When Shelby’s fourth grade teacher challenged each
student to do something over the summer that will forever change their lives
for the better, Shelby didn’t know what would be the outcome but whatever it
was she was looking forward to it. Tom T’s Hat Rack, written by Michele Spry, is a refreshing story about kindness in
the form of ‘paying it forward’. Spry defines the term as “a random act of
kindness towards another person with no expectation of return on investment.”
As Shelby looked forward to her summer vacation with
the Tuckers (Mr. & Mrs. T - her neighbors); Mr. T had his own idea on a
similar life-changing project in which he solicited Shelby’s help. Soon they
were ‘paying it forward’ in their community in a way that was heartwarming and inspiring.
The idea for the book is a breath of fresh air. Tom T’s Hat Rack is not the customary
kid’s read of adventure and drama, or mystery and suspense. Instead it’s a very
simple story of showing kindness to others and looking for ways to be helpful
in your community. It’s the kind of story that will get children and adults
thinking: “How can I help in my family
and in my community?” Similarly, we can observe that Mr. T’s project made
Shelby ask the same question, and soon after she devised a way in which she
could help too.
Tom T’s Hat Rack teaches that change can begin with you and
it’s a blessing to be kind. If you wanted to teach kids how to show kindness to
others, this book is a great start. The author also encourages the reader to
list (in the back of the book) all the ways in which you can be helpful in your
community. It’s also an excellent book to introduce to a class (as an example) if
the teacher wanted to get her class involved in community work.
Inspiring and motivating, Tom T’s Hat Rack, teaches not to focus too much on self but rather to
put the word ‘paying it forward’ into action and do something good for someone!
If you’ve ‘paid it forward’ or someone has done so for you, the author wishes
to for you to share your story on her Facebook page.
Also, take a peek at the back of the book; a nice
surprise awaits you there!
Happy Reading!
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