Dude, Be Nice by Sarah Scheerger with Brent and Jamie Camalich – Presented By The Children’s Book Review

October 30, 2025 · by sybrinapublishing

Dude. Be Nice

Written by Sarah Scheerger with Brent and Jamie Camalich

Illustrated by Alex MacNaughton

Ages: 3-7 | 32 Pages

Publisher: Flamingo Books (2025) | ISBN: 978-0593350607

Publisher’s Book Summary: Meet Dude, the nicest Dude in town! Or so he thinks . . .

One day, Dude decides that he wants to do nice things for his friends and neighbors all day long. But Dude isn’t exactly attentive and tends to forget the most crucial part of helping people: asking first. So when Dude unravels a sweater, frees some dogs, and ruins an ice cream social, he needs to reckon with his own niceness: is it really nice if he wasn’t that helpful? Can Dude and his best friend Fizz save the day before Dude makes too big of a mess?

With hilarious text from Sarah Scheerger and gorgeous illustrations by debut children’s book artist Alex MacNaughton, Dude. Be Nice is a tale of good intentions and not-so-good outcomes, sure to make readers giggle along the way.

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Guest Post By Sarah Scheerger

Teaching Kids the Difference Between Helping and Interfering: A School Social Worker’s Guide

Hint: It’s all about empathy and perspective.

As a mom of four and a school-based social worker with at-promise youth, empathy and perspective-taking are two of my favorite topics! Lack of empathy and perspective-taking are at the root of many conflicts—between siblings, on the playground, and in the world. These concepts also come in handy when helping kids understand the difference between helping and interfering.

Developmental ego-centrism

Developmentally, young children are often ego-centric. It can be challenging for them to consider the perspectives of others. This, combined with their lack of life experience makes it easy to misstep.

I remember fondly the years when my kids wanted to buy me a birthday gift of Legos or Matchbox cars, because that was what they themselves would’ve liked as a present. Most parents naturally understand this youthful egocentrism, and see the intent behind it, making such a gesture endearing rather than frustrating.

In other situations, like when a child tries to “help” by carrying a too-heavy carton of milk, the results can be both messy and irritating.

Break down big concepts to increase understanding

It can be helpful to our children to break down concepts, even if they’re ones that we think they should already know. Sometimes these things can seem so obvious to adults that it might seem silly to break it down to this degree, but this step increases understanding.

When children try to be helpful in a way that is anything but, it can be frustrating. The ideal approach is a combination of acknowledging their intent while gently educating and redirecting. It’s important to make space for learning from mistakes, something educators call “growth mindset.”

Breaking down the components of “being helpful”

Part of being helpful needs to be considering one’s impact on, and the perspective of, others. Explaining this to children might seem like a hefty task, but it can be broken down into smaller chunks.

Step 1) Increasing vocabulary and understanding.

Define Perspective.

What does it mean to consider the perspective of others? (How might something feel, look, or seem to someone else?)

Define impact.

What does it mean to consider the impact on others? (How does a situationaffect them? What happens afterward? How does person likely feel?)

Explain empathy.

Empathy is feeling “with” someone else, understanding and sharing their feelings as if you are “walking in their shoes.”

Explain and practice growth mindset. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Increase understanding of“feeling words.”
  - When asked how your child is feeling, do they respond with simple terms like “good” or “bad?” Or do they have more specific words to use? Many times, children have a hard time sharing their feelings because they simply do not have the vocabulary to accurately do so. Are they angry? Or actually hurt? Are they sad? Or discouraged?
  - How do feelings “look” on others? Can they tell by facial expressions how a peer is feeling? If not, use a feeling chart. (See below for an example)

It is helpful to teach children the meaning of various feeling states and help them think about when they (or others) might feel that way.
- I love using books as an organic entry point for these discussions.
Step 2) Providing age-appropriate opportunities to practice.
Step 3) Provide a non-judgmental space in which to reflect. How did that go? Did we learn anything? Is there anything we’d do differently if we had a chance?
Step 4) If applicable—when a helpful act goes awry, acknowledge the good intentions. This is a crucial step, because we want our kids to keep trying and not get discouraged.
Find organic entry points to these discussions. Kids are sensitive to any criticism, and we don’t want to discourage them from trying. I’m a big fan of finding organic entry points through literature. When reading a book to a child, the reader can either pause mid-story to ask the child questions or reflect at the end. For example, how do you think the main character felt when this happened? How did the other character feel? How would you feel? One such book for the topic of helpfulness is Dude. Be Nice, A hilarious and heartfelt picture book about what it really means to be kind—even when your good intentions go awry.Inspired by the real-life Dude. Be Nice Project, a video series with more than 80 million views. The Dude. Be Nice project model of helping students work together to honor, thank, and celebrate the unsung heroes in their community provides an opportunity for kids to give back.

Why is being helpful so important?

According to “The Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, altruism is one of the “building blocks of individual and community wellbeing.” It is actually beneficial for both those doing the helpful act and those receiving the help, making it a double win. For more information on The Greater Good Science Center, check out Keys to Well-Being | Greater Good.

Most schools provide basic Social Emotional Learning (SEL). I describe this to students as “learning about yourself and others.” The CASEL website is a great resource for SEL. CASEL stands for Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.

In addition to the SEL curriculum, books and stories can provide entry points for these discussions. When reading a good story, the reader feels empathy for the main characters. This allows a reader to process what is happening to the character almost as if it is happening to themselves. Characters also model a range of choices (both what we’d consider positive and negative) and there are learning opportunities from both.

When can parents start these discussions?
It’s never too early.

Just meet your child where they’re at developmentally, use words they can understand, and just maybe, the right book will open the door to those conversations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sarah Scheerger is an author and mental health clinician. She provides school-based counseling services for “at promise” youth and helps them figure out who they are and who they want to be. The Dude. Be Nice organization caught her attention and served as inspiration for Dude. This is her tenth book. Her middle grade novel, Operation Frog Effect, was nominated for multiple state award lists.

For more information and fun activities related to her books, check out her website at www.sarahlynnbooks.com.

https://www.instagram.com/sarahscheerger

https://www.facebook.com/sarahlynnscheergerbooks

Tweets by sarahscheerger

Brent Camalich is the owner of Dude Be Nice, whose videos celebrating unsung heroes have generated more than 80 million views. He’s a kid at heart. He lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and two children.

Jamie Camalich has worked in education for 19 years. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children. This is her first picture book.

For more info and uplifting videos, check out the dude. be nice organization at dudebenice.com.

https://www.instagram.com/dude.be.nice

Tweets by dudebenice

https://www.youtube.com/dudebenice

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR

Alex MacNaughton is an illustrator who lives in London with her partner and scruffy pooch. She loves animals, drinking tea, and knitting. This is her first picture book.

Giveaway

Enter for the chance to win one of ten hardcover copies of Dude. Be Nice! One grand prize winner will receive the ultimate kindness bundle: a complimentary virtual author visit with Sarah Scheerger (available anywhere) and an autographed copy of Dude. Be Nice, a Dude. Be Nice apparel item (your choice of shirt, sweatshirt, or hat), and one additional book by Sarah Scheerger to add to your collection!

Dude. Be Nice: Book Giveaway

This post is sponsored by Sarah Scheerger. The opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal views.