Bullying rarely announces itself. It arrives as a seat that turns out to be saved for somebody else, a nickname that sticks, a laugh that stops the moment a child walks up. Books are unusually good at this because they can slow the moment down and let a reader stand inside it: the mouse whose long, flowery name gets giggled at during roll call, the girl in the same faded blue dress who insists she has a hundred at home, the boy nobody remembers to invite, the classmate who finally walks over. The good ones do not hand out a slogan. They show what happened, who was standing there, and what a person might have done instead.
Bookroo’s collection of 824 children’s books about bullying has to serve three very different children: the one being targeted, the one doing the targeting, and the much larger group watching and hoping it stops on its own. Our editors curated for all three. The 14 books below run from a rhyming read-aloud for four-year-olds to middle-grade novels that refuse a tidy ending. Under them you can browse by age — picture books for the preschool and early-elementary years, then chapter books and novels for readers old enough to recognize their own hallway in the story.
A mouse loves her long, flowery name right up until the first day of school, when Victoria starts counting the letters.
Pinecone picks on Stone until Stick steps in, and later Stone gets the chance to return the favor.
Mean Jean rules the playground by decree until a very small new girl asks her to jump rope.
Short, buck-toothed and bullfrog-voiced, Molly Lou arrives at a new school armed with her grandmother’s advice.
A wordless story: a girl watches a boy torment the new student, lies awake about it, and knows what to do by morning.
Chloe turns down the new girl’s friendship again and again, then learns Maya has moved away for good.
Brian is drawn in grey while the rest of the class is in color, because nobody has noticed him in a long time.
Wanda Petronski wears the same faded blue dress every day and says she has a hundred at home.
Chase falls off a roof, loses his memory, and comes back to school with no idea that he was the one everybody feared.
Auggie Pullman starts fifth grade with a facial difference, and one classmate turns the whole grade into a campaign.
Shannon’s graphic memoir of elementary school, where a friend group called The Group decides every day who is in.
Jill joins in when her class torments a girl they call Blubber, then finds out how fast the target can change.
Ellie has been called Splash since a pool party when she was five, and the cruelty at home is worse than the cruelty at school.
In 1943 Pennsylvania, a new girl’s threats escalate into real violence, and a solitary veteran takes the blame.
Read-alouds about name-calling, being left out at recess, and the child who decides to say something — ages 3–8.
A girl learns the truth about a classmate's horse.
A champion bear loses his growl before a big contest. Can he find it in time?
A mountain girl's coat weaves a tale of love and friendship.
A young girl struggles to learn to read despite her love for books and learning.
A young girl faces her fears in a spelling bee, discovering the power of words and perseverance.
An immigrant girl finds her place in America through a unique Thanksgiving project.
Friendship tested by peer pressure and betrayal. Will true loyalty prevail?
A principal must reach a bully to reveal the beauty in differences.
Can Manny's imaginary heroics help him face a real-life bully?
A quirky kid's sacrifice of a panda sweater leads to unexpected friendship.
A small girl stands up to playground bullies, making a big impact.
A young inventor's flying machine could change everything at the Air Show and beyond.
Longer stories about lunchroom hierarchies, the kid who used to be the bully, and what it costs to speak up — for independent readers ages 6–11.
Stranded on an island, Roxie must outwit bullies and crooks to survive.
A boy races against blindness to finish his comic, while a new friend risks popularity to discover her own talents.
Mason's friend vanished. Can he uncover the truth before it's too late?
A boy battles racism and injustice through fencing, seeking redemption and belonging.
A girl battles self-doubt and family turmoil to find self-love.
A sixth-grader faces bullies, a mischievous talking fox, and a mission to save his mom's house.
Two kids take a shortcut through forbidden woods and uncover a world-altering secret.
A teacher's accident tests if his students can uphold the lessons he taught them.
A boy embarks on a daring quest to rescue his kidnapped toy from a villainous clown king.
A girl without arms uncovers secrets in a mysterious theme park while facing new challenges and friendships.
A rich boy has everything but craves a true friend.
A bullied girl meets a teacher who changes her view on self-worth and identity.
