Books By Topic
Kindness
Kindness is incredibly powerful, and just one small act can transform a friendship, classroom, or school. Time spent teaching kids how to be kind, caring, and helpful to others is never wasted. However, it may seem hard to fit it in when you have so many other things on your to-do list.
This kindness book list will make it easier for you to inspire kindness in your students, without having to spend hours searching the internet, or planning a complicated lesson. The books will give kids practical ideas for how they can be kind to others, and will help them understand the impact that their words and actions can have.
BY PAT ZIETLOW MILLER
Recommended Grades: K to 3
The girl in this story wants to show kindness to Tanisha, who spilled grape juice on her dress in front of everyone. While she reflects on how to show kindness to Tanisha, readers will learn many great ways to be kind.
BY JORY JOHN
Recommended Grades: K to 3
In this story, the main character is a bean who is most definitely NOT a cool bean. The cool beans are the most popular beans in the school. They used to be friends, but now the main character is more of an outsider. He shares how he feels lonely and wishes things were different. Then, on a particularly tough day, the cool beans show him kindness. Their kindness was small, but made a huge difference. It helped the main character, and the readers, realize that kindness is cool
BY JEFF KUBIAK
Recommended Grades: 3 to 5
Gus’s mom died when he was young, and he spent the rest of his childhood moving around. He eventually ended up at a school that was nicknamed Mean School, and he fit right in with the unkind culture. Although Gus, and the people around him, were mean, he could always remember his mother’s voice reminding him about the power of kindness. When a girl named Truly starts attending Mean School, her kindness is contagious, and everyone is transformed from their mean ways. Gus is discouraged when he finds that Truly has left the school, but the principal reminds him that Truly’s kindness can live on in him. Your students will love this heartwarming book about the transformative power of kindness.
Anxiety & Worry
A recent study showed that over 4.4 million kids between ages 3-17 have diagnosed anxiety. In reality, the number is much higher, considering that statistic only accounts for anxiety that is formally diagnosed.
With an increased focus on social emotional learning and educating the whole child, there are many more resources to help kids with worry and anxiety.
These kids books about worry and anxiety will give you the tools you need to talk about these feelings with your kids. They will make it easy for you to help your students acknowledge, understand and cope with their worry and anxiety.
Ruby's Worry
BY TOM PERCIVAL
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
One day, Ruby discovers a worry. It starts small, but then grows and grows. Ruby tries ignoring it, but then she worries so much about it that she can’t think of anything else. After she realizes that she isn’t the only one with worries, she learns how to get her worry to shrink!
Worry Says What?
BY ALLISON EDWARDS
Recommended Grades: K to 3
In this story, a girl talks about something called Worry in her brain. Worry tells her things, sometimes so loudly that it makes it hard to hear anything else. She listens to Worry until she realizes that she’s done letting Worry boss her around. Instead of listening to Worry, she decides to start talking back to him and focusing on what is true. This is a great story about the impact of worry/anxiety and how positive self-talk can help!
Hey Warrior
BY KAREN YOUNG
Recommended Grades: 3 to 5
This informational book is perfect for explaining what causes anxiety and what it feels like, in a way that kids will understand. Knowledge is power, and this book will definitely give your students the information they need to understand and manage their anxiety.
Conflict Resolution: Friendship & Social Skills
If you work with kids in any capacity, you might feel like a full-time referee as you help them navigate arguments and disagreements. Conflict is a normal part of life, but it can be hard - especially for kids - to know how to work through it in a healthy way.
Use these conflict resolution books for kids to help your students build these skills and better understand how they can solve problems on their own.
BY MARCUS PFISTER
Recommended Grades: K to 2
When the big blue whale comes to hang out where the fish are, the fish became suspicious. Will the whale eat their food? What is he doing there? After the fish treat the whale in an unfriendly way, the whale becomes angry and decides to show the fish that they should be afraid of him. Once the whale leaves, the fish realize that things aren’t any better and that they need to make peace with the whale. Rainbow Fish decides to go talk to the whale. They are able to clear up the misunderstanding and decide to work together toward finding food.
BY JOSEPH KUEFLER
Recommended Grades: K to 2
In this book, a boy decides he's the king of recess. Not long after, a girl decides that she will be the queen. They boss the other kids around until they realize that there’s no one left to rule - their friends didn't want to play anymore. When they realized the consequences of their actions, the boy and girl decide to apologize and try to make things right.
BY LAUREN THOMPSON
Recommended Grades: 2 to 5
In a fight between two villages, a boy throws a rock and hits a girl in the head. The hatred between the two groups escalates until the girl begins to see the ugliness of the conflict. When she is given the chance to get revenge on the boy, she’s reminded of all that she has in common with him, and the members of the other village. Instead, she decides to build a garden - a forgiveness garden. The village people struggle with the concept of forgiveness, but eventually decide to join in. The boy is reluctant to join in the construction of the forgiveness garden, but eventually decides to join the girl as they learn to forgive each other.
Anger
My go-to statement when it comes to anger management is “it’s okay to be mad, but it’s not okay to be mean.” While I think this is helpful, there is a little more to anger management than just deciding not to be mean. In fact, it is a skill that needs to be developed and practiced. Helping students successfully manage their anger involves talking about anger warning signs, anger triggers, coping skills, and more.
This can feel complicated at times, but my hope is that these anger management books for kids will make it easier for you and your students to explore the topic together in a meaningful way.
When Miles Got Mad
BY SAM KURTZMAN-COUNTER & ABBIE SCHILLER
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
Miles’s little brother broke his favorite toy airplane, which made Miles mad! The Mad Monster appeared and helped Miles calm down by talking about his feelings. Kids will love the practical advice this story gives!
Hello, Anger
BY JESSICA SINARSKI
Recommended Grades: 2 to 4
In this book, kids will learn to be detectives as they try to figure out what hides beneath their feelings of anger. Is it jealousy? Hurt? Embarrassment? This is a great way to teach students to think about and address their deeper feelings.
Pause Power
BY JENNIFER LAW
Recommended Grades: 2 to 5
Gabe always got upset when other people pushed his buttons. One day, a button popped up on his arm named Preston. Preston started talking to Gabe and helping him understand why this happened. Preston also helped Gabe use “pause power” to take a pause and slow down when someone pushes his buttons. This book is full of relatable scenarios and practical strategies.
Growth Mindset
Learning new things can be hard. Making mistakes can be hard. Getting frustrated can be hard. These statements are even more true if you’re a kid, and are still figuring out how to manage your emotions and deal with failure.
While we can’t rescue our students from messing up and struggling to accomplish their goals, we can give them tools that will help them push through until they succeed. By teaching kids to have a growth mindset, we can remind them that they can always learn new things. Even when there are obstacles, or when they make mistakes, a growth mindset will help them to keep learning and persevering.
These growth mindset books are a great place to start when helping your students develop a growth mindset.
I Can Do Hard Things
BY GABI GARCIA
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Things are hard sometimes. If we listen to our inner voices, and think about what is true, we can do hard things. This is a great book to remind students about the power of positive self-talk, and having a growth mindset when we face challenges and obstacles.
The Thing Lou Couldn't Do
BY ASHLEY SPIRES
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Lou and her friends were having a day of adventures. It was all fun until all of Lou’s friends climbed a tree. Lou could do a lot of things, but she couldn’t climb a tree. After making excuses and trying to avoid climbing the tree, she tries. She ends up failing, but doesn’t let that discourage her!
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
BY MARK PETT AND GARY RUBINSTEIN
Recommended Grades: K to 5
Everyone called Beatrice “The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes.” Everything she did was perfect until she made her first mistake – and it was a big one! She learns that mistakes are okay, and sometimes even make things more fun!
Confidence & Self-Esteem
Nearly every child struggles, at one time or another, to embrace the things that make them unique. Low self esteem is a common problem for kids, but my hope is that these self esteem books will help your students feel confident and proud of who they are.
I Like Myself!
BY KAREN BEAUMONT
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
This book encourages readers to like themselves no matter what! It celebrates the good, the bad, and the messy. Kids will love the humor and the colorful illustrations as they are encouraged to have positive self esteem.
Thelma The Unicorn
BY AARON BLABEY
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Thelma was a pony, but what she really wanted to be was a unicorn. Finally, she gets her wish, but learns that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. This is a great way to remind students to be content with themselves just as they are.
A Bad Case of Stripes
BY DAVID SHANNON
Recommended Grades: 1 to 4
Camilla Cream was afraid to be herself. She wanted everyone to like her. One day, her skin became striped in different colors and could even change to be what others wanted it to be. Things got worse and worse until an old woman found a cure for Camilla. Turns out, the very thing she was nervous that people would make fun of her for, was the only thing that brought her skin back to normal. This is a great book about the importance of being yourself no matter what.