Stock Up on Books About Kindness

Moose, Lion, Zebra, and Sheep take shelter in a cave on a cold and rainy day, only to realize that a bear is there. The bear roars loudly and says that he is trying to sleep. Not understanding why the bear is so cranky, the other animals come up with ways to cheer up the bear. Moose finds antlers for him, Lion gives him a mane, and Zebra paints on stripes. Is there anything the four well-meaning friends can do to help the bear sleep?

A joyful celebration of kindness and its potential to change the world from Rachel Bright, the bestselling author of The Lion Inside and Love Monster. Chris Chatterton's charming illustrations will draw readers. The Hugasaurus is sure to become a storytime favorite!

Little Critter is a good helper, although not everything goes quite as planned. Whether he's watering the garden (and sprinkling his mother), making the beds (and jumping on them), shopping (he never forgets the candy), or literally vacuuming up the rug, Little Critter lends a hand in his own special way. Pitching in has never been as entertaining!

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

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!

Princess Truly knows how to be a good friend! With a twinkle from her magical, sparkling curls and her can-do attitude, she helps her friends Lizzie and May build a best friends' clubhouse. Then they have a sleepover with all their pets! And when Lizzie's kitty is wide awake at the end of the night, Princess Truly "rocks" him to sleep with a jamming bedtime song.

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

When a generous boy shares a cookie with a hungry mouse, it is the beginning of a chain of events that keeps the boy busy all day long, and might keep him busy for days to come. If you give a mouse a cookie, after all, he's bound to ask for a glass of milk, for which he'll certainly need a straw, not to mention a napkin, and a mirror to check for a milk mustache, which will only lead to him noticing that he needs a haircut.

This sweet picture book illustrates simple acts of kindness in its many forms. 

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!

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

In a story brimming with love and light, Jon J Muth shows how we can all heal the world a little bit at a time -- just the right message for now -- and always!

Two-time Caldecott Medalists Leo and Diane Dillon show children playfully creating a more generous, peaceful world where everyone shares with others.

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.

Hubie has heard there's a new kid in school. His name is Butch Pounder, and he's rumored to be a mean bully! Did Butch really beat up the football team, and eat the teacher's pet at his last school? Hubie decides he'll have to start training to defend himself before his snacks get eaten and he gets slammed after class.

In this inspiring story about the strength people possess when they work together, Muth takes a simple, beloved tale and adds his own fresh twist.

Wilbur is the runt of a litter born to a pig on the farm of Fern Arable's father. When it is announced that her father is going to kill the pig, Fern rushes forth to save it, asking of her father: "If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?" Her father spares the pig, but only if Fern agrees to care for it. Falling in love immediately with the little pig, she feeds him regularly with a bottle, and names him Wilbur.

What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? Nikolai knows that he wants to be the best person he can be, but often he is unsure if he is doing the right thing. 

The Bad Guys' next mission is busting chickens out of captivity! But they're up against sizzling lasers, a feisty tarantula, and their very own Mr. Snake, who's also known as the Chicken Swallower. What could possibly go wrong?

With his father's encouragement, Raj learns notes, then scales, then songs, and finally classical pieces that his father can recognize and be proud of. But the more Raj practices and the more skilled he becomes, the less he enjoys playing, until he grows up and stops playing altogether. When his father becomes ill and asks Raj to play for him, will Raj remember how to play from the heart?

Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: school. Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own. Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in. Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common, but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.

For more than 50 years, Eleanor Estes' story of kindness, compassion, and standing up for what is right has resonated with young readers. The author captures the deeply felt moral dilemmas of childhood, without simplification, understanding that such personal standoffs can be equally poignant for the teased or the tormentor. 

Tommy and Annika have always wished someone would come to live in the ramshackle house next door, and one day, someone does: Pippi Longstocking, an irrepressible nine-year-old girl with a unique way of doing things.

A heartwarming story of how a group of multicultural friends reconnect as they work together to help neighbors in need during the pandemic.

Fiesty and resilient Mia Tang works and lives at the motel with her parents, who secretly help immigrants, while she pursues her dream of being a writer. 

Twelve-year-old Trevor McKinney accepts his teacher's challenge to earn extra credit by coming up with a plan to change the world. Trevor's idea is simple: Do a good deed for three people and, instead of asking them to return the favor, ask them to "pay it forward" to three others who need help. He envisions a vast movement of kindness and goodwill spreading across the world and ends up changing his small California community forever.

This Breakfast Club inspired graphic novel in Spanish and English text pairs together with an engaging storyline centered on middle school friendships and identity.

Title list:
• The Berenstain Bears: Kindness Counts
• The Caring Me I Want to Be
• Elephant & Piggie: Should I Share My Ice Cream?
• Little Critter: Just Critters Who Care
• Peace is an Offering
• The Snail and the Whale
• Strictly No Elephants
• Try a Little Kindness

Title list:
• How Full is Your Bucket?
• I Am Kind
• Kindness to Share from A to Z
• Last Stop on Market Street
• Ready, Freddy!: Kindness Counts!
• Those Shoes
• Wallace and Grace and the Lost Puppy
• What Does It Mean to be Kind?

Title list:
• Chrysanthemum
• Extra Yarn
• Gustavo the Shy Ghost
• Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog
• We Don't Eat Our Classmates
• Whoever You Are
• Willow the Therapy Dog
• Zen Ties