Educators’ Favorite Kids’ Books: Great Stories That Happen to Spotlight Human Skills

Looking for gift ideas? We’ve got you covered. Second Step® educators share their favorite picture books that both entertain and model essential human skills. Along with reviews from families and teachers across the internet, you’ll see our Second Step educators know a winner when they read one. Happy gift giving and reading!

Kindness and Compassion

• Chocolate Milk, Por Favor: Celebrating Diversity with Empathy by Maria Dismondy
• The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
• Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
• Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller

Friendship and Acceptance

• Meesha Makes Friends by Tom Percival
• All Because You Matter by Tami Charles
• The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S. K. Ali
• What Happened to You? by James Catchpole
• Enemy Pie by Derek Munson

Courage and Perseverance

• What Do You Do with a Chance? by Kobi Yamada
• The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson
• The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
• Trying by Kobi Yamada
• What the Road Said by Cleo Wade

Cooperation and Teamwork

• Outside Amelia’s Window by Caroline Nastro
• The Littlest Turtle by Lysa Mullady
• Bonaparte Falls Apart by Margery Cuyler
• The Golden Acorn by Katy Hudson

Creativity

• Ish by Peter Reynolds
• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt
• What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada
• Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell
• Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg

Emotion Management

• The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee
• Ahn’s Anger by Gail Silver
• When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang

Empathy and Perspective-Taking

• The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig
• Angel Child, Dragon Child by Michele Maria Surat
• I am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde
• Fair Is Fair by Sonny Varela

Gratitude

• Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
• The Candy Dish by Kobi Yamada

Thanks to our contributors:

Nicci Turner: Jessamine Early Learning Village, 2024 Second Step Educator of the Year

Natali Jones: Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, 2024 Second Step Educator of the Year

Carrie White: Yates Elementary, 2023 Second Step Educator of the Year

Committee for Children staff