Definition:

A friend is someone you like spending time with because they make you feel happy and special, and help you when you need it. 

In short:

Build bonds that last forever.

Summary:
The story opens with a girl named Tanisha who spills purple grape juice all over her new dress at school. The narrator of this story is a young girl who tries to make Tanisha feel better, but it doesn’t work at first. She contemplates the question: what does it mean to be kind? The subsequent pages are filled with her answers to that question. Eventually she gets back to what she could do for Tanisha, and decides she could just do something simple, like sit next to her, letting her know she’s willing to be a friend. She dreams of a day when a small act of kindness like this

+ could grow and grow until the world becomes  a “big bubble of kindness!”  

Lesson Objectives: 

1. Students demonstrate more empathy in their relationships with classmates and family members
2. Teachers reinforce the message with activities and projects that produce acts of kindness. 

Guiding Questions: 

1. What happened to Tanisha in the beginning of the story? 
2. What did the girl do at first to try to help Tanisha feel better? Did it work? 
3. Do you think Tanisha was embarrassed? 
4. What would you have done to help Tanisha feel better? 
5. What are some of the narrator’s ideas about being kind? 
6. Do you think it’s hard to stick up for someone who’s being treated badly? Why or why not? 
7.   Do you think Tanisha felt better when the girl just sat with her? 
8. Did anything ever happen to you that was embarrassing, like what happened to Tanisha? What happened? 
9. What are some kind things you do at home to show you care about your family members? 
10. What are some kind things you do at school to show you care about your teacher and classmates?