Kindness

Kindness offers an unforgettable lesson in compassion and listening to one another. It sensitively captures the reality of children's feelings as it tells the story of three kids, Tessa, Damon and Keegan, as they navigate the small and large catastrophes in their lives. Mr. Foon spent a week interviewing kids in five Winnipeg schools about what mattered to them. He discovered the importance to children of giving and receiving, compassion, generosity and unconditional love, and these responses provided the foundation for Kindness. "We discussed their families and friends, their loves, their hates, their fears, the empty spaces in their hearts," said Mr. Foon. "What struck me was that no matter what their difficulties—and some were huge—many of these kids had enormous compassion for each other and the world around them. Some showed it by supporting a friend in need, others had begun fundraising efforts for worthy causes. These kids, barely alive a dozen years, got me thinking about those empty spaces—and how all of us need to find ways to fill them."