Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids

This book was propped up on display at the bookstore and the title was interesting enough, so I picked it up. I immediately could tell that the message was simple and clear and bought the book, even though we have plenty of books (so many that I usually can't justify buying another). I personally don't find many children's book all that great. Either the story is dumb or the wording is dumb, or there is no point. This one is really enjoyable for me to read because they learn from it each time, and even after the first time I read it to my 4 year old, she started talking about things that we shouldn't do that can hurt other people's feelings and "dip" from their bucket. The idea of a bucket of our "good feelings and thoughts" about ourselves creates a visualization my kids can relate to and understand clearly. This goes on my personal list of maybe 20 books I love to read my children.

As a child's book, it's entertaining as well as instructional. Used in counseling it's therapeutic. It reminds us that we all have the need to be valued and treated kindly.

The concept of the book is so simple yet so profound...
BE KIND TO ON ANOTHER.
Why? Because it's good for us!
This book should be shared with children as well as adults!

A collegue introduced this book to me. As Literacy Coach, I immediately took it back to the principal at my school. She was so excited that she read it at the beginning-of-the-year faculty meeting. The teachers are speaking the "fill the bucket" language and pushing themselves to fill each others' and the kids'. My principal is now going to use this book to promote our Anti-Bullying plan. This book has become a movement!!!

I use this book in my classroom to help w/ classroom management. Everyday we discuss how we can be a "bucket filler" rather than a "bucket dipper". We write down an example of how to be a "filler" for the day and I have a student illistrate it for us. Even my kindergarten students grasp the concept.