Empathy Day

Puffin Books partnered with Empathy Lab, a charity dedicated to using stories and books to build children’s empathy, for their annual Empathy Day campaign, encouraging parents and teachers to use reading as a way of helping children understand other people’s feelings and perspectives.

Inspired by Channel 4’s “The Secret Life of 4 Year Olds,” Puffin wanted a playful film that brought the idea of empathy to life for children, with a particular focus on R.J. Palacio’s “Wonder”, a story all about kindness and seeing the world from someone else’s point of view.

We ran a full day of immersive workshops with a children’s theatre practitioner, where kids played in groups, tried on different costumes, and literally walked in someone else’s shoes – acting out other characters’ behaviour and feelings rather than just talking about them. The costumes ranged from well-known faces like Little Red Riding Hood, monsters and giants, right through to the space helmet Auggie wears in “Wonder” itself.

The whole day was full of fun, with plenty of genuinely funny lines and stories along the way, all woven together with interviews into a playful social film.

Both Puffin and Empathy Lab shared the films across their social channels as part of their wider Empathy Day campaign.