Each Kindness: Jacqueline Woodson
“This is what kindness does, Ms.Albert said. Each little thing we do goes out, like a ripple, into the world.”
Woodson, Jacqueline. Each Kindness. Illustrated by E.B.Lewis. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012. 32 pages.
Descriptive
Jacqueline Woodson depicts an unfortunate reality to children about the feeling of guilt after bullying in her children’s book, Each Kindness with illustrations from E.B. Lewis. Maya is the new girl in Chloe’s class, however rather embracing Maya with open arms, Chloe and her friends are distant and quick to judge. Maya wears hand-me-downs/ thrift store clothes and plays with old-fashioned toys such as jacks and jump rope. With the constant avoidance and neglect, Maya begins to play alone and soon stops coming to school. When Maya is not in school for the first time, the children’s teacher gives a lesson regarding kindness. In the lesson, she drops a small stone into a bowl of water and explains that every act of kindness is a ripple into the world. She invites every student to drop a stone into the bowl and state one kind thing they’ve done; however, Chloe was the only student who could not think of a kind action. Passing the rock to the next student, a feeling of remorse and guilt hits Chloe. Chloe promises herself to make an effort to show kindness to Maya with a smile. As the days pass, the children’s teacher informs the class that Maya will not be attending their class anymore. Chloe is overcome with regret as she realizes her opportunity to show kindness is forever lost and she was only able to demonstrate animosity towards Maya.
Evaluative
Literary elements used to enhance Woodson’s message in Each Kindness was through the use of repetition. In the beginning of the story, Maya was avoided and neglected from her peers, which was repeated throughout the story. Maya was judged through her clothing, old-fashioned toys, the strange foods she brought to lunch, and her attempt to socialize with the other students. However, an unexpected change occurs when Chloe feels remorse for her actions against Maya and wishes to show her an act of kindness. However, Maya had left school before Chloe could not show her any act of kindness. The expected pattern of being cruel to Maya would make children assume that Chloe is not sorry for her actions but unexpectedly Chloe changes her mindset of treating Maya.
Philosophical
Each Kindness represents a child’s inability to realize their underlying cruelty through their actions.