For people who like: interesting creative projects

In five words: children - kindness - rocks - messages - colorful

Positive points: For those who aren't familiar with 'kindness rocks', these are painted rocks or pebbles which often feature positive words or quotes and are left for others to find and collect them. This book is perfect to teach children about empathy and kindness as it discussses situations they can relate to. Furthermore it sparkles the creativity of children and adults alike. Because after reading this book and looking at the website, I'm sure lots of them will want to try this out and create their own kindness rocks.

Negative points: The plot of this book was too repetitive without adding something new and the illustrations didn't really appeal to me.

More info: Read all about the Kindness Rocks Project on the official website: https://www.thekindnessrocksproject.com/
A tutorial on how to create a kindness rock can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TraVFnPvdgc&t=97s and a motivational movie about kindness can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrSkDX2ELmU&t=20s

Rating: 2,5* rounded up to 3* because it promotes kindness

Publication date: 11.03.2025

*Thanks to NetGalley and Familius for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a different kind of rock book. The kids in this story have feelings just like everybody does and sometimes those feelings lead to bad days, days where you need something to keep you going. These anonymous kind rocks lift these kids into a better frame of mind and allow them to spread the kindness throughout their community. The helpful information at the end of the book encourages readers to help spread kindness rocks of their own.

This book seems a little incomplete, especially without the journal. It fails to stand alone. . While there is information about the Kindness Rocks Project, the content did not feel entirely linked to each other. I would have preferred more "I feel..." statements about the Kindness Rocks and how they helped the kids with their "bad, bad day". As it reads now, the power of kindness rocks feels diminished. I was just waiting for more.

It's a wonderful story for children to learn kindness and empathy towards others. They learn that the kindness they are shown is something they can duplicate to make someone else feel good as well. This initiative is such a beautiful wave that started as a ripple. There's lots of great information in the back to guide children to create their own kindness rocks garden.

This book was absolutely adorable. I loved what every rock said and found myself laughing at some of them. The 🐝 cool one had me laughing way too hard. The book gave such a sweet message that even though you're having a bad day you could still make someone else's day better and maybe that'll make you feel better too. I loved the message. I love the art. This is the kind of book I would buy my nephews and nieces. This is just a great message for kids and for adults.

I enjoyed reading this book. I teach fourth grade and found it to be too simplistic for upper elementary. It is, however, absolutely perfect for K-2! I loved how the chain of kindness expanded. Megan Murphy does a good job showing how ripples of kindness continue, even after our initial act.

I like this cute picture book because it shows how easy it is to make a difference and spread kindness. I had seen the kindness rocks before, but never thought about them. It's so easy to use rocks to create a personal, durable message. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This book has a great message about spreading kindness, I loved the art and the child friendly instructions for how to paint your own kindness rocks

Kindness Rocks is an illustrated children’s book that emphasizes the importance of spreading kindness even when you are feeling down. I love the idea that this book encourages children to create their own “kindness” rock with instructions on how to child-safely paint the rock at the end. The artwork was beautiful with a great diversity of characters. Overall a great read with a wonderful message.

Such a cute and well written book. The Illustrations just make the story that much better.
Depending on where you live you might have seen Kindness Rocks around at different locations. I've been seeing them for many years and this book shows kids how fun they can be to find but also to make. It's also fun after making them trying to find places to put them so that they can make someone's day extra special.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Thank you for the ARC. This is a solid, quick, book. I misjudged the cover and thought it would be more advice on being kinda, but it's about spreading kindness, which is also nice. Thank you!

Cute book! I think that there is a really solid and heartwarming idea here, the execution was just a bit off. I'll start with the good. I loved the vibrant and diverse colors throughout the book. They really pushed the tones of hope, happiness, and kindness that the story had. However, the plot didn't do a great job at keeping this great story engaging. Majority of the book was highly repetitive, and the writing for most of the pages was the exact same, the only difference being the names. This really dulled what could have otherwise been a really fun book, and a lot of substance was lost. Although, that being said, I really liked the ending. It helped to bring the whole idea/message home, and felt sincere. Lastly, the instructions at the back of the book on how to make your own Kindness Rocks was such a clever idea! This inspires young readers to get involved in their own communities and make a difference to create a sweeter, kinder world, one rock at a time.

The repetition in the story is a great way for kids to practice reading, but I wish there was another sentence or two at the end

Kindness Rocks by Megan Murphy introduces readers to the Kindness Rocks Project, where uplifting messages are painted on rocks for others to find. The story is repetitive showing each child, after having a bad day, discovering a painted rock that lifts their spirits and then making rocks of their own. The simple, repetitive text is ideal for young readers, making it easy to follow and engage with.

My toddler enjoyed predicting what each child might be feeling sad about. This book is a great companion for a rock painting activity, encouraging creativity and kindness in a hands-on way. It’s a solid choice for parents or teachers looking to teach children about empathy and the impact of small gestures.

Thank you to NetGalley and Familius for the advanced copy.

This is not so much a standalone children’s book as it’s a companion to the Kindness Rocks project, which is explained at more detail at the end. It provides a good starting point for kids to join in the project but in isolation (for example, in a library), I’m not sure it will explain enough. The illustrations are beautiful, however.

Thank you to Familius and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kindness Rocks is a beautiful picture book that shows the story of how The Kindness Rocks Project came to be. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and depict a very diverse community. The words are simple and repetitive in a way that works to help tell the story. I loved this book and can see myself using it in a storytime about Kindness.

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

So cute! I love that this book is not only something for kids to enjoy reading, but also is a project they can do with their friends or at school! Like this would be the perfect book to do in art class or in elementary school class on a project day!

I’m a preschool teachers and I loved this book. It is perfect for me to read with my students and love that we can make it into a kindness project.

This was a cute, simple book to read with my five year old son. He loves finding rocks! We used to have a big collection by our mailbox. So because of that he really enjoyed the story. He loves the idea of painting with other kids at school and wants to ask his teacher about it. Sweet book with a fun message for children about spreading kindness.

Very sweet book for children, lets the little ones know it’s okay to have bad days and that they can provide great ideas. You also could use this book as inspiration and make it into an activity to make kindness rocks around your location!