Ryers Readers - Be Kind

Episode Date: December 27, 2023

How two simple words can change the world.

Let's do this! Thank you so much for tuning into today's story. Don't forget to rate and follow, so you never miss out on all the rires, readers, fun! Before we get into the story, do you want to know a fun fact? Did you know that some types of violet flowers are actually edible? These types of violets are used in salads, desserts, and herbal teas. And guess what? When we were in Disney World recently, Eliana actually ate one of these types of flowers. She thought it was super cool.

True story. Okay, story time. Today, we are going to read, Be Kind by Pat Miller. Denisea spilled grape juice yesterday. All over. her new dress. Everyone laughed. I almost did too, but mom tells me to be kind, so I tried. I don't think it worked. I said, purple is my favorite color. I thought Janisha would smile,

but she ran into the hall instead. When she came back, snack time was over. She put on her art smock, and didn't look at anyone. I almost told Tunisia that art was my favorite class, but I didn't want her to leave again. So I painted purple splotches and added some green until I had a bunch of beautiful violets. While I painted, I thought about Tunisia. Should I have handed her my napkin?

Let her borrow my sweatshirt? Spilled my juice, so everyone stared at me, Instead, what does it mean to be kind anyway? It's giving. Making cookies for Mr. Rinaldi, who lives alone. Letting someone with smaller feet have my two tight shoes. He might win races in them too. Maybe it's helping.

Putting dirty dishes in the sink. Cleaning up after Otis, our class guinea pig. He's a messy eater. Maybe it's paying attention. Telling Desmond, I like his blue boots. Asking the new girl to pee my partner. Listening to Aunt Franny's stories, even the ones I've heard before, being kind should be easy.

Like throwing away a wrapper or recycling a bottle. Or saying thank you. Or bless you. My mom says the quickest way to be kind is to use people's names. Hey Carla, what's new, Omar? Good afternoon, Rabbi Mandelbaum. Being kind can be hard too, even when you know what to do. Teaching someone something I'm good at is tricky, even when I'm patient.

And sticking up for someone when other kids aren't kind is really hard. And really scary. I can't solve Tanisha's grape juice problem. Maybe all I can do is sit by her in art class and paint this picture for her because I know she likes purple too. Maybe all I can do is small things. But my small things might join small things other people do.

And together, we could grow into something. big. Something really big, so big that all of our kindnesses spill out of our school, spread throughout town, travel across the country and around the world. Right back to Tanisha and me, so we can be kind again. And again, and again. The end. Don't forget to stick around to see if you can answer today's paying attention question. Before you go, do you think you can answer today's paying attention question? What type of juice did Tanisha spill on her dress?

If your answer was grape juice, you did it! Great job! You sure were paying attention. I hope you enjoyed that story. I wonder what we're going to read next.