EACH KINDNESS

Listeners will find themselves thinking about this story long after it’s over. Woodson’s book, a Coretta Scott King Honor winner, features the character Mia, a new student in school who is different and who is excluded because of it—until Miss Albert teaches a lesson about kindness. Narrator Nikki James’s haunting voice, combined with music and illustrations, makes for a rewarding production. Perfectly childlike, James’s voice is gentle, and she uses pauses and quietness to emphasize each rejection Mia encounters. Young listeners will be compelled to consider the possibility of similar situations in their own lives. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2014]