Top 10: Children’s Books that Teach Compassion (ages 2-14)

Learning about our differences can be a powerful way for children to see from another person’s point of view.  I encourage all parents to introduce some of these books or others like these to their children and use these stories as a reference when children bring up differences in school, particularly with special needs classmates.  Because how great would it be if it were OUR child who can reach out like MacKenzie in The Friendship Puzzle?!  The Friendship Puzzle and My Brother Charlie are a particularly powerful combination for anyone who has a sibling or classmate with autism and would be a great pair of books for any child starting kindergarten.  Another powerful combination about bullying, particularly girl bullying, would be The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes with Hot Issues Cool Choices by Sandra McLeod Humphrey.

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10. Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores by James Howe

Horance, Morris and Dolores are best friends who love adventuring until one day, they have to seperated into a boys only and girls only clubhouses.  This is no fun at all, so one day Dolores takes a stand.  They form a new inclusive clubhouse for boys and girls and are joined by new friends Chloris and Boris.  A fun book that is my 5-year-old son’s favorite about inclusion.  [picture book, ages 4-8]

9. The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

This Newbery Honor book was written in 1944 but it’s still so relevant today. The author’s daughter said that her mother, who grew up in West Haven, Connecticut where the story takes place was the girl (Maddie)who stood by while her friend (Peggy) led the girl bullying towards a girl who was Polish and claimed to have one hundred dresses in her closet while wearing just one shabby dress every day to school. Like the girl in the story (Wanda), this little girl moves to New York City, but the author never gets a chance to tell her how sorry she is. Instead, she writes this book. [chapter book, ages 8-12]

8. Sumi’s First Day of School Ever by Soyung Pak.

Sumi doesn’t speak English and today is her very first day of school ever.  Will it go well?  It does after a rocky start thanks to a kind teacher and new friend who finds a way to play with Sumi.  Sumi practices her very first sentence in English with her new friend.  [picture book for ages 2-7]

7. Arnie and the New Kid by Nancy Carlson

Arnie teases the new kid Philip who is different because he’s in a wheelchair. But then one day while teasing Philip, Arnie has a bad fall and ends up in crutches.  Now Arnie wishes he were in a wheelchair!  From seeing things from another’s point of view, Arnie becomes friends with Philip that lasts even when the cast comes off! [picture book, ages 4-8]

6.  Yoko by Rosemary Wells

Everyone makes fun of Yoko’s lunch because it’s different.  Her teacher frets and comes up with a plan to have an International Food Day.  But stil, no one will touch Yoko’s sushi.  Finally, Timothy tries it and loves it.  Yoko and Timothy push their desks together to have a “restaurant” serving sushi and sandwiches every day!  [picture book, ages 2-7]

5. The Friendship Puzzle: Helping Kids Learn About Accepting and Including Kids with Autism by Julie L. Coe

This is a great book to teach children how to relate to their classmates with special needs.  In this picture book, MacKenzie Macabee meets Dylan, the new boy at school who seems a little different.  When he has trouble fitting in, she puts the pieces of the puzzle together of why and learns about autism, but, even more importantly, she learns how to connect with him.  Her friendship with Dylan helps to bring her classmates around and he becomes a sought after soccer player.  [picture book, ages 5-8]

4.  Introducing …  Sasha Abramowitz by Sue Halpern

I really like this book.  It reminds me of Rules by Cynthia Lord that won a Newbery Award so it’s hard to believe that this book didn’t win a Newbery!  If you child like Rules, this would be a good choice.  Sash Abramonwitz is an articate, funny, aspiring chef living on a college campus with her two college professor parents.  Only one thing is missing, her brother Danny .who has Tourette’s Syndrome and is living at a care facility.  When he moves home unexpectedly, it forces her to deal with all the issues she’s facing both about Danny and about growing up.  [chapter book, ages 9-12]

3. Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester

A rat with a lisp becomes the unlikely class hero when he inadvertently gets rid of the new class bully forever. [picture book, ages 4-8]

2. Rules by Cynthia Lord

Having a special needs younger brother is hard on twelve-year-old Catherine.  On the one hand, she protects him by giving him rules to follow so he can fit in better. On the other hand, she’s embarrassed about him.  When she meets an older boy with a physical special need, they connect but is she too embarrassed to invite him to the school dance?  Will her friends accept him?  Is she misjudging her friends?  [Chapter Book for Grades 3-5, ages 8-12]

1. My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete

Charlie and Callie are twins and they have a lot in common but also have a lot of differences.  One thing that is different about Charlie is that he is autistic and has trouble communicating with people.  But Callie has a special connection with her twin, and feels lucky to be his sister.  [picture book for ages 4-7]

Honorable Mention

Hot Issues, Cool Choices:  Facing Bullies, Peer Pressure, Popularity and Put-Downs by Sandra McLeod Humphrey

This book won Mom’s Choice Award and Young Voices Foundation Award.  It’s heartbreaking dedication is to “In the memory of Tommy, who took his life at the age of twelve years, two months, and ten days.”  Sandra McLeod Humphrey has created a fictitious elementary school with a cast of characters who face a quandary of uncomfortable and downright cruel situations.  After each short scenario, questions are posed to the reader:  ”What do you think s/he should do?  Why? How does [the character] feel?”  It’s a clever way to pull in the reader into different points of view including bully, victim, bystander, and pawn.  This is must-read material for any elementary school age student starting from grades 3 but DEFINITELY before entering middle school.  [chapter book, ages 8-14]