Childrens Books for Kindness

Kindness is an important thing to teach children (and adults!)  Having books in a classroom (or home) to help demonstrate what to do or not to do can make things easier for little readers or listeners.  There are so many great books out there about kindness, it was difficult to narrow it down to just 10.  I picked some of my all time favorite ones from when I was a child, some that my little ones love now, and some that come highly recommended.

1. The Giving Tree 
By: Shel Silverstein

This story is about a tree that love a little boy so much, that it gives him everything it has.  As the boy grows from a young child to an old man the tree is always there for him.

2. Horton Hears a Who

By: Dr. Seuss

Horton, the elephant, hears a little voice on a clover.  He wants to help save the world of the Whos that live on that clover, even though everyone thinks he is crazy.  "A person is a person, No matter how small."

3. Stone Soup

By: Marcia Brown

This story is about three hungry soldiers who trick and outwit the greedy villagers and make them a wonderful meal.

4. My Friend is Sad

By: Mo Willems

Gerald, the elephant, is feeling pretty down.  His friend piggy is going to do anything and everything he can to cheer his up!

5. How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?

By: Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

This book has great rhymes and pictures to show children how to "play nice."  Almost every child loves dinosaurs and the pictures are quite funny, so it is a good book to show how to play with friends.

6. A Sick Day for Amos McGee

By: Philip C. Stead

This is a wonderful story about showing kindness to all living things.  Showing thoughtfulness and kindness to all species, not just humans, is very important.

7. Hey Little Ant

By: Phillip & Hannah Hoose

This book questions whether you would talk to an ant if it talked to you?  What about a big huge animal?  This book helps to get discussions started with children.

8. Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler

By: Margery Cuyler

This book helps to show that doing small random acts of kindness can make a huge difference in the world.  Whether it is at home, school, the store, anywhere.  It can be cleaning off the table, showing someone where to go, carrying a book for someone, etc...  This is a wonderful book.

9. Hav You Filled a Bucket Today?

By: Carol McCloud

This book teaches children to use positive, kind behavior to fill an invisble bucket.  Everytime they do something kind they put something in the bucket, but if they do something unkind or negative they dip out of the bucket. 

10. The Invisible Boy
By: Trudy Ludwig

This story is about a little boy that no one paid any attention to.  Then one day, a there was a new kid in class and the "invisible boy" was first to welcome him.  This book shows how small acts of kindness can make big differences in people lives.

As I have said, there are so many great books out there that can show and teach kindness, my list could have easily been 100 books long!  But these 10 are some of the best and dearest to my heart!