Because Amelia Smiled    by David Ezra Stein Order:  USA  Can Candlewick, 2012 (2012) Hardcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch You never how a smile can set of a chain of events that will affect people all over the world. At least that is the premise of this picture book for children three years of age and older. Amelia is a little girl who is enjoying an outing with her parents. As they walk down the street hand-in-hand, Amelia has a big smile on her face. Mrs. Higgins sees the child's smile and she smiles too. Not only does she smile, but Mrs. Higgins decides to bake some cookies and send them to her grandson in Mexico. The grandson decides he will share his cookies with his classmates and teach them a little English too. Then a classmate decides to become a teacher and so it goes ... As you turn the pages you'll see how the good feelings that Amelia created with her simple smile radiated outward and, indirectly, touched individuals in many other places. Since this is a picture book, naturally the positive feelings that one smile generated circled the planet and on the final page returned to Amelia. Of course, that means she sees something that makes her smile again! This clever picture book gives new meaning to what goes around comes around and hopefully will remind those who read it that small doses of kindness can make all the difference in a person's life. So, try smiling at a stranger and see what happens! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews