Teach Kids Kindness by Bestselling Author James Patterson

Teach Kids Kindness

by James Patterson

World's #1 Bestselling Author James Patterson

Even though I’ve been writing books for kids for some years now, I always feel just a bit of a thrill calling myself a children’s author. For a long time, I wrote only adult mysteries and thrillers—stories that are pulse-pounding, fast-paced, compulsive reads. One of the biggest challenges I’d faced when I started to write for children was remembering what it was like to actually be a kid.

I grew up in Newburgh, New York. My mom was a teacher, and my dad worked in insurance. My family was working class—we didn’t have all the money in the world, but I found ways to keep myself entertained. I have three sisters—three!— which would’ve made life for any little kid difficult. I tried not to get roped into their girly stuff too often. Instead, I liked to be outside, riding my bike. I played with the kids who lived on my street. I was a great student, but I wasn’t a big reader. Back then, reading books for fun was oftentimes a way to distance yourself from the other kids. Not to say I was so concerned with my social standing when I was 10 years old, but when you’re that age, all you want to do is fit in. I already got called out for being the son of a teacher, and I had pretty wild, curly hair that people just loved to make fun of. I wasn’t going to do anything that might make that worse.

Flash forward many years, and I’m sitting down to pen my first book for children: Maximum Ride. Of all of the characters I’ve ever written, Max Ride is still one of my favorites. And the reason I love her so much, and have so much respect for her, is that she’s different—and she owns it. She isn’t afraid of what people say about her, because she’s above that. She’s in a class of her own making. She doesn’t let the bullies get her down.

When you’re a kid, life is hard. Adults expect you to understand difficult subjects like money, and work ethic, and family responsibilities. They expect you to act like an adult, but you don’t know how to do that when you’re 8 years old. My kid characters know how hard it is to be a kid, and they know that there’s usually nothing worse than coming head to head with your peers when all you want to do is fit in. Humans are social creatures; we crave acceptance. But when sometimes all we get instead is derisiveness, cruelty, and mean names, it can really bring you down. I think we’ve all had experiences with bullying in our childhoods. It’s a singularly shareable human condition.

Since Max, I’ve written many other kids books, and I’m lucky enough that they’ve all been so popular with young readers. And I think that’s because kids can really see themselves in these characters. The star of my Middle School series, Rafe Khatchadorian, is always going up against his school’s resident bully, Miller the Killer. Jamie Grimm finds a lot to laugh about, even though his life has been tough—but he consistently struggles to maintain a civil relationship with his cousin, Stevie, who’s pretty much a jerk. Jacky Hart has a terrible stutter, and the kids at school have branded her with the embarrassing nickname “Jacky Ha-Ha.” Unbelievably Boring Bart is pushed around in the hallways and has his things stolen by his bullies.

As long as I write kids books, I’ll make it my mission to show kids that one of our greatest superpowers is empathy."

David and Michael, the stars of my book Pottymouth and Stoopid, have been called horrible nicknames since preschool, and it really messes with their sense of selfworth. Norbert Riddle’s whole life—his whole world, in fact—has been dictated by earth’s greatest bully ever, Loving Leader.

Even now, I remember the terrible names bullies used to call me. Mean words can stick with us for a long time. Word bullying is insidious and constantly prevalent. And even now, we see how difficult it is for some of us—even those in the highest echelons of power—to be kind and considerate and careful with what we say.

I think if we can show kids the power of bullying early on, prove to them that there are other ways to treat each other, we can stop it from happening. That’s why I think establishing a lifelong habit of reading in children is so important. One of the greatest lessons we learn from reading books is that of empathy.

Reading reveals to us the perspectives of those around us. Books teach us that there are other worldviews. Everyone has their own story—everybody is dealing with their own issues and challenges. Everyone faces their own kind of adversity. It’s easy to forget this, especially in these times, when it seems so difficult to care about others at the threat of harming our own well-being. But that’s what stories are for—they’re here to remind us we aren’t living on this planet just for ourselves. If you walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, you’re a lot less likely to judge them for who they are, because you’ll be able to understand where they’ve come from.

Bullying is one of the most important subjects I’ve written about. And as long as I write kids books, I’ll make it my mission to show kids that one of our greatest superpowers is empathy. If we can teach kids kindness, if we can teach them to express themselves in healthy, considerate ways, we’re going to leave the world a much better place. •

James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author and most trusted storyteller with one unwavering goal: to turn kids into lifelong readers. jamespatterson.com

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