99 Books Under $7 That Build Character 

Marvin is very unhappy and it's all Molly's fault. She had no right to eat his apple. He saw it first. He was the one who kept jumping in the air, trying to pick it from the tree. He was the one waiting for it to drop because it was out of reach. Molly apologizes. But Marvin is out of control! He stamps the ground so hard, the earth cracks open and he drops down into a deep, dark hole. Good thing too; this sheep needs to cool down. But will he? And will he find his way out of the hole he's made for himself? The answers are pages away in this wild and woolly drama.

A funny, realistic, and reassuring look at a child's struggle to give up (however temporarily) "my stuff."

A breezy and irresistible picture of the human family, and how wonderful it is to be just who you are.

Fun to read aloud and helpful to children and parents alike, this newest story about the loveable llama is for any child who needs a little encouragement in sharing.

This rhyming guide to social skills is a good introduction for young children to the power of kindness. Includes helpful times and activities.

Big sister Sheila Rae is not afraid of anything—not thunder, not lightning, not even the big black dog at the end of the block. Then Sheila Rae gets lost. 

Everyone is certain it won't grow, but a little boy remains confident in his carrot seed's potential. 

Meet the friendliest guy in the utensil drawer! This funny, inventive book celebrates what makes everyone unique!

Declarative text and bright visuals coach readers to practice empathy. 

Wemberly worried about spilling her juice, about shrinking in the bathtub, even about snakes in the radiator. But when she meets a fellow worrywart in her class, Wemberly realizes that school is too much fun to waste time worrying.

In this funny picture book, bestselling illustrator Henry Cole shows kids different ways to be kind with his hysterical cartoon animal characters. Each page features a different way to be a good person, like using proper manners, telling someone they are special, or sharing a treat! 

From early childhood to life after eighty, the great challenge of any friendship is keeping it healthy and strong. In this funny, engaging book, award-winners Jane Yolen and Mark Teague present humorous, naughty dinosaur antics that any young sibling or friend will instantly recognize - followed by dinosaur-sized hugs and expressions of affection.

Laugh out loud as our bestselling dinosaurs learn to be kind despite their sometimes mischievous antics.

It's Coco's birthday and Zoya wants to give her pup the perfect present. She tries out a few ideas -- including a yarn necklace and colorful frosted treats. But she finally decides to paint Coco's bowl gold. With some paint and LOTS of glitter, Zoya creates a gift Coco is sure to love!

From “Ask someone to play with you," to “Zip a younger child's jacket,” this instructional volume frames 26 ways to demonstrate kindness.

David's teacher has her hands full. From running in the halls to chewing gum in class, David's high-energy antics fill each school day with trouble, and are sure to bring a smile to even the best-behaved reader.

This inclusive picture book rejoices in the specialness of each person's beauty and ability.

A girl in a red hat finds the courage to be kind to the new student in class. Her kindness spreads, until her whole community experiences the magical shift that happens when people understand what it means to be kind, and act on their best impulses!

Princess Truly knows how to help! In these three rhyming stories, Princess Truly lends a hand during her friend's moving day, she cleans up a stinky park with her magical curls, and she helps a farmer get his tractor key from a crow's nest! These funny and empowering short stories promote believing in yourself, building confidence, and having a positive self-image, and foster imagination and curiosity, and are perfect for fans of Ada Twist, Scientist.

In this thoughtful and compassionate book, a young boy struggles with his big, overwhelming feelings, until he discovers he isn't the only one who feels things in a big way.

Gerald the giraffe longs to dance, but his legs are too skinny and his neck is too long. But there is one little creature who believes in Gerald. 

This Caldecott Medal winner is a whimsical fantasy about a young boy whose imagination transports him far away from problems at home to a land where almost anything can happen.

Cielo loves to skateboard! But when she messes up on a new ramp, she's embarrassed and afraid to fall again in front of so many people. With the help of new friends, Cielo summons the courage to try again (and again, and again), and learns that falling is not failing — true fierceness isn't about landing the perfect trick, it's about picking yourself back up when you don't.

With the support of her family, Grace learns that she can be anything she wants to be, and the results are amazing.

Illustrations and rhyming text portray children experiencing a range of emotions, including frustration, shyness, jealousy, and pride. Feelings are neither good nor bad, they simply are.

In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fears, newcomer Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can't help but root for.

Unicorn wants to save stickers. Yeti wants to stick them everywhere! Unicorn and Yeti love to roller skate. But will their roller skates work in the snow? Unicorn blows bubbles. Yeti wants the bubbles to be bigger!

Lily Hippo is too loud. She sings too loudly, she laughs too loudly, and everyone knows when she is around. At home she disturbs the peace and wakes the baby. At school she gets her friends into trouble. She can't help it. But one day a new teacher, Miss Loopiola, comes to school to teach music and drama, and Lily discovers that she is doing exactly the right thing at last. When the school play comes around, Lily finds she is loud in just the right way.

This classic children's book, in which a bear leaves the safety of his department store shelf in order to do almost anything to be adopted by a little girl, is one of the most endearing and enduring in existence.

Sniff is a dog. Scratch is a cat. And they're best friends... most of the time! In these three hilarious short stories, Sniff and Scratch find creative ways to reach a pie on the kitchen counter, Sniff panics when Scratch gets stuck in a box, and they meet a strange new dog and cat just like them.

Molly Lou Melon is short and clumsy and has buck teeth and a voice that sounds like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. But armed with the encouraging words of her grandmother, Molly Lou confidently confronts the class bully at her new school. 

Is it time yet? This STEM-focused romp about pupation will tickle little ones who know how hard it is to wait. 

How many ways are there to be an engineer? In this story that blends narrative and nonfiction elements, readers meet a wide variety of engineers that support our communities.

Paul is a good boy. Everybody says so. But his new neighbor is enough to try anyone's patience. 

The Love Puppies are thrilled to hear that Jayden wants to enter a baking competition. But when practice ends in disaster, Clyde wonders if they'll be able to boost Jayden's confidence in time. This mission might be over before it starts if Jayden decides not to compete! How can the pups help him see that practice makes perfect?

Bucket Filling is easy, as easy as can be. You can fill a bucket all the way from A to Z. Join these happy boys and girls to see how you can make others happy and fill your bucket, too.

Chrysanthemum loves her name—until she starts kindergarten, which is an unfamiliar world full of short names like Sue, Bill, Max, Sam, and Joe.

Timothy has peanut butter and jelly for lunch. Valerie has a cream cheese and jelly sandwich. And Yoko? Yoko has brought sushi for lunch. Sushi?!

The story of the industrious Little Red Hen is not a new one, but when this particular hen spies a can of tomato sauce in her cupboard and decides to make a pizza, the familiar tale takes on a fresh new twist. 

When a little boy receives a goldfish named Norman, it's not the kind of pet he had in mind. Things don't go as planned, but he soon learns that Norman is a better pet than he thought.

Young readers will chuckle and empathize with Little Critter as he struggles to remember what he is supposed to do.

An inclusive poem of self-acceptance is warmed by radiant portraits of young women of color.

Dad has a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy!

Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don't own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn't he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from Grandma, who helps him see the beauty and fun in their routine and the world around them.

Acclaimed author and artist Dav Pilkey celebrates the beauty found in silence and the peace that comes from being with a beloved friend in this newly remastered edition of his timeless, Caldecott Honor-winning picture book.

Every day all over the world, children are laughing and crying, playing and learning, eating and sleeping. Their lives may be quite different, but inside, they are all alike.

Lilly loves everything about school, especially her cool teacher, Mr. Slinger. But when Lilly brings her purple plastic purse and its treasures to school and can't wait until sharing time, Mr. Slinger confiscates her prized possessions.

Boris loves pets! And he already has lots of them. All he's missing is his favorite animal, a Komodo dragon, the biggest lizard in the world.

This quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today, is a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value. 

Because Rattlesnake has taken over the road and will not let any of the people or animals in the village use it, Desert Woman enlists the aid of the other animals to create a strange, new creature with the necessary tools to overcome Rattlesnake.

Internationally acclaimed as an artist, designer, and creator of books for children, author Leo Lionni tells a heart-warming tale of longing and friendship, brilliantly enhanced by his own imaginative collage illustrations. 

"Where are the girls?" When Grace Campbell's teacher reveals that the United States has never had a female president, Grace decides to be the first.

Acclaimed author/illustrator Vera Williams tells of a young girl, who along with her waitress mother, saves coins in a big jar in hopes that they can someday buy a big, new, comfortable chair for their apartment.

When the task of finding his favorite book is assigned at school, Henley is at a loss. But when he discovers the books he wrote when he was younger, he gets the idea to write a brand new favorite book!

A distinctive story about individuality, from award-winning author and illustrator Peggy Rathmann.

This award-winning picture book, a clever, original variation on the theme of the ugly duckling, follows the adventures of a lost baby fruit bat and her efforts to fit in. 

A creative spirit learns that thinking "ish-ly" is far more wonderful than "getting it right" in this gentle new fable from the creator of the award-winning picture book The Dot.

Three generations join together in the joyful holiday tradition of making tamales for Christmas dinner.

When the air gets heavy and dark clouds drift low over the fields of Grandma's farm, her frightened granddaughter hides under the bed. But Grandma insists that this is Thunder Cake-baking weather, and the two are soon scrambling to gather the ingredients to make the cake and get it into the oven before the storm arrives.

Sure to invite discussion, this is an engaging book that imaginatively explores the risks of trying to be like everyone else.

This beautiful picture book, illustrated by Coretta Scott King Award-illustrator George Ford, and written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Coles, tells the true story of six-year-old Ruby Bridges. 

Mia is excited about her first superspeed training class, but a bully on her relay team leads her to lose her shadow and, worse, to snap at her friends.

Meet “the human fish!” An introduction to the life and achievements of the remarkable Hawaiian surfer and five-time Olympic medalist who saved eight people from a shipwreck with his surfboard.

After being initiated into a neighbor's family by a solemn backyard ceremony, a young Russian American girl and her African American brothers determine to buy their gramma Eula a beautiful Easter hat. But their good intentions are misunderstood, until they discover just the right way to pay for the hat that Eula's had her eye on.

What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? 

All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes like the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. Though Jeremy's grandma says they don't have room for "want," just "need," when his old shoes fall apart at school, he is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that's the wrong size. 

A splashy, rhythmic celebration of the wonders of life, this new picture book is about self-esteem and growing up with an urban beat.

Here is an inspiring story, based on Ron McNair's life, of how a little boy, future scientist, and Challenger astronaut desegregated his library through peaceful resistance.

This is the exciting story of the pioneering female baseball player—a true American original.

Kids will enjoy this boldly colorful introduction to shapes and basic math concepts.

An iconic figure of the abolitionist and women's rights movements, Sojourner Truth famously spoke out for equal rights roughly 100 years before the civil rights movement.

A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mailed himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist.

A picture book celebration of pioneering British Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid who broke boundaries and defied forms. 

With graceful art and simple stories that are filled with love and enlightenment, Jon Muth (and Stillwater the bear) present three ancient Zen tales that are sure to strike a chord in everyone they touch.

When Sarai outgrows her bike, she worries she'll never get to travel anywhere. But, when Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary hosts their first Around the World Fair, Sarai learns that with a little imagination, you can go anywhere you want!

After the mayor makes crazy budget cuts at Ella Mentry School, Mr. Burke the groundskeeper makes a discovery that starts a modern-day gold rush in the playground. Is his plan to save the school so berserk that it just might work?

Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common, but soon enough they have a common enemy and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

When Marcel learns two big secrets, and he realizes there are worse things about the war than a canceled bicycle race. When he later discovers that his friend's entire family is in imminent danger, Marcel knows he can help, but it will involve taking a risky bicycle ride to pass along covert information. And when nothing ends up going according to plan, it's up to him to keep pedaling and think quickly, because his friend, her family, and his own future hang in the balance.

In this Civil War story passed from great-grandfather to grandmother, to son, and finally to the author-artist herself, Patricia Polacco celebrates the shared humanity of the peoples of this world.

A classic of American humor, the adventures of a house painter and his brood of high-stepping penguins have delighted children for generations.

Steve's new neighbor is Jackie Robinson! Steve is beyond excited about living two doors down from the Robinson family. He can't wait to meet Jackie. This is going to be the best baseball season yet! How many kids ever get to become friends with their hero?

In this autobiographical story, Little Trisha, overjoyed at the thought of learning how to read, struggles when she finds that all the letters and numbers get jumbled up. Finally, in fifth grade, she is lucky enough to have a teacher who recognizes Trisha's incredible artistic ability, understands her problem, and takes the time to lead her to the magic of reading.

It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry, and Flora discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.

At a time when being a woman and an African American limited what a mathematician might achieve, meet women who helped NASA win the space race.

A harmonious introduction to one of our country's most important singers—as envisioned by two of our industry's most important voices.

This beautiful book imagines what that gorilla might have felt and said about his life. Ivan does not dwell on his memories as does his friend Stella, an elderly elephant in the cage next door. An ultimately hopeful story about the healing power of art.

When twelve-year-old Phil accuses Daniel of stealing his brother's jacket, both of them wind up in the principal's office. How will Phil react when he finds out how Daniel came to be the owner of this unique jacket?

Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico - she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances - Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle's mother has disappeared. While tracing her steps on a car trip from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents, Salamanca tells a story to pass the time about a friend named Phoebe Winterbottom whose mother vanished and who received secret messages after her disappearance. One of them read, "Don't judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins." Despite her father's warning that she is "fishing in the air," Salamanca hopes to bring her home. By drawing strength from her Native American ancestry, she is able to face the truth about her mother.

Mia Tang is living the dream: attending journalism camp at the San Francisco Tribune! But when her story ideas keep getting shot down, she"ll have to work with her friends
to get back on top. The beloved New York Times bestselling Front Desk series continues, with all the heart and energy that Mia brings to everything she does!

A legendary adventure story of how Mafatu, the son of the Great Chief of Hikueru, a Polynesian race who worships courage, conquers his fear of the sea and proves he isn't a coward.

This is the story of a pivotal event in history as Ruby Bridges saw it unfold around her.

When 11-year-old Marty Preston finds a young beagle up in the hills behind his home near Friendly, West Virginia, he is convinced that the poor pup is in trouble and embarks on a journey to save him.

Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't have many friends until she meets Liz, the new girl at school. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. Liz even helps Marlee overcome her greatest fear, speaking, which Marlee never does outside her family.

When fourteen-year-old William Kamkwamba's Malawi village was hit by a drought, everyone's crops began to fail. Without enough money for food, let alone school, William spent his days in the library...and figured out how to bring electricity to his village. Persevering against the odds, William built a functioning windmill out of junkyard scraps, and thus became the local hero who harnessed the wind.

With insight and humor, Same but Different explores the many aspects of teen autism while daring to address issues and feelings nobody talks about. This powerfully rendered book is timely and one of a kind. It paints an important story of hope for teens and families living with autism, and lets us see that everybody's unique rhythm is worth dancing to.