One Smile [Hardcover]

Cindy McKinley (Author), Mary Gregg Byrne (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Even the smallest acts of kindness can powerfully impact the lives of others. This truth is beautifully demonstrated as we follow the far-reaching effects of young Katie's innocent smile.

With this simple gesture, she ignites a circle of warmth that flows from person to person, touching the hearts and lives of people she may never even meet.

Cindy McKinley's enchanting story, brought to life by Mary Gregg Byrne's exquisite watercolor illustrations, will warm your heart with its timeless message. Children and adults alike will be inspired to pass One Smile on to everyone they meet.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-On the way to the bus, a little girl smiles brightly at a young man sitting on a park bench. He has recently lost his job and is feeling discouraged, but Katie's smile inspires him to start looking for a new one. The young man in turn helps a woman change her flat tire; the woman, feeling grateful, leaves a large tip for a waitress; the waitress uses the tip to buy food for a picnic for her children, and they invite another family to share with them; etc., etc., etc. In the end, Katie and the man are reunited when he has a new position as a mechanic and repairs her mother's car. This enables the child to attend her grandfather's birthday party. The purpose of the story is to show how even the smallest act of kindness can powerfully impact the lives of others, but the events seem manipulated. Also, the waitress's tip enables her to buy sodas, potato salad, fried chicken, and a soccer ball, which seems highly unlikely. While the full-bleed, full-spread pictures of Lisa and the people she meets are colorful and competently done, this is an additional purchase.
Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Here's a purposive story, but an effective one nonetheless. A little girl who is walking through the park with her mother gives a discouraged young man a smile and starts a chain of events that brings good feelings and goodwill to a whole world beyond her ken. The young man helps a woman change a tire. Later, feeling grateful, the woman leaves a waitress an extra-large tip; the waitress uses the money to buy treats for her children, which they share with a lonely girl. And so it goes, people of different races and ages being kind to one another until the benevolence comes full circle, and the young man who originally received the smile gets a job at a garage and is able to fix the vehicle belonging to the girl and her family. The watercolor illustrations are expansive and expressive, though sometimes the characters themselves are stiff. Adults looking for materials about values will find this a good place for primary-graders to begin discussion. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Illumination Arts Publishing Company (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0935699236
• ISBN-13: 978-0935699234
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended!, October 1, 2002

By 

Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Smile (Hardcover)

One simple little smile, sometimes given without any thought at all, can start a ripple of happiness that will go on forever. This is the unmistakable truth that is so clearly authenticated in One Smile.

This story is about little Katie who was happily skipping along in the park one sunny morning with her mother. They were hurrying to catch a bus because their van was in the shop for repairs. As Katie and her mother briskly walked past a park bench, Katie spied a young man sitting there who looked very sad. Katie had no way of knowing it, but the young man had just lost his job. Quick as a wink, she flashed him a brilliant smile. That beautiful smile, so freely given by this happy little child, seemed to light up his heart. Other people had passed him that morning without even noticing him; therefore, Katie's innocent smile, which was so unexpected, became his inspiration to start looking for a job.

As the author carries us through the story, we see many acts of kindness unfold as others continue what Katie's innocent smile began. The young man stops to help a woman by fixing her flat tire. Later, when this same woman finished her lunch, she left an extra large tip for the waitress. And so it went as Katie's smile moved on and on in many different ways, and eventually even made its way back to help Katie in the story's heart-warming ending. Thus we see that all it really takes to change the world is One Smile.

***** I highly recommend this book. It is very well written and the illustrations are vivid and beautiful. In the back of the book the author has included a page that will help families think about things they can do together to help others. *****

Reviewed by Ruth Wilson.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Educator Favorite, January 27, 2004

By 

Education Oasis "Education Oasis" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Smile (Hardcover)

What can one smile do? Quite a lot as we find out in this noteworthy tale. The story begins with Katie walking with her mother through the park. She thoughtfully bestows a bright smile on a forlorn, out-of-work young man sitting on a park bench. It inspires the young man to begin looking for a new job. While doing so, he sees a woman whose car has a flat tire. He changes the tire for her. She, in turn, leaves a large tip for a waitress. This continues on until, eventually, the good feelings inspired by Katie's smile comes back to her and her mother.

The text is well-written and flows smoothly. The themes of kindness and interconnectedness shine through on each page.

The illustrations are exceptional. The paintings are realistic and done in vibrant colors. Each double-page spread captures perfectly the mood and atmosphere of the story and invites the reader into the scene.

Without lapsing into moralizing, One Smile shows readers that small acts of kindness, when sent out into the world, can have profound and lasting effects.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff (KJW).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smile at Someone Today!, January 3, 2007

By 

M. Lamere (Hamden, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Smile (Hardcover)

A warm smile when you're feeling down works wonders. A little girl's friendly smile starts the pay-it-forward story of how a tiny act of kindness can work wonders throughout a community. Each character is affected by the actions of someone who has been influenced by someone else's small act, and the tale cycles back on itself in a satisfying way. My class of 1st and 2nd graders got the message loud and clear and have often referred back to One Smile when we have encountered similar situations in other books. Read the book and try smiling broadly at the next person you meet; it really works!