4 Picture Books to Teach Compassion: Book Club for Boys

The first idea for boys is paring this non-fiction picture on Everything Ancient Egypt from National Geographic Kids with an outing. I found several. The Museum of Science in Boston has a virtual tour of Ancient Egypt that might be fun to incorporate. For a road trip, there are these other Egyptian exhibits around Boston:

• An ongoing exhibit at the MFA.
• Conservation Project: A Monumental Egyptian Gateway in Boston.
• The Semitic Museum at Harvard University also highlights Ancient Egyptian artifacts.

National Geographic Kids Everything Ancient Egypt: Dig Into a Treasure Trove of Facts, Photos, and Fun  by Crispin Boyer

Another fun project might be to mummify an apple.

Picture Books That Teach Compassion

Another advanced picture book idea that I have been DYING to do is based on One Hen which is a TRUE STORY about the power of micro-loans in Africa. I would donate a hen through Heifer International to make this idea real for the boys. A flock of chicks is $20. I wonder what information we will get from Heifer International to make this gift something that kids can relate to.

One Hen – How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference (CitizenKid) by Katie Smith Milway

If the boys are motivated, they could even donate money to co-purchase another animal. My son earns allowance so even $5 (he makes $7/week) from each boy would be enough to buy another flock of chicks. A flock of ducks or geese is also $20. Honeybees are $30 (and another great book club topic!). I am excited to introduce multicultural picture books to the boys.

Donating a Flock of Chicks

A flock of chicks can help families from Cameroon to the Caribbean add nourishing, life-sustaining eggs to their inadequate diets.

The protein in just one egg is a nutritious gift for a hungry child. Protein-packed eggs from even a single chicken can make a life-saving difference.

Heifer helps many hungry families with a starter flock of 10 to 50 chicks. A good hen can lay up to 200 eggs a year – plenty to eat, share or sell. With Heifer recipients’ commitment to pass on the offspring and training, the exponential impact of adding chickens to communities in poverty is truly a model that helps end hunger and poverty.

Because chickens require little space and can thrive on readily available food scraps, families can make money from the birds without spending much. And chickens help control insects and fertilize gardens.

In Tanzania, Omari and Kulwa were struggling to raise a family on just 50 cents a day. With the training and chicks they received from Heifer, egg sales have boosted their daily income to $2, so they can now buy food and still pay school fees. Now, through passing on the gift, all of the children in their village are going to school.

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Mimi’s Village And How Basic Health Care Transformed It by Katie Smith Milway and Eugenie Fernandes

The Citizen Kid series is such a wonderful way to make the world a little smaller. These advanced picture books help kids learn empathy as well as open their eyes to the world all around them. We are fortunate to take clean drinking water for granted here in North America but Mimi and her little sister who live in Kenya have to walk miles filled with dangers in order to bring water home. When Mimi gives her little sister water that has not been boiled, she becomes dangerously ill. Fortunately, they are able to take her to a clinic an hour away to get her medical help. Mimi wonders why her village can’t have its own medical clinic and with the help of her community, her dream becomes a reality.