Kindness gets printed on posters and stitched onto tote bags, which is about the least useful place for it. In a book it has to happen to somebody. A girl turns down the new classmate again and again, and then the new classmate moves away for good. A father hands his son a recipe for getting rid of an enemy that only works if you spend an entire day playing with him first. A rabbit walks over to a child whose block tower is in pieces, says nothing at all, and sits down. Those are the moments children copy, because they are specific, they cost something, and they are close enough to a real Tuesday to try.
Bookroo’s collection of 1,814 children’s books about kindness runs from board books for toddlers to novels a class can spend a month with, so our editors curated the 13 below for range as much as quality: a Caldecott Medal winner about animals looking after a friend with a cold, a folktale in which the kind sister is kind on an empty road where nobody is watching, and a story about a girl who opens her best friend’s refrigerator and finds almost nothing in it. Start with the shortlist, then browse by age — first words for the youngest listeners, picture books built to be read to a whole group, and chapter books for readers old enough to notice what kindness costs the person doing it.
Chloe turns down the new girl’s friendship all winter, and then one morning Maya’s desk is empty for good.
Brian is drawn in grey while the rest of his class is in color, because nobody has noticed him in a long time.
Taylor’s block tower is in ruins, and every animal arrives with advice until a rabbit shows up with none.
Adrian says he owns a magnificent horse. Chloe knows he does not, and cannot let it go.
Dad’s recipe for getting rid of an enemy works only if you spend one whole day playing with him first.
A valentine is delivered to the wrong house, and the loneliest man on the street starts baking brownies for his neighbors.
Amos spends every day with his friends at the zoo. The morning he wakes up with a cold, five animals catch the bus to his house.
Two sisters walk to the city to meet the king. One of them has been kind the entire way, without knowing anyone was watching.
Sofia climbs the fire escape to her best friend’s apartment, opens the refrigerator, and finds nothing in it but milk.
Annabelle finds a box of yarn that never runs out and knits sweaters for everyone in a grey little town, animals included.
Auggie Pullman starts fifth grade with a facial difference and a school year’s worth of people deciding how to treat him.
A 216-year-old oak narrates the year a new family moves onto the street and somebody carves LEAVE into its trunk.
Ten-year-old Mia runs the front desk of a motel while her parents quietly hide immigrants who have nowhere to sleep in the empty rooms.
Sturdy first books about gentle hands, kind words, and looking after a friend — the earliest vocabulary for being good to somebody, ages 0–4.
Can Little Mouse outsmart the bear to save his strawberry?
A little truck helps a big dump truck get unstuck from the mud.
Discover the magic of manners with an elephant's fun guide.
Discover playful animals teaching kindness and manners in delightful ways.
Discover the secrets to happiness and embrace your best self.
Words can heal or harm. Choose wisely.
Discover simple acts of kindness that even a baby can do.
Teach little ones gratitude for life's everyday wonders.
Discover dreamers who shaped history in this inspiring board book.
A hug for everyone, anytime. Can anyone resist the Hug Machine?
Discover the heroes on wheels that keep us safe during emergencies.
Discover why every life is essential in this heartwarming tale.
Read-alouds about the child nobody picks, the neighbor everyone forgets, and the small decisions that change somebody’s whole day — ages 4–8.
A girl claims to own a hundred dresses, but classmates' ridicule leads to regret and a vow for change.
A witch's pets and belongings get into chaos when she is out of the house.
A playful cat loses his hat. Will his lazy friend help retrieve it?
A new student challenges Little Critter's patience, but friendship awaits.
A literal-minded housekeeper turns a doctor's office into a comedy of errors.
A boy named Pete prepares a large sandwich to eat for lunch.
A cat with big paws finds his purpose at a firehouse.
A new pig in town finds friendship and adventure in unexpected places.
Four friends, three cookies. Can they share without crumbling under pressure?
An elephant discovers a tiny world of creatures living on a speck of dust and decides to protect them from harm.
Can a photographic memory solve a birthday party mystery?
Neighbors in need inspire a group to discover the joy of helping others.
Longer stories where being kind takes nerve, costs something, or has to survive an entire school year — for independent readers ages 6–11.
A young boy named Bat cares for a baby skunk after its mother is killed by a car
A cyclone whisks Dorothy to Oz. Can she find her way home amidst magical chaos?
A young orphan is carried off by a dream-blowing giant, then must help him stop the man-eating ones.
A summer trip reveals family secrets and tests sibling bonds.
A poor boy finds a golden ticket to visit a mysterious and magical chocolate factory
A girl tries to win a science competition to help her mother who has become depressed and withdrawn.
A pig befriends a spider who devises a plan to save his life from slaughter.
A young boy escapes his miserable life with his cruel aunts through a magical giant peach
A young girl helps hide her friend from Nazi forces in occupied Denmark.
Four princesses work together to rescue animals in need and uncover the truth behind a series of mysterious events in the kingdom of Mistberg Forest
A young owl named Eva Wingdale organizes a spring festival for her school, with the help of her friends and classmates
Libby makes a cosmic deal to help her sister's unborn baby.
