Minnesota author Kate Dicamillo offers one of the sweetest, most elegant books of the season. Great Joy is the tale of an organ grinder, his monkey, and the little girl who worries over whether he has a place to go in the storm.

As with all of her books for younger children, it’s a joy to read aloud. It’s doesn’t lecture, or beat you over the head with a moral or a syrupy holiday sentiment. It simply lets you share in a young girl’s confusion when she begins to notice that  the organ grinder and his monkey never seem to leave the street.

It also lets you share in her mother’s attempt to sidestep the issue, only adding to the girl’s curiosity. You discover, right along with her, that the kind man is indeed homeless, and you cheer right along with her when he accepts her invitation to attend the Christmas concert.

Miss Kindergarten particularly enjoyed the moment when the girl invites the smiling man with the sad eyes to her concert, a simple act of kindness that certainly did not solve all his problems but just may have brought his holiday some joy.

Our holiday act of kindness this year was to purchase much-needed items as Christmas presents for a young, homeless mother and her child. Dicamillo’s book makes me want to march right back to the shelter and extend a greater invitation.

Tags: Children's Books

About Sarah

Sarah Aadland is striving to make family volunteering a meaningful habit for her family of five. Join the conversation as she ponders what they may (or may not have) learned and looks for helpful information about raising compassionate kids.Though she plans to one day put her Masters in Public Policy back to work for social justice, she sees family volunteering as a way to build a stronger community, a better world, and a more connected family. In addition to her children, Sarah tends a large garden, a small flock of chickens, and a habit of mindfulness amid the necessary rituals of parenting.

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