10 Picture Books to Teach and Inspire Teamwork & Signed Book GIVEAWAY!

Please welcome author Carrie Finison and her list of 10 Picture Books to Teach and Inspire Teamwork.

Her newest picture book is Pigs Dig a Road and we are giving away a signed copy! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.

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Learning to work together takes lots and lots of practice in all kinds of settings – school, home, sports teams, theater groups, community projects, and more. It can be tough for children (and adults!) to understand their role in a group, take responsibility, and complete tasks to get a project done.

Like kids, the characters in my new picture book, PIGS DIG A ROAD, illustrated by Brian Biggs, are still learning. Curly, Pinky, and Stinky have a lot of enthusiasm for their road-building project, but they aren’t all that careful in their work and they make many mistakes that crew chief Rosie must fix. For her part, Rosie takes too much on her own (pork) shoulders and eventually falls asleep from sheer exhaustion. Without Rosie’s direction, the other pigs must step up to the plate and make a plan: they divide the jobs, work hard, help each other, and check their work – the secret sauce to successfully completing any group project!

Here are 10 picture books that can help teachers and parents talk with young readers about what it means to be a part of a team and how to work together to get something done.

10 Picture Books to Teach and Inspire Teamwork

Pigs Dig a Road by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Brian Biggs

The guidelines for working together are explicitly outlined in this humorous story about a crew of pigs using construction vehicles to build and pave a road to the Hamshire County Fair. Although the project is beset by mistakes and mishaps, eventually the pigs make a plan to work together and get the job done. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Building a Dream: How the Boys of Koh Panyee Became Champions by Darshana Khiani, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk

In this inspirational true story, a group of boys who live in a Thai village built on stilts over the sea decide to build their own floating soccer pitch. They work together to gather materials, build the pitch, and then practice soccer together. [nonfiction picture book, ages 5 and up]

Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Joseph Erb

This exciting sports story brings readers onto the field during a Cherokee game of stickball. The coach encourages the team to work together—gadugi—an important Cherokee value. Vann makes some mistakes as a player, is encouraged by a friend, and eventually they work together to score the game-winning goal. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Up and Adam by Debbie Zapata, illustrated by Yong Ling Kang

Adam, a boy with Down syndrome, and his dog Up, help neighbors clear sidewalks, clean up scattered playground toys, and fix a birdhouse after a big storm. But most of all, Adam helps cheer people up with his big smile, willingness to help, and homemade cookies. The story focuses on Adam’s abilities, not disability, and is a positive example of community, working together, and inclusion. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Apart Together by Linda Booth Sweeney, illustrated by Ariel Rutland

Simple, rhyming text describes how various separate objects come together to make something bigger and better than the sum of its parts. “APART, bricks and blocks, are bricks and blocks. TOGETHER, they soar! APART, players kick a ball but TOGETHER they score!” This book is a great conversation starter for readers to think about how they are apart and together with the people and world around them. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

That Fruit Is Mine by Anuska Allepuz

When some elephants discover a tall tree with exotic-looking fruit, they can’t wait to try it. Each elephant makes an individual attempt to get the fruit down. Meanwhile, a group of mice work together to climb the tree and get the fruit. The mice win, but they inspire the elephants to work together and get more fruit that they can all share. [picture book, ages 3 and up]

Maxine and the Greatest Garden Ever by Ruth Spiro, illustrated by Holly Hatam

There are many books out there about building gardens, but this one does an especially great job of showing two friends with different styles working together. Maxine is a practical builder. Leo is more decorative and artistic. After several attempts at keeping animals out of their garden, they figure out a way to build something – using both of their strengths – to solve the problem and make their garden great. [picture book, ages 4 and up]

Not Just the Driver by Sara Holly Ackerman, illustrated by Robert Neubecker

Who keeps the trains, trucks, buses, and boats moving? It’s not just the drivers! This standout book reveals the teams of people behind the vehicles kids know and love — the mechanics, dispatchers, ticket agents, air traffic controllers, and many others without whom there would be gridlock. [picture book, ages 1 and up]

The Mud Angels: How Students Saved the City of Florence by Karen Greenwald, illustrated by Olga Lee

This book for older readers is based on the inspiring true story of students who came from around the world to Florence, Italy, after a flood to help save books, documents, maps, and other materials from the Central Library. Teenagers formed human chains to extract the items from the mud and then helped dry and preserve the documents. [nonfiction picture book, ages 6 and up]

Unstoppable by Adam Rex, illustrated by Laura Park

When a crab, a bird, a turtle, and a bear join forces they make a creature that can swim, fly, pinch noses, and roar. A birdraburtlebear, if you will. With their combined powers, they tackle what seems an unsolvable problem – a new mall being constructed in their habitat – and solve it…with a little help from Congress. This is a silly story with a serious message: when we work together, we become unstoppable. [picture book, ages 5 and up]

Pigs Dig a Road signed book GIVEAWAY!

We are giving away a signed copy of Pigs Dig a Road! To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Carrie Finison writes children’s books with humor and heart, including Dozens of Doughnuts; Lulu & Zoey: A Sister Story; Hurry, Little Tortoise, Time for School; and Don’t Hug Doug, which was named an ALA Notable Children’s Book in 2022. Her newest book is Pigs Dig a Road, a humorous story about teamwork. She lives in the Boston area with her family. Visit her online at www.carriefinison.com , or follow her on social media @CarrieFinison.

p.s. Related posts:

Josh Funk and Carrie Finison at Brookline Booksmith

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8 Funny Picture Books with Puns

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12 Funny Picture Books to LOL with Your Child

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