Make a Picture Book About Kindness
A picture book about kindness stops working the moment kindness turns into a personality trait somebody either has or lacks. Readkidz writes and illustrates a complete picture book where kindness is one specific physical act — an umbrella tilted, a bag taken, a step held open — small enough that a four-year-old could do the same thing tomorrow.
Made with Readkidz
Three pages from “The Smallest Umbrella on Maple Street.” Nobody is called kind anywhere in it — an umbrella just keeps getting tilted the other way.
How it works
- 1Choose one act small enough to copy
Sharing an umbrella. Carrying one bag. Saving a seat. The test is whether your child could do it this week without help. Grand gestures make a nice picture and teach nothing transferable.
- 2Let it cost something
The character should get wet, or arrive late, or give up the good spot. Kindness that costs nothing reads as politeness; the small cost is what makes it register as a choice. Say what you want it to cost.
- 3Pass it on instead of rewarding it
Endings where the kind child gets a prize teach a transaction. Endings where somebody further down the street opens their own umbrella teach the thing you actually want. Read the last spread and ask which one you got.
Is this what you were looking for?
- What you get
- 10 illustrated pages plus a cover
- Written for
- Ages 3-7
- How long
- One sitting — not weeks
- Rights
- Original story — nothing is retold from another book
Frequently asked questions
How do I keep it from sounding preachy?
Keep the word kindness out of the book. Show the act, show what it cost, show what happened next, and let the reader do the naming. Almost every preachy children's book has the same tell — a narrator who steps in at the end to explain the moral.
Should the kind act be rewarded?
A small, specific, unplanned thank-you is fine — warm bread, a wave from a window. An explicit prize is not, because it turns kindness into a strategy. If you want the reciprocity kept modest, say so and the ending will stay that way.
Can I base it on something that actually happened?
Yes, and those are the strongest versions. A neighbour who helped, something your child did without being asked, something done for your family. Describe the real event and the book keeps its details — the street, the weather, the bag.
Does someone have to be in trouble?
No. Ordinary difficulty works better than emergency at this age — rain, heavy shopping, a door that is hard to open. Rescue stories are exciting but they put kindness somewhere a small child cannot reach.
Can I read a complete one first?
Yes. The link below opens the full eleven-page The Smallest Umbrella on Maple Street, cover through caregiver notes, with nothing gated.
Will mine be that book again?
No. The principle transfers — one act, one cost, passed on rather than repaid. The street, the rain, the characters and the words are yours to set.
Make a book about one small kind thing
Name the act and the street it happens on. Every page is illustrated in one sitting, with the price visible before you spend.
Create new original characters, wording, and visual designs. Do not request protected characters, logos, or close imitation of a living artist’s signature style.