Best Children's Books about Respect
Best Children's Books About Respect
One of the best ways to teach children about respect is by showing them respect in action. These picture books with lessons on respect show kids what it means to show respect to others and how to respect yourself. In this list of respect books for lower and upper elementary students, you'll find lessons about respecting rules, speaking respectfully, thinking before acting, treating others as you would want to be treated, and more aspects of respect.
If you are looking for some more help explaining respect to kids, try these Respect Teaching Resources.
Be Bigger than Hurt Feelings
Traits: respect, empathy, self-awareness
When feelings get hurt, it can be hard to treat friends with respect. This emotional tale helps children learn to deal with friendship troubles in a respectful way, and to do the right thing, even when it's hard. This children's book with stunning illustrations addresses respect, perseverance, and relational aggression, also known as bullying between friends. Includes free online teaching resources.
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What if? -Think before you speak
Traits: respect, responsibility, self-management
These siblings keep finding themselves in trouble until a friendly mulberry tree teaches them to ask "What if?" Soon they learn to pause and think it through so they can treat people with more respect and kindness. "If you'll hurt yourself, hurt someone else, or make your momma mad, change your action." This highly relatable story includes lessons about respecting others, being considerate, and respecting your own well being. Also includes free online teaching resources.
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A Little Respectful Spot
Traits: respect
This book focuses on different ways to treat people, places, and things with respect. There's not much of a story here, it's more of an overview about what respect is and how to be respectful.
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Just Ask
Traits: respect, empathy
From Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, an award winning book about respecting each other's differences. This book encourages children to seek to understand others and to treat them with care and respect.
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My Mouth is a Volcano
Traits: respect for others, self management, empathy
This book about a child who interrupts is a good way to teach children about the value of respecting others by listening and waiting for an appropriate time to speak. Teachers find it useful to teach their students the catchword, "volcano", to remind them to wait and be respectful.
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A Hundred Dresses
Traits: respect for others, anti-bullying, empathy
Ths Newbery Honor classic book tells the story of girl who has been treated unkindly, and how her classmates learn the value of kindness, accepting differences, and treating each other with respect.
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Know and Follow the Rules
Traits: respect, self-management
We've included this book on the "respect" list because following rules is essentially about treating people with respect. We define respect as caring enough about yourself and others to think about people's feelings before you act. Many rules are about keeping ourselves or others healthy and well. So this is a good launching point for young children to build a healthy respect for, well, respect.
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Respect and Take Care of Things
Traits: respect, responsibility
A staple in character education lessons, this book teaches a straightforward lesson in treating things with respect.
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Do Unto Otters
Traits: respect
This book of the year award-winner presents respect and manners in a fun way. It takes on the essential respect lesson- to treat others as you would like to be treated. Great for teaching social skills.
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I Can't Believe You Said That
Traits: respect, courtesy
RJ doesn't realize that his words are rude, unkind and disrespectful. Help children learn about having a social filter.
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We're Different, We're the Same
Traits: respect, inclusiveness
This timeless best seller from Sesame Street celebrates what makes us the same and what makes us different. Teaching respect for diversity, this book shows children how underneath our physical and language differences, we have a lot in common.
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The Weird Series
Traits: respect, anti-bullying, empathy
This trio of books deals with three perspectives on bullying- the one being bullied, the bystander, and the bully. In Weird!, a girl learns to respect herself as she confronts the effects of being called Weird!. Dare! takes on the subject of the bystander, and her decision to respect others and stand up to the bully. Tough! shows us the bully's perspective and helps children feel some empathy for how the bully came to be that way.
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Whoever You Are
Traits: respect for diversity, empathy
A colorful book that teaches children to respect differences. Depicting children around the world, this simply written tale shows children that underneath outward appearances and locations, we all have similar hopes, fears, joys, and sorrows.
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Accept and Value Each Person
Traits: respect for differences, empathy
Another in the social skills series, Learning to Get Along, this simple book for younger children teaches respect for differences.
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The Juice Box Bully
Traits: respect, anti-bullying
Popular book about bullying and learning to treat others with respect. A group of children confronts a bully and converts him to "the promise", a commitment the children all make to treat each other with respect and kindness.
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Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon
Traits: respectfor self
An encouraging story about a girl who learns to respect herself, just the way she is. Despite being picked on and criticized, Molly Lou learns to be proud of who she is.
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