The Giving Crusade

The Giving Crusade is a little book with a big mission: to teach young readers that giving a little can do a lot. Written by first-time author Kate Pope, the book’s sing-song verse and colorful illustrations help parents and teachers engage its young readers in conversations about kindness and the importance of giving back to the community.

But, it’s neither the rhyme nor the illustrations that set The Giving Crusade apart; it’s the book’s call to community action. The Giving Crusade is a book that keeps on giving by challenging its readers to find ways to give their time, talents or money back to their communities. Pope suggests that this message can be made even more powerful when the book is gifted to someone along with five dollars tucked in its pages. This small monetary gift, referenced in the book’s first sentence, then enables the recipient to immediately go out into the community and put the lesson into practice, thereby creating a crusade of young givers or “Giving Crusaders.”

“Creating a culture of kindness and generosity in our youth is of the utmost importance especially in today’s tumultuous climate,” says Pope. “The Giving Crusade gives parents and other adults a way to begin a conversation with even the youngest reader about the importance of community, generosity and kindness, which I hope will challenge those children as they grow to create stronger, kinder communities.”