to take the carrots home? 

• The Snow Rabbit The Snow by Camille Roche

Two sisters look longingly through their window at the snowy sky. One goes out and sculpts a little rabbit, but when she brings it back inside to her wheelchair-bound sister, it begins to melt. So they take it outside and into the forest where enchanted things begin to happen.

• Those Pesky Rabbits  by Ciara Flood

All Mr Bear wants is to be left alone, but his rabbit neighbours just don't get it! They keep on asking annoying things like can they borrow honey, or does he want to swap books! When grumpy refusals don't work, he decides to scare away those pesky rabbits. Can kindness make Mr Bear see it's time for a change? 

• The Rhyming Rabbit by Julia Donaldson & Lydia Monks

The Rhyming Rabbit loves to make up entertaining poems, inspired by everything he sees, but the other rabbits don't appreciate his talent for rhyme. Sad and lonely, the Rhyming Rabbit sets off one starry night all on his own - will he ever find someone to share his poems with?  

•  Rabbit Races Ahead  by Lydia Monks

It's Sports Day at Twit Twoo School and all of the children are very excited. But no one is more excited than Rabbit. She's decided that she is going to win every race, and has been practising very hard. But as Rabbit wins medal after medal, she seems to be losing friend after friend. Perhaps they are getting tired of her boasting. And now there is just one big race to go. Might there still be time for her to learn that being kind can feel every bit as good as winning?

• Little Rabbit's Big Surprise  by Swapna Haddow & Alison Friend

Little Rabbit is bored. Her brothers and sisters are busy with chores and her friends are out collecting worms. Her grandfather, Big Rabbit, offers to make her his assistant for the day - he's got lots of work she can help him with. Little Rabbit laughs; her grandfather doesn't have a job - he spends all day with his friends. "Why don't you come with me and see?" replies Big Rabbit.

This last book is a short illustrated chapter book, ideal for serialising over the week. Little Rabbit and her Grandfather epitomise all the good deeds of the Chinese Rabbit!

It is the Year of the Cat in the Vietnamese New Year Zodiac. It takes the place of the Rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac, but has all the same traits that are attributed to the rabbit in the Chinese Zodiac.