Tools
Seeds of Compassion
Cultivating Compassion in Children- Booklist
Fiction for Younger Children
Folklore
Fiction for Older Children
Children’s Nonfiction
Young Adult and Adult
Fiction for Younger Children
Barron, T.A.
Where is Grandpa?
As his family reminisces after his beloved grandfather's death, a boy realizes that his grandfather is still with him in all the special places they shared.
Bunting, Eve
Fly Away Home
A homeless boy who lives in an airport with his father, moving from terminal to terminal and trying not to be noticed, is given hope when he sees a trapped bird find its freedom.
Fleming, Candace
Boxes for Katje
After a young Dutch girl writes to her new American friend in thanks for the care package sent after World War II, she begins to receive increasingly larger boxes.
Hennessy, B.G.
Because of You
Tells how every single person helps make the world a kinder and more peaceful place.
Katz, Karen
Can you say Peace?
Every September 21 on the International Day of Peace, children around the world wish in many different languages for peace.
Lester, Helen
Hurty Feelings
It looks like trouble when Fragility, a hippopotamus whose feelings are easily hurt, meets Rudy, a rude elephant, on the soccer field.
Lionni, Leo
The Alphabet Tree
A strong wind blows most of the letters off the alphabet tree and those that remain hide among the branches. Then a bug and a caterpillar come along and teach them how to arrange themselves into words and sentences to form a special message.
Maclean, Kerry Lee
Peaceful Piggy Meditation
Peaceful pigs demonstrate the many benefits of meditation.
McKinley, Cindy
One Smile
When a child smiles at a stranger, she sets off a chain of kindness that eventually comes full circle.
Muth, Jon
Zen Shorts
When Stillwater the bear moves into the neighborhood, the stories he tells to three siblings teach them to look at the world in new ways.
Polacco, Patricia
Thank you, Mr. Falker
At first, Trisha loves school, but her difficulty learning to read makes her feel dumb, until, in the fifth grade, a new teacher helps her understand and overcome her problem.
Seuss, Dr.
The Butter Battle Book
Engaged in a long-running battle, the Yooks and the Zooks develop more and more sophisticated weaponry as they attempt to outdo each other.
Steig, William
Amos and Boris
Amos the mouse and Boris the whale have little in common except that they are both mammals and save each other's lives.
Sturges, Philemon
Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza
In this version of the traditional tale, the duck, the dog, and the cat refuse to help the Little Red Hen make a pizza but do get to participate when the time comes to eat it.
Williams, Sam
Talk Peace
Illustrations and easy-to-read text call for all people of the world, wherever they are and whatever they are doing, to talk peace.
Folklore
Macdonald, Margaret Read
Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk about
A collection of folktales from cultures around the world, reflecting different aspects of war and peace.
Seeger, Pete
Some Friends to Feed: the Story of Stone Soup
A poor but clever traveler finds a way to get the townspeople to share their food with him in this retelling of a classic tale, set in Germany at the end of the Thirty Years War.
Shannon, George
Rabbit’s Gift: a Fable from China
Woodland animals, each thinking of his neighbor, share a turnip left on their doorstep.
Fiction for Older Children
DiCamillo, Kate
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.
Morpurgo, Michael
Kensuke’s Kingdom
When Michael is swept off his family's yacht, he washes up on a desert island, where he struggles to survive--until he finds he is not alone.
Polacco, Patricia
Pink and Say
Say Curtis describes his meeting with Pinkus Aylee, a black soldier, during the Civil War, and their capture by Southern troops.
Silverstein Shel
The Giving Tree
A young boy grows to manhood and old age experiencing the love and generosity of a tree which gives to him without thought of return.
White, E.B.
Charlotte’s Web
Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.
Yumoto, Kazumi
The Friends
Curious about death, three sixth-grade boys decide to spy on an old man waiting for him to die, but they end up becoming his friends.
Children’s Nonfiction
Buckley, Carol
Just for Elephants
Most elephants in America live in circuses and zoos, and their lives are very different from what they would be in the wild. But there's a very special place in Tennessee called the Elephant Sanctuary.
Hatkoff, Isabella
Owen and Mzee : the True Story of a Remarkable Friendship
This is the heart-warming relationship between a baby hippo and a large turtle.
Judge, Lita
One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II
The author describes her family's efforts to help their friends and others who were left homeless and hungry in the aftermath of World War II.
Kalman, Maira
Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey
A fireboat, launched in 1931, is retired after many years of fighting fires along the Hudson River, but is saved from being scrapped and then called into service again on September 11, 2001.
Kehret, Peg
Small Steps: The Year I got Polio
The author describes her battle against polio when she was thirteen and her efforts to overcome its debilitating effects.
Young Adult and Adult
Hyde, Catherine Ryan
Pay it Forward: a novel
A young boy who believes in the goodness of human nature sets out to change the world with his seemingly simple plan, but he soon learns that some people are not willing to help him.
Menzel, Peter
Material World: a Global Family Portrait
A photo-journey through the homes and lives of 30 families, revealing culture and economic levels around the world.
Smith, Charles A.
The Peaceful Classroom : 162 Easy Activities to Teach Preschoolers Compassion and Cooperation
Offers both parents and teachers ways to teach young children compassionate living.
Last Updated: April 4, 2008