The Ultimate List of the Best Children’s Books About Kindness
As parents, we want to raise kids who grow up to be kind and compassionate and maybe even thoughtful enough to return their grocery store cart to the parking lot corral.
Thankfully, research shows that kids act with kindness and compassion from a very early age – before we ever try to teach them to be kind. For example:
- Babies as young as six months old show a clear preference for kind and helpful behavior as opposed to mean behavior.
- 3-year-olds can actually be great about sharing prized toys with their friends.
- When given the opportunity to be kind to others, kids feel happier than if they’re doing something that just benefits them alone.
But Then, Something Happens…
Between the time we see our toddlers’ first sprout of compassion and the time we send our sweet kiddos off to school:
“Research shows that as they enter school around age five or so, children shift away from their innate altruism toward selfishness.”
Washington Post
But…why five? Why do parents and teachers tend to see a change in kids’ behavior around this timeframe?
Because that’s when your child is thrown into a big group with other kids, and herd mentality isn’t always a pretty sight. Kids start teasing other kids. Showing aggression. Bullying.
This is when kids’ innate kindness is put to a real-life test.
Here’s the Good News
As a parent, you can bolster your child’s innate kindness. In fact, when your child is between ages 4 and 7, that’s a critical developmental window when their brain is especially open to developing a lifelong kindness habit.
How? According to a report by Harvard researchers:
- Kids need to hear from us that kindness is important,
- Kids need daily opportunities to practice caring for others, and
- We need to encourage kids to consider the perspective and struggles of others.
That may sound like a lot, but we’re lucky to have one powerful parenting tool that will knock out all three of those in one fell swoop: children’s books about kindness.
Related: 40 Questions That Will Teach Your Kid to Be Kind to Others {Printable}
Why It’s So Important to Read Children’s Books About Kindness
When we read children’s books about being kind and talk to our kids about the stories, this is what happens:
- We deliver the message that kindness is important,
- We give our kids a chance to practice flexing their kindness muscle, and
- We give them an opportunity to put themselves in someone else’s shoes.
In other words, reading books about kindness takes care of every one of those three essentials for raising kind kids.
Plus, reading books works way better than lecturing kids on the virtues of kindness.
Lectures typically go in one ear and out the other. But when you read fiction, research shows that the brain reacts the same way as if you were living the story in real life. In other words, reading children’s books about kindness is akin to setting up a virtual reality simulation where your child can fully enter the experience and understand different perspectives.
Related: The Ultimate List of the Best Picture Books, Endorsed by Kids And Parents
40 Best Children’s Books About Kindness
A while ago, my kids and I spent months putting together a list of the best children’s books about friendship, and parents wrote back with sweet notes of gratitude. But they also had another request: What are the best picture books about kindness?
And so my family set out on another months-long research project to find children’s books about kindness that both kids and parents will enjoy. (If kids are going to ask us to read it again and again, it may as well be something we’ll get a kick out of, too!)
Every week, I put 25 books on hold at the library, plus at every visit I browsed the shelves for even more picture books about kindness. All told, my kids and I read hundreds of picture books on the topic of kindness.
The list below is the cream of the crop from those hundreds of books: the books I loved reading, and the books my kids couldn’t get enough of. Read these picture books about kindness, and you’ll be priming your child’s brain to grow into a kind, compassionate soul. We all know the world could use more of those!
Note: indicates my family’s absolute top favorites on the list. These are the books my kids can’t get enough of!
Books to Inspire Your Kid to Be an Includer And Upstander†
When you’re looking for books about kindness for preschoolers and early grade schoolers, it’s important to tackle the subject of including and standing up for others. The preschool or grade school environment may be their first experience dealing with exclusion and relational aggression.
1. Stick and Stone
2. Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon
3. One
4. Strictly No Elephants
5. I Walk With Vanessa: A Story About a Simple Act of Kindness
6. Nerdy Birdy
7. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade
8. The Big Umbrella
Related: The Ultimate List of the Best Children’s Books About Friendship
Books About Being There for Others
No list of books that teach kindness would be complete without showing how to be there for others.
9. A Sick Day for Amos McGee
10. A Chair for My Mother
11. The Rabbit Listened
12. Grumpy Goat
Books About Seeing the Good in Others
When you’re looking for children’s books about being kind, make sure to include stories that inspire kids to see the good in others.
13. Good People Everywhere
14. Horrible Bear
15. Ribbit!
16. Dragon Was Terrible
17. The Story Book Knight
18. Most People
19. We’re All Wonders
20. Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
Books About Being Kind, Even When It’s Hard
Sometimes making the choice to be kind isn’t easy, and children’s books about kindness should acknowledge that.
21. Should I Share My Ice Cream?
22. Knuffle Bunny Free
23. Little Fox in the Forest
24. The Girl and the Bicycle
25. A Hat for Mrs. Goldman
26. Enemy Pie
27. The Fox Wish
28. Leonardo, the Terrible Monster
Books About the Karma of Being Kind
These picture books about kindness show kids that what goes around, comes around.
29. Plant a Kiss
30. We Don’t Eat Our Classmates
31. The Lion & The Mouse
32. Extra Yarn
33. Sidewalk Flowers
34. Ivy Loves to Give
35. If You Plant a Seed
Books That Show Real-Life Examples of How to Be Kind
When teaching kids about the concept of kindness, they’ll learn it much better if you give them real-life, tangible examples of what it means to be kind – which is where these children’s books about kindness shine.
36. Baby Be Kind
37. Peace Is an Offering
38. Be Kind
40. Last Stop on Market Street
Bonus! 5 Chapter Books About Kindness
My oldest still loves when I read picture books out loud, but she also devours chapter books any chance she gets. Which means we’ve read a lot of chapter books about kindness too.
You can’t go wrong with these chapter books that have a powerful message of kindness for kids.
Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: 75 Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear
Your Turn
What are your favorite books about kindness? Share in a comment below!
Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this amazing list. I can’t wait to dig into these with my kids. I don’t recognize a lot of these, but We’re All Wonders is a hands-down favorite of my six year old.
We’re All Wonders is so sweet! Can’t wait to hear what you and your kiddos love best from this list :-)
So we finally made it through all forty with the exception of one board book I couldn’t get in my library system. Hands down, my favorite was The Girl and the Bicycle. It made me cry and then I found out it made my husband cry, too! That’s a winner!! My five year old repeatedly asked for I Walk With Vanessa. My seven year old loved Enemy Pie. So so many good ones here. I’ve noticed my library picking up several of them after I requested them from other libraries. Your lists are wonderful. Thank you!
I liked the Joy Berry series. Teaches kids all kinds of thing they can do when they do things like steal or lie or whining or over doing it. It’s good to talk to your kids about what they should do and show them good behavior. Kindness is one of many values we need to teach kids over and over. We all need it.
Chrissy
What an awesome, comprehensive list! I’m a first grade teacher and I am so excited to use this round-up to find new books to share and inspire. Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear you’ll be able to put the list to good use, Meredith! I’d love to hear what the kids’ favorites are :-)
This is a great list! Thank you! Do you have any suggestions for books that teach the same messages for older kids (10-12)?
Hi Catherine! That’s a great question. My 10-year-old still loves when I read picture books out loud, but she also devours chapter books any chance she gets! So we’ve read a lot of those too. You can’t go wrong with these chapter books that have a powerful message of kindness:
Loved Wonder, liked The Hundred Dresses, and would add “Out of my mind” as top notch
Out Of My Mind is an excellent one too.
Because of Mr. Terrupt
Mockingbird
I would add Gift of the Magi
I’m a 4th grade teacher, which are mainly 9-10 year olds, and they love picture books. We actually were trained this summer to read more picture books. I used to only read chapter books and have discovered a whole new way to teach with simple books.
Hi Kuljit. I teach 2nd grade and use some Patricia Polacco books as read alouds. Most of your 4th graders could probably handle them on their own. But once you read a couple to them, you’ll have to check all of them out of the library for your classroom for a couple weeks because they’ll devour them. One of my favorites is Thank you, Mr. Falker which is based on her own learning difficulty in school. Her books are full of beautiful life lessons.
Thanks for this list for older kids – I’d love any more suggestions along these lines. My son Loves Wonder and we’re reading Ghost now.
I would add the classics:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
and a new one / a bit younger (beginning chapter book) but my favorite to rec:
Dyamonde Daniel (especially #1 and 2) by Nikki Grimes
It’s a self published work, but Ellie and the Magic Oak is a fantastic middle grades book about kindness, perseverance, healing, and growing healthy relationships.
Thank you so much for putting this list together. Do you have any recommendations for older kids? My 8.5 year old in particular
Hi Terrie! My 10-year-old still loves when I read picture books out loud, but she also devours chapter books any chance she gets! So we’ve read a lot of those too. You can’t go wrong with these chapter books that have a powerful message of kindness:
What a great list! I will definitely be choosing books from this list.
Jackie, I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!
Thank you for this list, it’s great. Are any of these books in British English? I’m wondering about getting some on this side of the pond. X
Hi Alicia! Great question. :-) My Amazon links are set up so that when you click them, they will take you to the right version of Amazon (i.e. the UK edition for you), so that would be a fast way to check which ones are available in your area. But I just did a spot check on three of my favorites: Strictly No Elephants, Last Stop on Market Street, and Plant a Kiss — and all three were at Amazon UK. So hopefully that bodes well for the others!
This is a great list! I love how you broke them into different aspects of kindness! That can really help with focusing the conversation. I use a number of these in library lessons and with my daughter, but definitely need to add some from here!
So glad to hear you found the list useful, Tamra!
We love Extra Yarn. We also like Barefoot Books. They have many stories about kindness, empathy, inclusion, diversity, etc. highly recommend them!!
Isn’t Extra Yarn awesome?! <3 Thanks for the recommendation, Jennifer!
We also love the mitten tree.
Thank you for the recommendation, Jeniece!
The best book on kindness is The Hundred Dresses
We love that one too, Elena! For this list, we focused on picture books, but we’re working on a chapter book list for one day in the future and The Hundred Dresses is already on the list. :-)
Hi, I just wanted to say thank you for this useful list, I am sure I will find a couple of great options. I find your emails so helpful and I am very grateful for all the tips and information you kindly share. I am the mother of a three and a half year old daughter and a four months old baby girl, constantly looking for information on how to be a better mother and show up for them. You are doing an amazing job, please keep it up!
You forgot one! It’s called “Have you filled a bucket today?” It’s a wonderful book! Buying it for my sons classroom too!
We love this one too! Makes for great dinner conversations about whose bucket our girls filled today and who filled their bucket, and how.
Have you filled a bucket today!! Yes! And it’s companion book, Buckets, dippers and lids.
Somethinh Else K. Cave and Ch. Riddel is a very nice book about being different than others and seeing that this can be good and normal.
Also love One Smile, A Chance To Shine, Something Beautiful, Sam and the Lucky Money…could go on;) have a whole section of books on making a difference through kindness in my K classroom!! Truly believe in the power of books to change lives!!!
The Betsy, Tacky, Tub books by Maid Hart Lovelace. Written about a time when automobiles were rare but the lifelong friendship of these three girls and the strength in families is wonderful. Am in my 70s have been reading them since I was 7
That is Betsy, Tacy and Tib
“How full is your bucket?” Is another wonderful book.
Hi
What a wonderful list! I can’t wait to check out loads of these! Thanks :D
My 3.5 year old is kind at heart but really struggles with his 13 month old baby brother :( Baby never does anything naughty to him but my toddler constantly feels annoyed with him & it doesn’t come at all naturally to be kind to him. He constantly pulls faces at him & tells him off – when poor baby is just trying to chat (gobbledygook!) with his amazing big brother!
They both adore books. So, other than The Girl & the Bicycle, are there any others that spring to your mind to help with this?
Thanks so much x
I have this same issue! My 1st turned 3 in May, and my 2nd turns 1 on Saturday. We’ve read and even own a couple of the books on the list but my son actually seems to take on the role of the naughty character in some circumstances!? (We tried Pig the Pug to encourage sharing, but he just quotes Pig as he gathers his toys to keep his little brother from touching any of them.) I feel like 3 is a tough age. He knows what a bully is. We tell him when his behavior resembles that of a bully, but the empathy isn’t there, specifically with his younger brother… I’m hoping one of these will really speak to him!
Ordinary Mary!
What a fantastic list! I don’t know most of these will check them out. ‘Have you filled your bucket today’ by Carol MClpud and David Messing is a favourite of ours. Sophia read it at school and liked it so much we decided to get our own copy. Thanks for sharing such a fab and exhaustive list
Thanks Kelly for doing all your research into this and putting this detailed list
together :)
What a way to make a thoughtful and positive impact on our world.
I’ve gone through and put the ones I could on hold at our local library. I cannot wait to share them with my boys. Such a wonderful idea! The world definitely needs a lot more kindness and empathy! Thank you!
Stella and the Bubble Man was written after I saw a man on a bicycle set off hundreds of bubbles in Seaside, Oregon. A boy in a wheelchair couldn’t reach a bubble. I then wrote the text for a picture and created the character of Stella. She blows over the biggest bubble to his waiting hands. The boy doesn’t realize that he didn’t catch the bubble. It is the best type of inclusion. My son is in a wheelchair with Multiple Sclerosis, so I know how important it is to be kind. The Bubble Man makes cranky Stella smile and share the joy.
We love the book “Sophie & the Forest Bullies: Trouble in Sunshine Forest” by Kari Litscher DeBruin. It’s a sweet story about overcoming bullying.
My 9 year old daughter and I have co-written a book called ‘The Kind Unicorn’ which Is all about how being kind is more important than how you look. It’s avaikable on ebook on amazon and hard copy through Facebook.
Hi Kelly, do you have a list of “keep my pre-teen girls NICE” books? I’m finding my 9 and 10 year old girls are becoming increasingly catty…
My daughter enjoyed “Real Friends.” It’s about standing up for your friends & being kind.
What a great list of books! Somebody Loves You Mr Hatch is one my favorites!
Do you have these saved in an Amazon list? If you have an Amazon store set up for yourself you can add them all.
I love “Dogger” by Shirley Hughes for books about being kind. The sweet thoughtfulness fo the older sister is really moving.
I love this list! I’d like to add “The Quilt Maker’s Gift” about the importance of giving to others
Excellent suggestions for teachers and parents of small children, even grandparents. We adults need to set the examples.
Thank you for the great list!! Also The Invisible Boy is a great one!
Great list! Each Kindness is a great story to add to it! Trudy Ludwig’s books are awesome also… One Green apple….
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson. summary:When Ms. Albert teaches a lesson on kindness, Chloe realizes that she and her friends have been wrong in making fun of new student Maya’s shabby clothes and refusing to play with her.
I read this to our third graders to help them understand how we treat others does have a ripple effect. Such a great read.
Thank you so much for being real.. thoughtful and a caring loving parent/mother.. for compiling this list of books on kindness.
What a great list!! Our current favorites are so nice, be kind, spread happy and can I join your club? We also love the thank you dishes (which teaches thankfulness which I feel Is a part of being kind)!
Very informative post. Well done on writing such a difficult topic in a way that is easy to understand. It makes these important facts available to all parents. I would enjoy reading an about you page, did I miss the link somewhere?
I love this articale!! Definitely going to have to get some of these books for my classroom. Thank you so much for writing this.
thank you for this. don’t forget The Giving Tree – kindness, sharing, selflessness…
Came here to say this too.
Ella the Elegant Elephant
Those Shoes
Thank you for this great list! Have you read, Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler? My students enjoy it, and it starts a kindness conversation each year.
My daughter-in-law wrote an older children’s book about self acceptance, courage and everlasting friendship that was published recently, Wee Waa And The Outback Roo by Jennifer Miller.
For very young children I love “But Not The Hippopotamus” by Sandra Boynton. For a bit older, preschool or early elementary “The Rag Coat” by Lauren Mills.
I have some of these but added a TON to my cart. One of our favorites is The Invisible Boy (someone feeling left out), and Those Shoes (about a boy that couldn’t afford nice sneakers). THANK YOU for posting these.
Thank your for these. We had some but put a TON in my amazon cart. We also love the Invisible Boy and Those Shoes. Powerful messages in each!
Can’t wait to read these! Todd Parr books are fantastic about kindness and acceptance.
I eventually want to get all these books for my daughter!!! Which are the most appropriate to start with? She will be one on 11/22/18! Making a gift list for her bday and Christmas and want to add kindness books! Which should I add at this time (age appropriate)? Thank you!
Hi Britt! What a great idea to build your little one’s library right off the bat with thoughtful books like this. <3 For a 1-year-old, these would likely be the best fit:
Baby Be Kind
Plant a Kiss
The Rabbit Listened
Ivy Loves to Give
Hope that helps!
Kelly
Kindness Starts With You! By Jacquelyn Stagg. It’s got the phrase, “that’s what I would want someone to do for me” at the end of each page, and I love that because kids learn a lit from repetition! My daughter was walking around being kind all day after and saying “I did that because that’s what I would like someone to do for me.”
The Summer My Father Was Ten by Pat Brisson is one my my favourite books about kindness!
I’d love you to take a look at JANINE and JANINE AND THE FIELD DAY FINISH. Two books that hit the mark on this topic. (Albert Whitman Publishing)
Please have a look at Being Friends with Bodie Finch (www.monkeyread.me/shop) – it’s about a little girl learning to be kind to a little boy who has autism. You can also get it from Scholastic Australia or Early Childhood Australia.
We really like Zen Ties by Jon Muth in our house. Story of a kind Panda and his nephew who teach some kids to be kind to their elderly and sick neighbor, starting with the simple act of taking her some soup. They soon learn to love their neighbor and have empathy for her. Lovely illustrations and simple prose.
Thanks so much for the list! I just put half a dozen of these on my own “to-buy” list for when our newborn is a little older!
Room On The Broom is a good book.
This is beautiful. Thank you!
Thanks for this list! Do you know of any books about being gracious? My 3 year old is going through a stage of telling other children that she is bigger/faster/prettier etc than them, and I’d love a book to explain how this could make others feel, and how better to interact with others
The very cranky bear
This is a lovely list! A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER is one of my all-time favorites. I’d like to add THE KINDNESS QUILT (and really every book!) by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace, whose characters epitomize kindness in every action born in their wonderful papercut hearts!
Great list! We love The Invisible Boy by Trudy ideograms too.
We love Welcome is a Wonderful Word by Gyo Fujikawa.
‘Perfect As You Are’ by Amanda Soria is a new book that is a must read for all children. It teaches them compassion and empathy. It teaches us that we are all different, yet still the same. It also helps introduce kids to other kids with disabilities.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0578406977/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
I would add the Bucket books! Have you filled a bucket today. They are great books for helping children visualize how others feel when they are treated certain ways. I cant wait to take your list to our library and get as many as we can!!
My daughter’s favourite picture books are from Wonderbly! They are beautifully personalised and all of them tell the stories where being kind, curious and couragous is the best way forward. Our favourtie positions are – „The Birthday thief”, „The girl who found her friends” and „Kingdom of You”
The fact that my child can read a story featuring (and looking like) herself is absolutely adorable.
They also do this book called „Where Are you?” – which is a type of „search and find” book and this one can keep us both (me and my daughter) entertained for hours! Highly recommended!
Anyways…our favourtie books about being kind are made by Wonderbly!
Delighted with this list, will be looking into these for my 4 y/of boy and 8 y/o girl, who is experiencing bullying right now. Another British book I absolutely love on the subject of kindness is “The Smartest Giant in Town”, all about the joy of fulfilling the needs of others over your own. Gets me every time.
My 9 year old daughter and I wrote a book together about Kindness – it’s called The Kind Unicorn and it’s available to download on amazon. It was a lovely family project to do together – Kate drew all the pictures herself and her 7 year old sister helped colour them in. We’ve been donating all the money raised to local schools to buy more books which promote kindness so this will come in handy. Thanks! You can see a video of our book on our Facebook page ‘The Kind Unicorn’.
When I was teaching I loved Big Al, Tyrone the Horrible, Ordinary Mary’s Extra-Ordinary Day, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
The Jelly Donut Difference
Thank you for the info. I write children’s books as well and have written Bullyfish for grades 3-6 and Happy to “Bee” Me for grades 1-3 to promote self-esteem and valuing others. I would be happy to send you a copy to be considered for inclusion on the list.
I aspire to have one of my books on this list one day. My first book The Adventures of Princess Jellibean was released this past November. My book series has themes of friendship and inclusion.
Hi, I’m a children’s book author and creator of Howl the Owl. His name HOWL stands for Help Others With Love and he represents kindness. My latest book “Howl Helps Others” is about Howl and his animal friends spreading kindness.
A World of Kindness by Ann Featherstone and Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Godess by Shari Green.
Kelly,
My wife wrote a book about Kindness and is presenting to local schools. We publish it locally and we are almost at 30,000 copies. She’s visited 350+ schools and read the story to 300,000 kids.
It’s about a little girl who grabs mom’s scarf and puts it on like a superhero cape. She goes out and does kind things. She doesn’t think any of it mattered, but her mom comes back and shows her all the kindness that was spread because of her actions.
It’s a great book about the power of small everyday kindnesses and never giving up on doing the right thing.
A Girl With A Cape.
Pretty much any Frog and Toad (Arnold Lobel) would be high on my list.
Let me add Adrian Simcox Does Not Have A Horse by Marcy Campbell and The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson! I adore your list BTW ?
Amazing list of great books! I just read “The Lunch Thief” to my class today – another great read about being kind because we have no idea what someone else is going through!! ?
There is also a book called “You Turn Now” by Rushabh Turakhia which is also excellent. Worth including in the list of books for kindness.
Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad books are about friendship, understanding and empathy. I love them, my children (now aged 40 and 39) still love them.
It’s not in the libraries yet but please read Sticky the Kitty! Brand new by Chuck Hawley, based on a true and still unfolding story. You’ll love it!
Thankyou for making this list of lovely books. I really appreciate why your trying to do here.
I would however like to asked you to o change the hyperlinks that direct you to Amazon.
The reason for this is that Amazon and everything that it stands for and the working practices of Amazon go directly against the idea of making people happy.
Workers of Amazon in their enormous warehouses are treated incredibly poorly. They are running a three strikes and out rule whereby if you are late collecting one of the packages in the warehouse which often has no lighting and is cold and is extremely far away within the warehouse you are cautioned by your line manager. Workers are also receive disciplinary action against them if they are away ill. Not to mention the fact that Amazon avoids paying vast amounts of tax. If you . If you would like to provide links to other websites can they not be too independent bookshops or ethical bookshops such as Foyes guardian bookshop. Amazon isn’t always even the cheapest. Thanks for allowing me to express my concerns and please continue to provide help for families this is good work you’re doing.
We absolutely love Clancy the Courageous Cow by Lachie Hume. Clancy is a Belted Galloway who was born beltless. He gets teased about looking different and goes to great lengths to give himself a belt and not be an outcast. He ends up meeting Helga, a totally brown Hereford. They become friends and help remove the barriers between the two herds and teach everyone to accept each other, even if they look different. Clever story, creative and heartwarming.
Thank you for the list! It’s time we got to the library!
Great list! We love stand tall molly Lou melon! I also use it the first week of school with my second graders!
100 dresses- great chapter book
Spaghetti in a hot dog bun
This is a great list and can’t wait to start my son early on kindness! He is 7 Months Old. Taking into consideration his age, do you recommend any to start out reading first? Saw baby be kind but what others? Thank you!
Love Knuffle Bunny Free and Last Stop on Market St!
We also like these books:
Are Pirates polite?
Words to Love by
Bogio by Fred Seale
We LOVE Peach and Blue and
Pete and Pickles
Can’t recommend them enough
Anyone know where I can find a book titled something like “Apple Strudel War”? I think it fits this category, but I haven’t found our copy of it in years.
The Little Soul & The Sun by Neale Donald Walsch
The Little Soul & The Sun
Do Nice, Be Kind, Spread Happy
Great way to do good deeds at any age.
I strongly recommend all of the books by Karin Celestine. Do look her up.
Each Kindness
Somebody Loves You Mr. Hatch
I see lots of books for little ones and older girls. Do you have any book suggestions for older boys about kindness and helpfulness? Preteen age?
Each Kindness and The Otger Side by Jaqueline Woodson. Each Kindess show how impactful our words and actions are and that sometimes you don’t get a second chance. The Other Side is about segregation and how the act of a child can make a big difference for the better.
What a great list. Thank you for doing this. I’d like to bring your attention to a book written by an 8 year old boy and illustrated by myself. It’s called “The Flood Of Kindness- Inspired by Hurricane Katrina.” We worked on it for six years. It’s goal is to help young people understand that kindness is an important tool to cope with massive weather events.
Do you have this available as a printable list (I could do it myself…but). Want to put it in my purse for the library :)
One of my favorites is Those Shoes!
What a great list. Lots of newcomers here for me. Very helpful for story time at church and with our five grandsons!
The Other Side; Each Kindness, both by Jacqueline Woodson and Fritz and the Beautiful Horses by Jan Brett are some of our favorites. There are so many I could keep going. Thank you for sharing your list. I can’t wait to read some of the ones we haven’t read yet.
The Spiffiest Giant in Town!
Great resources! Thank you-
Another book that Is a favorite of mine is called “The Mitten Tree.” An older woman anonymously knits mittens for students and neighborhood children. The ending shows a returned favor to the woman when she receives a basket of yarn on her porch. A story about kindness, empathy, and actions speaking louder than words.
Scatter Kindness!
I love this list, thank you for sharing. I would add ” Have you filled a bucket today? ” by Carl McCloud.
What would you recommend for kindness to your siblings we have a 4yr girl who is not nice to her 2 yr old brother
The Girl and the Bicycle is perfect!
I love “Picked on Poindexter In It’s ok to be different”. It has fun songs to sing and dance with that reinforce the positive messages..it’s also a free app for iPad and kindle. Enjoy it for free. Kids Need it.
Hi I was wondering if I can find this article in Portuguese and some of the books too. Thank you
What chapter books to you recommend? My daughter is 8 and a voracious reader. Thank you.
Miss Tizzy is a fantastic book about kindness.
You put so much time and care into this amazing list and it’s so helpfully organized! Thank you for this gift! I am currently on a quest to find picture books that are “positive tearjerkers” / “sweet cries”, and was wondering if you had any suggestions? There was a Malala children’s book that made me cry and I think it’s the example of courage and deep caring for others?
Thank you so much for this wonderful list! I am taking it to the library tomorrow! One of our all time favorite books about kindness and happiness is “Did You Fill A Bucket Today?” We reference that one often in our house. Do you have any suggestions for 13 year old boys too?
The Butter Battle Book Dr Suess… probably for older kids or more complex thinkers but great tontalk through
In For No Reason by Kathleen Gauer, Jamie Higgins deals with a classroom bully Brad Lugsley without being mean.
In For No Reason by Kathleen Gauer, Jamie Higgins deals with a classroom bully, Brad Lugsley, without being mean
I wrote and illustrated a book that is relevant to this important discussion. “Will You Be My Friend?”. I have had great reviews from the little munchkins and the folks who read it. Available on Amazon.
Can I add Small finds a home by Karin Celestine and a paper boat for Panda by Karin Celestine as two of the most tear jerking lovely kind books for children ever written
Adrian Simcox Does Not Have a Horse by Marcy Campbell is a favorite. The story and illustrations are amazing.
Kids love Elephants and The Elephant Who Snored by author and illustrator Heather Bruhl is about 4 African animals who form a brotherhood and their mission is kindness. This is the first in a series. Profits from this book go to educate the kids in a little village called Kimana in the country of Kenya, Africa.. Fun for kids 3-93. Available on Amazon.
To add to your chapter book list, we love Dominic by William Steig.
Great list and as a retired teacher of 42 years I am so thankful for your efforts. I have just recently retired and have seen a big change in students in the classroom. Especially with the political climate on all sides kindness is the key. As a grandmother I will be using this list when selecting books. May I suggest Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney. It goes along with your theme and the point of the book is making the world a more beautiful place.
I think you would really like – “Be Kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller. I’ve read this to over 800 children so far and it is always a winner! (best with K-4)
An excellent list I can’t wait I to read them. I love care for our world by Karen Robbins, it’s excellent about caring for all creatures and the planet a kindness and environmental book in one.
You should check out the books from Baxter’s Corner. They are all about teaching kindness. Excellent books!
Thank you so much, this is a great resource! Great books for my kids and my classroom!
How do I find a printable list for the kindness books?
Mufaras Beautiful Daughter is a wonderful book about being kind, generous and loving and the effects it has on those around you. It also shows the consequences of being mean, rude and selfish. It’s about two African princesses. Read this in school for a children’s literature elective and always remembered it. Bought it for my children and will keep it to read to my grandbabies. Highly recommended!!!
Thank you for this impressive list! I can’t wait to dive in. I loved the image of books on hold at the library, a common occurrence at our house. And the conversation cards will be great too!
I’m so excited to see this list! Thank you so much for doing all this thoughtful work, Kelly! I only had The Hundred Dresses in my mind for this category…I will be headed to the library to check some of these out!!
Thank you very much for compiling this list. I reserved several of the books at the library and can’t wait to read them with our kids. Wanted to see if you had any recommendations on books about bullying at school or being made fun of.
Thank you,
We love the books “Dear girl” and “All are welcome here”. Dear girl is empowering to teach girls all feelings are ok. All Are Welcome Here is great for teaching to include everyone regardless of appearance. Thank you for taking the time to make this list. I will add some to our library for sure!
I would add the book “Squares are not bad” by Violet Salazar. A great book to read to children and adults of any age. I am sad that it is out of print.
I use the Bucket filling books in my classroom to teach kindness!! My 5yr olds love doing things for others to fill up buckets!?
“The Three Questions”, Jon Muth after a story by Tolstoy. Transformative.
So many great stories listed here. I love Dragon Dreamer and Dragon Lightening by J. S. Burke. I can’t wait for book 3 in the Dragon Dreamer series to come out. It is about two different cultures meeting and becoming friends, resolving conflict, kindness to others, and so much more.
I’d like to add to your already great list of books. Allison Stoutland is the author of 4 books that are wonderful books! The lessons they teach, complete with very pleasing art work, are a great addition to your home or school library. Put Your Best Foot Forward, Reach For the Sky, Take a Deep Breath, and What Can I Do Today? are all about kindness and compassion. As an elementary school librarian, I used her books time after time. They are full of important life lessons! Read! Read! Read! And, remember….
Everyday give kindness away. Kindness is catching!”
Nice message!
I went to purchase a book today and chose 101 Dalmatians Special Edition, it has a happily ever after ending,
I want to be a future teacher or Mom, really enjoyed reading your article, Thanks!
Hello! This is a wise and beautiful site. I would like to offer my own book, Lucinda Snowdrop, to your list. It has been selected by Samantha Williams at littlestar.studio as a book that values compassion above all else. You can read more about it on Lucinda’s website, lucindasnowdrop.com. Thank you again for your wonderful work.
A Girl With a Cape by Amy Logan is another wonderful book to add to this list. Check it out!
We have a book called “Happy Bear” that is about doing things to make “Happy Bear” happy again when he feels sad, worried or angry. My 18 month old loves doing things that make Happy Bear happy again like singing him a song or giving him a kiss.
This is such a great (and comprehensive) list! Exactly what I was looking to find for my own family. Thanks for putting it together!
Please read the book Twinkle tree available on amazon!!! Another take on kindness
I taught kindergarten and I always read “I Like Your Buttons” by Sarah Lamstein.
Loving this list! Thanks so much for taking the time to make it. Can’t wait to dive in. I often find myself typing in “ children’s books teaching ——“ and cannot find what I’m looking for. This is great.
Do you have any suggestions on books about running near streets/ safety around cars / running away from parents etc. My son really responds to learning with books.
I am a retired children’s librarian (Pre-K/Gr.4). This is such a beautiful listing of children’s books on kindness. I made it a point to incorporate a book dealing with kindness on a weekly basis. With very young P-K students one has to remember their attention span is not as long as older students so Piggy and Gerald books were my all time favorites. Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon, Sick Day for Amos McGee, We’re All Wonders,
Knuffle Bunny and Plant A Kiss are a few of my favorites. Having said this, your list is comprised of all gems. Thank you for sharing such an important message!.
Would love for you to read & review the Miss Danielle’s Preschoolbuds/London Day School series of character education books on Amazon. I’d be happy to send you copies.
Thank you so much for this wonderful list! As a Kindergarten teacher this is a much needed list.
I’d like to suggest the book The Invisible Boy. It is about a little boy who “feels” invisible because he is excluded by the other children in his class. When he stands up for a child who is being made fun of the two become fast friends.
Kind Words: The Glue That Helps Keep Us Together by Jeni Davenport
The book is about the power of kind words at school and at home, how it is not your fault when people are mean, you are not alone, and it’s okay to ask for help. Together we can create a kind, safe, and healthy community.
Those Shoes
Great list! I’d like to recommend another one. I wrote a children’s book called I Speak Peace to teach children how to spread peace with kindness, empathy, mindfulness, finding common ground, and respecting and celebrating differences. No matter how different we all may be, there is one language we can all speak… peace. You can watch the book trailer at ispeakpeace.com.
Thanks for the list and the activities to keep conversations open! I am confident you’ve made a great research. And your free printable is just what parents and reachers need.
Hi Kelly…these are wonderful! As a bullying survivor who constantly stresses the need to be kind, please consider checking out my anti-bullying title “BULLIED”. As a self-published author, getting seen above the fray is always a challenge. Thanks for the great work!
Thank you for this wonder book list!!!