Picture Books About Empathy for Young Readers
These children’s books about empathy are great for kids in preschool and elementary school.
Children’s Books About Empathy for Older Kids
If you’re catering to the reading tastes of older elementary schoolers, give these children’s books about empathy a try. Sheldon the turtle is having a lousy day until he finds two of Clara’s creations. The kind words on his new rocks make him feel much better. Soon, Sheldon and his friends are telling all the animals in the forest about the kindness rocks so that everyone can enjoy them. They start to make a habit of searching out new ones. When Clara moves away, the animals stop finding the stones. Sheldon soon realizes that he, too, can find ways to make his friends and neighbors happy. He goes to work making his own messages to inspire others. How fun would it be to read this book with a little one before helping them paint their own kindness rocks? After, you could distribute them in friend’s and neighbor’s yards for some socially distanced fun. This is a wonderful story for helping your little one understand the importance of giving others room to voice their thoughts and feelings. After talking to your little reader about ways they can help others feel included like Tilly helped Lily, there are 25 acts of kindness you can practice together in the back of the book. Jeremy finally finds a pair of the cool shoes at a thrift shop. Soon, though, he realizes a friend’s shoes are taped together. He decides to pass the cool shoes along to his friend that needs them more than he does. This is a sweet book about friendship, selflessness, the difference between needs and wants. Knowing how good it made her feel to be included, Bonnie begins passing on acts of kindness the first chance she gets. Eventually, someone that she helped shares an act of kindness with Dot, making things come full circle.
Children’s Graphic Novels About Empathy and Friendship
For more books for kids about making the world a better place, check out these children’s books about activism. This book is a great vehicle for discussing how to be there for people as they experience grief, uncertainty, and change. Over time, they shift from being competitors to friends. She’s the new kid in town and he’s the school misfit, but together, they find comfort from their loneliness. When Leslie dies unexpectedly, Jess experiences deep loss. Others in his life, like his younger sister, help him make it through his mourning with empathy and love. This book shows how empathy from others can help you navigate disappointment and change. This book is a reminder that being a real friend is much more important than being in the in crowd.
