Second Step® Insights
Educators’ Favorite Kids’ Books: Great Stories That Happen to Spotlight Human Skills
December 6, 2024 | By: The Second Step® Team

Looking for gift ideas? We’ve got you covered. Second Step® educators share their favorite picture books that both entertain and model social-emotional 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
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