SOCIAL SKILLS
EMPATHY & KINDNESS
ANTI-BULLYING
Here are a few suggested books related to anti-bullying:
MULTICULTURAL & DIVERSITY BOOKS
Mostly Monsterly by Tammi Sauer
Bernadette is mostly monsterly, like her family and friends. But in Monster Moves Class, when everyone else is practicing lurching, Bernadette wants a group hug. And sometimes she likes to bake, pet kittens, and pick flowers (not very monsterly!). This story is great for starting a discussion about differences—and being yourself.
Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Grace Lin, Roseanne Thong
Debut author Thong cleverly uses a concept book to celebrate Chinese culture. "Round is a mooncake/ Round is the moon/ Round are the lanterns/ outside my room," explains the unnamed young heroine as she takes the reader on a tour of her neighborhood, where circles, squares and rectangles abound. Lin's (The Ugly Vegetables) full-bleed, double-page gouache pictures, radiant with traditional Chinese colors and patterns, offer a witty melange of the old and new, the cultural and the universal, the everyday and (for most of the audience, anyway) the exotic. A family feasts on pizza and dim sum, both of which come in square boxes; her father talks on his rectangular cell phone while the narrator practices the ancient art of ink writing using a rectangular inking stone and paintbrush rack. A brief glossary on the final page explains the meaning and role of Asian words and things that appear in the book. Tipping its hat to both the melting pot and ethnic pride, this makes an enchanting primer for children of all backgrounds. Ages 3-7.
I Am Different: Can You Find Me by Majula Padmanabhan
This clever picture book presents sixteen visual puzzles. On every page, readers must pick out the one item that is different from the rest--a different color, a different shape, reversed from left to right, or just asleep when others are awake!
The phrase "Can you find me?" is shown in a different language on every page.
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
The author has done a fantastic job setting the stage, explaining how Rosa Parks was not your typical heroine, she was just a seamstress, just like everyone else. This is imperative to the message that a single person can stand up for what is right and make big changes. I also appreciated that the author included so much about the women who spearheaded the bus boycott. This would be a wonderful introduction to learning about the civil rights movement for kids 5-10.
We're Different, We're the Same (Sesame Street) by Bobbi Kates (Author), Joe Mathieu (Illustrator)
Who better than Sesame Street to teach us that we may all look different on the outside—but it's important to remember that deep down, we are all very much alike. We all have the same needs, desires, and feelings. Elmo and his Sesame Street friends help teach toddlers and the adults in their lives that everyone is the same on the inside, and it's our differences that make this wonderful world, which is home to us all, an interesting—and special—place. This enduring, colorful, and charmingly illustrated book offers an easy, enjoyable way to learn about differences—and what truly matters. It is an engaging read for kids and adults alike.
Accept and Value Each Person By: Cheri J. Meiners
The world is becoming more diverse, and so are the daily lives of our children. Accepting and valuing people and groups who are different from oneself and one's immediate family is a critical social skill. Accept and Value Each Person introduces diversity and related concepts: respecting differences, being inclusive, and appreciating people just the way they are. Includes questions, activities, and games that reinforce the ideas being taught
It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
Featuring Todd Parr's trademark bold, bright colors and silly scenes, this book embraces difference in a unique way. Deceptively simple in appearance, It's OK to Be Different cleverly delivers its important messages of acceptance, understanding, and confidence in a child-friendly package.
I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes’s classic poem, paired with beautiful illustrations, tells the story of African-American Pullman porters, who collect books, magazines and albums left behind by passengers on trains. They toss them off into the wind to spread knowledge and culture to everyone in the world.
Ages 4 to 8.
Bernadette is mostly monsterly, like her family and friends. But in Monster Moves Class, when everyone else is practicing lurching, Bernadette wants a group hug. And sometimes she likes to bake, pet kittens, and pick flowers (not very monsterly!). This story is great for starting a discussion about differences—and being yourself.
Round is a Mooncake: A Book of Shapes by Grace Lin, Roseanne Thong
Debut author Thong cleverly uses a concept book to celebrate Chinese culture. "Round is a mooncake/ Round is the moon/ Round are the lanterns/ outside my room," explains the unnamed young heroine as she takes the reader on a tour of her neighborhood, where circles, squares and rectangles abound. Lin's (The Ugly Vegetables) full-bleed, double-page gouache pictures, radiant with traditional Chinese colors and patterns, offer a witty melange of the old and new, the cultural and the universal, the everyday and (for most of the audience, anyway) the exotic. A family feasts on pizza and dim sum, both of which come in square boxes; her father talks on his rectangular cell phone while the narrator practices the ancient art of ink writing using a rectangular inking stone and paintbrush rack. A brief glossary on the final page explains the meaning and role of Asian words and things that appear in the book. Tipping its hat to both the melting pot and ethnic pride, this makes an enchanting primer for children of all backgrounds. Ages 3-7.
I Am Different: Can You Find Me by Majula Padmanabhan
This clever picture book presents sixteen visual puzzles. On every page, readers must pick out the one item that is different from the rest--a different color, a different shape, reversed from left to right, or just asleep when others are awake!
The phrase "Can you find me?" is shown in a different language on every page.
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni
The author has done a fantastic job setting the stage, explaining how Rosa Parks was not your typical heroine, she was just a seamstress, just like everyone else. This is imperative to the message that a single person can stand up for what is right and make big changes. I also appreciated that the author included so much about the women who spearheaded the bus boycott. This would be a wonderful introduction to learning about the civil rights movement for kids 5-10.
We're Different, We're the Same (Sesame Street) by Bobbi Kates (Author), Joe Mathieu (Illustrator)
Who better than Sesame Street to teach us that we may all look different on the outside—but it's important to remember that deep down, we are all very much alike. We all have the same needs, desires, and feelings. Elmo and his Sesame Street friends help teach toddlers and the adults in their lives that everyone is the same on the inside, and it's our differences that make this wonderful world, which is home to us all, an interesting—and special—place. This enduring, colorful, and charmingly illustrated book offers an easy, enjoyable way to learn about differences—and what truly matters. It is an engaging read for kids and adults alike.
Accept and Value Each Person By: Cheri J. Meiners
The world is becoming more diverse, and so are the daily lives of our children. Accepting and valuing people and groups who are different from oneself and one's immediate family is a critical social skill. Accept and Value Each Person introduces diversity and related concepts: respecting differences, being inclusive, and appreciating people just the way they are. Includes questions, activities, and games that reinforce the ideas being taught
It's Okay to Be Different by Todd Parr
Featuring Todd Parr's trademark bold, bright colors and silly scenes, this book embraces difference in a unique way. Deceptively simple in appearance, It's OK to Be Different cleverly delivers its important messages of acceptance, understanding, and confidence in a child-friendly package.
I, Too, Am America by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes’s classic poem, paired with beautiful illustrations, tells the story of African-American Pullman porters, who collect books, magazines and albums left behind by passengers on trains. They toss them off into the wind to spread knowledge and culture to everyone in the world.
Ages 4 to 8.