Book review: A counting book of kindnesses by Hollis Kurman and illustrated by Barroux.

Next week marks Refugee Week and the theme being explored is imagine. Hello! A counting book of kindnesses is a unique counting book that will be a great book to share with your little ones but equally it’s a fantastic resource for exploring empathy.

Empathy picture book on mammafilz.com


When exploring books touching on refugees we need to ensure books are varied and readers understand that children and families possibly fleeing a country are not all from the same place and don’t all have the same shade of skin. This in turn could be a great opportunity to incorporate some geography learning.

Empathy picture  book on mammafilz.com


On the surface this is a counting book but wow what a unique one at that, written by Hollis Kurman. Readers join a family as they travel out of danger to a safe place. The different acts of kindness they experience are all shared in the book, incorporating counting along the way. “4 beds keeping us safe and warm” “5 wishes giving us hope.”

Empathy picture book on mammafilz.com

There is so much to explore and discuss at each turn of page and the illustrations are very sweetly completed by Barroux. Infact the illustrations incorporate motifs from various countries, sharing that though we may each be from a different place, we have many shared experiences.

Hello! A counting  book of kindnesses


The book will be published in July however, you can pre order.

Thank you to Otter Barry books for our copy. This post contains affiliate links.

What are your thoughts? Leave a reply.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.