We love reading stories in our family. There’s nothing like curling and cosying up with a good story book together. I think stories are also a fantastic opportunity to encourage kindness and empathy. I’ve picked these books out as they are all lovely stories for children, but also help celebrate the importance of kindness.
I hope you find something new to read with your children!
Kindness is Cooler Mrs RulerMrs Ruler has a special plan for her class. There is a new rule – that Kindness is Cool! This is a fantastic and upbeat book that helps children realise that their individual actions can really make a difference to others. I can see this book being a really good one to read in school – especially when learning about kindness and paying it forward.
The Kindness QuiltAnother good book for learning about random acts of kindness. Mrs Bloom asks Minna and her friends to work on a Kindness Project. She asks them to draw and share an act of kindness. Minna can’t decide what to draw for her project – until she starts work and an idea for a kindness quilt begins to form. A lovely little story with an important theme.
FriendsAmbrose moves to a new house, but struggles to make new friends. No one does any of the things that he likes to do! A sweet little story about a boy rabbit who struggles to make friends. It is only when he empathises with the other children and tries to appreciate their interests that he makes friends. Little M loves this one. I like that it has a lovely story, as well as celebrating empathy and kindness.
Cheer UpA simple rhyming story, perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. Ben is in a bad mood and nothing can seem to make him feel happy again. He goes for a walk and meets lots of farm animals who try to give him advice. But it is only when he meets a mama chicken who has lost her baby that he discovers what can make him happy again. A sweet little book showing how helping others can make us to feel happy too.
The Invisible BoyA moving and uplifting story about a boy who feels ‘invisible’ at school. The story follows him as a new boy arrives at the school – everything changes for ‘the invisible boy.’ As a former teacher this story really moved me. It’s a lovely read for children from preschool age and up. I loved the use of colour in the illustrations as the boy transforms through the book. There’s a gentle theme of kindness, without being preachy.
Pip and Posy: The Bedtime FrogLittle M adores the all of the Pip and Posy books. All of the stories in the series are based around friendship – but I especially like this one to demonstrate kindness. When Posy goes to stay at Pip’s house she realises she has forgotten her favourite frog toy. Pip offers her lots of his own toys to comfort her, but it is only when he kindly gives Posy his own favourite pig toy that she is comforted. A really sweet and gentle story for toddlers and preschoolers.
Those ShoesJeremy wants a pair of ‘those shoes’ – the ones that everyone is wearing. But his grandma tells him that they can only buy the things they ‘need’ and not the things they ‘want’. After his shoes fall apart and he is given a second hand pair, he is even more desperate to get a pair of ‘those shoes’ – even if they are too small! Through this fun and touching story Jeremy realises that there are more important things than having the things he wants – comfortable boots, his grandma and helping out his friend. An uplifting and heart warming read.
The Very Helpful MonstersHerbie decides that he wants to be a monster and so goes on a hunt for monsters to get some advice. But in the end he realises that the monsters only exist if he believes in them and wants to be scary too. Eventually he realises that it’s much more important to be kind – and so the monsters disappear once and for all. I think this would be a really good story to read around the theme of bullying and the importance of being kind.
Last Stop on Market StreetA wonderful story of a boy called CJ and his grandmother, who travel across town on a bus. The little boy wonders why they don’t have a car and why he doesn’t have an iPod like the boys on the bus. His grandmother begins to explain – in doing so she gives CJ an appreciation of the beauty of the world around him. A touching story of the relationship between two different generations. This is a lovely book for showing the importance of gratitude.
The Man with the ViolinBased on a true story, this book tells the story of a boy called Dylan, who listens with wonder to the music he hears in the subway station one day. Crowds of busy people swoop by and barely notice the violinist, but Dylan is entranced. He can’t forget the music, and eventually he encourages his mother to listen and appreciate it too. Such a touching story to slow down and enjoy each moment in life and encourage others to do the same. I like to read this one often as a reminder to appreciate the little things.
Do you know of any other books that celebrate kindness? I’d love to hear any of your recommendations!
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Oh the perfect time to share these books. We all need a bit of kindness in our lives and these are great. We are a big fan of Pip and Posy. Pinning this!