CARA’S KINDNESS
By Kristi Yamaguchi; illustrated by John Lee (Naperville, Ill.: Sourcebooks Inc., 2016, 32 pp.; $16.99, hardcover)

Our favorite Olympic ice skater, Kristi Yamaguchi, has recently released her third children’s book, “Cara’s Kindness.” Cara the Cat, an ice skater, is the shining light.

She helps other animals and encourages them to “pass on the kindness.” Her friends include Darby the Dog, who is afraid to try skating; Pax the Polar Bear, who forgot his lunch; Marky the Monkey, who wants to retrieve his ball from the frozen lake; Samantha the Skunk, the new girl at school; and Milo, a blind badger who needs someone to give him play-by-play at the hockey game. Cara and her friends demonstrate kindness toward each other in a way that seems natural for young children.

John Lee’s animal illustrations are cute, likable, and engaging. Their big shiny eyes and sweet smiles are endearing.

At the end of the book, Cara becomes the recipient of a helping hand, and she says that caring and kindness have “come full circle right back to her.”