Educational Activities: K is for Kindness by Rina Horiuchi

K Is for Kindness
Author: Rina Horiuchi
Illustrator: Risa Horiuchi
26 April 2022
Viking Books for Young Readers
32 pages

Book description from Goodreads: “From aardvark to zebra, this delightful cast of animal characters illustrates the many ways to show kindness to others, while teaching the youngest readers their ABCs.

Debut author/​illustrator and sister duo Rina Horiuchi and Risa Horiuchi have crafted a warm and tender gift that affirms kindness can be found anywhere.”


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As a bonus, here’s a Storytime Read-​a-​loud of K Is for Kindness.


Educational Activities inspired by K Is for Kindness:

  • Before Reading–From looking at the front and back cover: 
    • What’s happening on the cover?
    • What does “kindness” mean to you?
    • What does “empathy” mean to you?
    • What questions would you like to ask the author before you read the book?
  • After Reading–Now that you’ve read the story: 
    • Which of the animals were you most surprised to see in this book?
    • Which rhyme was your favorite? Why?
    • Which picture did you like the most? Why?
    • The book asks “What’s something nice that you might do today?” What’s your answer?
    • What did you think of the book’s ending?
    • Did you like this book? Why/​why not?
  • Writing–What other acts of kindness might have been included in this story? Write your own scene with animal characters doing their own kind actions. See if you can match the rhyme pattern found in the book. Use colored pencils, crayons, or markers to create your own art, if you want. Consider sharing your work with a friend or family member.
  • Crafting–This book includes a lot of animal characters. Let’s stick with that theme and make crafts that feature some of the animals from K Is for Kindness.
  • Further Reading–Learn more about kindness by reading these related books. Which of these have you already read? Which of the others would you want to read first? (Click on any book cover for more information on these titles!)