Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
I Walk with Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness
Wordless Picture Book
For ages 4 to 6
Random House, 2018 ISBN: 978-1524769550
One day a new girl, Vanessa, joins the class. Being the new child in a class can be hard because you don’t know anyone and no one knows you. During PE Vanessa does not play ball like all the other kids. Instead, she sits on the bleachers by herself. When school is over she walks home alone. Unfortunately a bully sees Vanessa and he starts to pick on her, finally reducing her to tears.
A little girl from Vanessa’s class at school sees the bully bothering Vanessa and she also sees Vanessa crying and running for home. The little girl tells her friends about the upsetting scene, and all the children go home feeling sad.
At home the little girl cannot help thinking about Vanessa and how she was bullied by the horrible boy. Then, in the morning at the breakfast table, the little girl gets an idea. She runs out of the house and sets about putting her plan into motion.
It is very easy, when you see something going wrong in someone’s life, to think that there is nothing that you can do to help. What can one person do after all? But there is something one person can do. One person can bring together lots of people, and together they can really bring about change.
In this wordless book a simple story shows readers how the efforts of one person can bring a whole community together so that they can support someone who needs help. All it takes is the kindness of one person to galvanize others, to encourage them to do something to make the world a better place.
