Hello, my reading friends! Today, we’re going to read a wonderful story about being kind. It’s called “Kindness Gets a Thumbs Up” by Brenda Li. Are you ready for a fun adventure? Let’s go!
It was a cloudy Monday morning, and Dot was on his way to school. He wanted to be there bright and early. On his walk, he saw Mr. Sloth, who looked a bit sad. Dot remembered to always be kind, so he smiled and said, “Good morning!” Mr. Sloth was surprised and happy. His frown turned into a big smile. Wow, being kind is so easy!
As Dot continued, he saw Mr. Hippo, the mailman, who had dropped all his letters. Dot quickly helped him pick them up. Mr. Hippo was so grateful and smiled back at Dot. “Thank you! You’re so kind!” he said. Dot felt great and made it to school right on time.
In class, Dot noticed a new classmate who looked worried and sad. Her name was Bonnie. Dot wanted to help, so at recess, he asked her to play. They had so much fun on the swings, seesaw, and monkey bars. Dot even shared his lunch and pencil crayons with Bonnie. By the end of the day, Bonnie was smiling and happy. “Thank you, Dot!” she said. Dot felt good knowing he made a new friend feel better.
On her way home, Bonnie saw Mrs. Monkey drop her bananas. Remembering Dot’s kindness, Bonnie helped pick them up. Mrs. Monkey was so thankful. Later, Mrs. Monkey saw Dot drop his pencil crayons and helped him too. “Thank you! You’re so kind!” Dot said.
Dot learned that when you are kind to others, kindness often comes back to you. Isn’t it wonderful to spread kindness everywhere? Remember, being kind makes everyone feel good!
I hope you enjoyed our story today. Keep being kind, and see you next time!
Kindness Scavenger Hunt: Go on a kindness scavenger hunt around your home or school. Look for opportunities to be kind, just like Dot. Can you find someone who needs help, like Mr. Hippo? Or someone who might need a smile, like Mr. Sloth? Make a list of kind acts you can do and check them off as you complete them. Share your experiences with your family or classmates.
Kindness Chain: Create a kindness chain with paper strips. Each time you do something kind, write it down on a strip of paper and add it to the chain. Watch how your chain grows over time! You can also encourage your friends or family to add their acts of kindness to the chain. How long can you make it?
Kindness Reflection: Think about a time when someone was kind to you. How did it make you feel? Draw a picture or write a short story about it. Then, think of a way you can be kind to someone else this week. Share your plan with a friend or family member and see if they have any ideas too!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello, my reading friends! It’s Ani. Today, I’m sending shout-outs to Marcelo Alvarez in Providence, Rhode Island; James in Whittier, California; Kaden and Arlo in Massanutten, Virginia; Damien and Nicole in Allentown, Pennsylvania; and Shiloh and Allen in New York, New York. Hello to all of you! I am so happy that each one of you is a part of my reading family. Are you ready for a story? Well, today we’re going to learn all about the importance of being kind as we read “Kindness Gets a Thumbs Up.” If you have a copy, go get it so you can read along with me.
[Music]
“Kindness Gets a Thumbs Up,” written and illustrated by Brenda Lee.
**Chapter One**
It was a cloudy Monday morning. Dot walked to school bright and early; he didn’t want to be late for class. Along came Mr. Sloth, looking a bit sad. In fact, his emotion was showing a thumbs down; he was not feeling good. Dot was taught to always be kind to others, even to strangers, so he smiled, waved, and greeted Mr. Sloth, “Good morning!” Mr. Sloth was surprised to receive such a warm greeting. Instantly, his emotion changed from a thumbs down to a thumbs up, so he smiled and waved back. This is kindness! Wow, being kind is so easy!
Dot continued his walk to school. He saw Mr. Hippo, the mailman, who was not having a good morning; he had just dropped all his mail, and his emotion was showing a thumbs down. Remembering to be kind, Dot helped to pick up the mail one by one. With Dot’s help, the mail was gathered in no time. Mr. Hippo was super happy; his emotion changed from a thumbs down to a thumbs up, feeling good again. He thanked Dot with a huge smile. “Thank you! You’re so kind!”
Soon, Dot arrived at school with a big smile. He felt great knowing that he helped people on his way there. He was not even late; in fact, he was right on time.
**Chapter Two**
Just like any other day, Dot sat in the same classroom in the same seat behind the same kid. The classroom was very noisy; all the kids were chatting, giggling, throwing stuff around, and acting silly—except for one kid. She was a new classmate, a very quiet classmate. In fact, she looked worried, nervous, anxious, scared, and sad all at the same time. Look at all her thumbs down; she was not feeling good. Dot remembered the importance of being kind.
At recess, when everyone went outside to play, he stayed behind to chat with his new classmate. “Hi, my name is Dot. What’s your name?” “Bonnie,” she replied in a soft voice. “Do you want to play together?” Dot asked politely. “Um, okay,” Bonnie responded. “Come on, I’ll show you the playground,” Dot exclaimed. Bonnie followed along, not sure what to expect. Soon, the fun began! Dot showed Bonnie the swings, the seesaw, the monkey bars, the merry-go-round, and the slide. They played hopscotch too; Bonnie was an expert at hopping! They also ate lunch together. When Bonnie was carrying a lot of books, Dot held the door for her. When Bonnie forgot to bring her pencil crayons to art class, Dot let her borrow his favorite pencil crayons. Dot said nice things about her drawing too. “I like your drawing!”
By the end of the day, all of Bonnie’s nervous feelings were gone. Dot’s kindness made her feel a lot better—thumbs up all the way! The school bell rang, and it was time to go home. Bonnie was very thankful. “Thank you so much, Dot! You played with me, ate lunch with me, held the door for me, let me borrow your favorite pencil crayons, and said nice things about my drawing. The kind things you did made my first day at school a lot better.” “You’re welcome, Bonnie,” Dot responded. “Being kind to others makes me feel good too.”
**Chapter Three**
Bonnie walked home with a big smile on her face. The first day at the new school wasn’t so bad after all. Then Bonnie saw Mrs. Monkey drop her bananas. She knew the importance of being kind, so she picked up the bananas and returned them to Mrs. Monkey. “Excuse me, you dropped your bananas.” “Oh, thank you! You’re so kind!” Mrs. Monkey was relieved her bananas were back in her basket; otherwise, she would not have been able to bake her kids’ favorite banana bread.
While she was thinking about her delicious banana bread, Mrs. Monkey saw someone drop his pencil crayons, just like how she dropped her bananas. She knew the importance of being kind, so she ran over to pick up the pencil crayons. “Excuse me, you dropped your pencil crayons.” It was Dot; he dropped his favorite pencil crayons. “Thank you! You’re so kind!”
Today, Dot carried out random acts of kindness. He helped others and never expected any reward. But because he kept giving kindness, he also received kindness in the end. Be kind to others and don’t expect anything in return, but know that one day someone might do the same for you. Keep spreading kindness!
Isn’t it great to know that when we give kindness without expecting anything in return, it usually comes back to us? I hope you enjoyed our story today, and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel to stay up to date on all my latest videos. See you next time!
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