Sometimes It's Hard to Be Nice - Hardcover

Rudd, Maggie C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807575739 ISBN 13: 9780807575734

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company, 2021

Synopsis

What does it mean to be nice? Some days it takes practice, or even courage.

Sometimes being nice means being patient with your little brother who doesn't know how to treat your favorite things. Being nice can mean going to your sister’s boring dance recital. Or tasting a tuna noodle casserole your grandma made―when you can’t stand tuna noodle casserole. Being nice takes practice, and that’s okay. You just keep trying, and soon you discover how GREAT it feels…to be nice!

About this title

About the Authors

Maggie C. Rudd teaches in a small town and writes books for children. She lives with her husband, son, and dog in Mebane, NC. This is her first book.

Kelly O'Neill earned her BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University in 2017 and has been illustrating children's books ever since. She currently resides in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

K-Gr 4-When your cousin comes over and takes the toy you want to play with, and when you get it back, it's broken-it's really hard to be nice. Adults and children have grappled with patience, acquiescence, and tolerance-it's the lesson of 2020! This book takes the topic apart, with gentle solutions for the young Black girl, or the white red-headed boy who has to go to his sister's recital; and to add insult to injury, she kisses him for attending. Various characters are beset by situations that are hard to tolerate, one after the other, but sometimes the provocateur is a baby brother, who is ripping pages out of a book and is just too young to know better. The older sister, bespectacled, with light brown skin, calls him a name and then cleans up. Rudd has her finger on the pulse of this social-emotional lesson, and gives the problems their due. The illustrations enhance the litany, in cheerful colors and a flat style that doesn't skimp on facial expressions showing anger, disappointment, fear, and happiness. Readers will relate to the authentic events unfolding and also receive clear instructions for some coping behavior. The author enhances the conceit. Being nice is not an accident, it takes practice. It means courage in the face of potential bullies, and it means swallowing fears and facing the funny-smelling home where your grandfather lives. VERDICT A pleasant, important book for this age group, giving them words and actions to smooth the course of their days.-Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journalα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Edition details

• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807575739
• ISBN 13: 9780807575734
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: O'Neill Kelly
• Number of pages: 32