Punch! A story about kindness

PreS-Gr 2--In Hall's signature style of painted paper and digitally produced line art and shapes, an angry badger gets a lovingly delivered lesson on kindness from his friends. "Badger was looking for trouble." He encounters his friends, Frog, Moose, Elephant, and Bear, and is mean to all of them by physically hurting them with a poke, jab, shove, and a trip. His friends devise a plan to teach Badger a lesson. When they retaliate with kindness (a glass of punch from Bear, for example), Badger turns his mood around and restores his relationship with his very forgiving friends. This simple tale will resonate with young children, who often have big emotions for reasons they cannot verbalize. Used in a classroom setting, this book makes for a powerful tale to help students express empathy for others, especially those children who are also in need of further development of their self-regulation skills. VERDICT Visually appealing for the intended audience, with a message centered on acceptance and repaying hurtful actions with kindness, this work is full of warmth and sensitivity toward its audience. Highly recommended.--John Scott

A group of friends react to Badger's bad mood. The book opens with a series of photos featuring Badger and his pet, Snaily. On the following page, an angry Badger appears, alone. On his way to the forest with a shovel and a wagon, he trips Frog, pushes Moose, kicks Elephant, and pokes Bear. So his friends devise a plan to deal with him, starting with a "Punch!" A "Belt!" and a "Sock!" soon follow. But Hall cleverly upends expectations. Badger's pals are in fact offering him support as he buries the deceased Snaily. The wordpunch refers to the drink, whilebelt andsock are gifts of clothing from Frog and Moose. Elephant gives Badger a "Slug!" (a new pet) and gets a "Smack!" in return: a kiss on the nose. The next day, Badger reciprocates when Bear is stung by a bee and needs comfort. Though the wordplay feels a little forced, the message that friends dealing with grief require patience and understanding rings true. Some adults may wish that Hall had unpacked Badger's behavior a bit more, making clear that big emotions don't excuse violence; still, the story could serve as a good jumping-off point for discussing how to process complex feelings. Spare, blocky illustrations allow the animals' changing moods to take center stage and succinctly convey the tale's takeaway. A somewhat simplified though easily digestible lesson in compassion.(Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.