by Kevin Henkes

Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect—until her first day of school. “You’re named after a flower!” teases Victoria. “Let’s smell her,” says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?

by Melanie Watt

Scaredy Squirrel is out to make the Perfect Friend. Once he’s spotted a perfectly safe candidate (with no teeth), Scaredy’s ready. Armed with a name tag, mittens, a mirror and a lemon, he’s prepared to make The Perfect First Impression. But just when every detail is under control, Scaredy’s Action Plan takes a surprising — and “toothy” — turn. Will he survive this ordeal? Will he discover the true meaning of friendship?

by Kelly Dipucchio

Lily and Salma are best friends. They like doing all the same things, and they always eat lunch together. Lily eats peanut butter and Salma eats hummus-but what’s that between friends? It turns out, a lot. Before they know it, a food fight breaks out. Can Lily and Salma put aside their differences? Or will a sandwich come between them?

by Nick Bland

When Popcorn, the friendliest chicken at Fiddlesticks Farm, finds a forgotten smartphone in the barn, she sets about making some brand new friends. Soon she is so busy sending messages to them that she begins to forget her old friends. When a meet-up with her new friends is about to end in disaster, the quick-thinking animals of Fiddlesticks Farm save the day . . . and one relieved chicken learns a lesson.

by Christina Furnival

In The Not-So-Friendly Friend, children will learn an easy and practical lesson about how to firmly and assertively – yet kindly – stand up for themselves in the face of a bully. By teaching children about the importance and value of setting boundaries for healthy friendships, this book provides children the tools they need to foster their social confidence and emotional well-being.

by Aaron Reynolds

Nerdy Birdy likes reading, video games, and reading about video games, which immediately disqualifies him for membership in the cool crowd. One thing is clear: being a nerdy birdy is a lonely lifestyle. When he’s at his lowest point, Nerdy Birdy meets a flock just like him. He has friends and discovers that there are far more nerdy birdies than cool birdies in the sky.

by Kerascoët

This picture book tells the story of one girl who inspires a community to stand up to bullying. Inspired by real events, I Walk with Vanessa explores the feelings of helplessness and anger that arise in the wake of seeing a classmate treated badly, and shows how a single act of kindness can lead to an entire community joining in to help. By choosing only pictures to tell their story, the creators underscore the idea that someone can be an ally without having to say a word. 

by Derek Munson

It was the perfect summer until Jeremy moved into the house down the street and became enemy number one. Luckily Dad had a surefire way to get rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But part of the secret recipe is spending an entire day playing with the enemy! In this funny yet endearing story, one little boy learns an effective recipes for turning your best enemy into your best friend.

by Beth Ferry

When Stick rescues Stone from a prickly situation with a Pinecone, the pair becomes fast friends. But when Stick gets stuck, can Stone return the favor?Author Beth Ferry makes a memorable debut with a warm, rhyming text that includes a subtle anti-bullying message even the youngest reader will understand.

by Mo Willems

In Should I Share My Ice Cream? Gerald has a big decision to make. But will he make it in time?
Using vocabulary that is perfect for beginning readers, Mo Willems has crafted a funny story about the challenges of doing the right thing.

by Alison Reynolds

Best friends Ella and Maddy are busy building a playhouse, with Marmalade lazing around nearby. Suddenly Toby, the boy from across the street, zooms by with his red cape and ruins everything. So then they decide to build some sandcastles. Swoosh! Toby cartwheels through, his cape destroying the castles. Ella and Maddy don’t want Toby around, but Marmalade seems to be warming up to him. And when Marmalade gets stuck in a tree, guess who comes to the rescue?

by Ed Vere

When Max meets Bird, Max thinks he’d like to be friends with Bird. He would also like to chase Bird and maybe eat him as a tasty snack.

But that’s not what friendship is all about . . . Is it?

by Leo Lionni

Little Blue and Little Yellow are best friends, but one day they can’t find each other. When they finally do, they give each other such a big hug that they turn green! How they find their true colors again concludes a wonderfully satisfying story told with colorful pieces of torn paper and very few words.

by Charise Harper

MOST OF THE TIME, Randolph is very, very nice. But when his friend Ivy gets invited to a sleepover birthday party and he doesn’t, Randolph feels a little left out. This story recognizes that even best friends aren’t always good friends (sometimes they can be downright rotten!).

by Jacqueline Woodson

There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.There are many reasons we feel different. It’s not easy to take those first steps into a place where nobody really knows you yet, but somehow you do it. We all feel like outsiders sometimes-and how brave it is that we go forth anyway. And that sometimes, when we reach out and begin to share our stories, others will be happy to meet us halfway.

by Annika Dunklee

There are many reasons why Annie is best friends with Lillemor, who is from Sweden. They’re the same age, they like the same colors, they like doing the same things … But then Lilianne, a new girl from France, arrives. Annie can’t stand that Lillemor has become friends with Lilianne, and that Lilianne seems to have more things in common with Lillemor than Annie does — even their names. 

by Annika Dunklee

When best friends Annie, Lillemor and Lilianne learn their school will be having a talent show, Annie says they should enter as an all-girl singing group. Her friends are all in — until Annie tries to force everyone to go along with her choice of song, costumes, band name and lead singer. When Lillemor and Liliane tell Annie they’ve had enough of her attitude, the band splits up, with Annie intent on performing solo. But it doesn’t take long for her to realize it’s just not the same without her friends. 

by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

This book is about Circle. This book is also about Circle’s friends, Triangle and Square. Also it is about a rule that Circle makes, and how she has to rescue Triangle when he breaks that rule.

by Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen

This book is about Square. Square spends every day taking blocks from a pile below the ground to a pile above the ground. This book is also about Square’s friend Circle. Circle thinks Square is an artistic genius. But is he really?

by David Slonim

This book explores the idea of who belongs in your family in a very lighthearted way. It is a good conversation starter for the characteristics that belong to those we consider to be family.

by Todd Parr

The Family Book celebrates the love we feel for our families and all the different varieties they come in. Whether you have two moms or two dads, a big family or a small family, a clean family or a messy one, Todd Parr assures readers that no matter what kind of family you have, every family is special in its own unique way.

by Todd Parr

This book explores the ways that people can choose to come together to make a family by showing one perspective on the adoption experience.

by Kevin Noble Maillard

Fry bread is food.
It is warm and delicious, piled high on a plate.

Fry bread is time.
It brings families together for meals and new memories.

Fry bread is nation.
It is shared by many, from coast to coast and beyond.

Fry bread is us.
It is a celebration of old and new, traditional and modern, similarity and difference.

by Kerry Mccluskey & Jesse Unaapik Mike

Talittuq is excited to start his first day of grade two. He notices that a lot of his friends’ families are very different from his own. Some have one mom and one dad. Some kids live with their grandparents. Some live with two dads or two moms. As Talittuq hears about all the fun his friends have had with their families, he learns that families come in many different shapes and sizes, and what holds them all together is love!

by Brenda Reeves Sturgis

A girl and her parents have lost their home and must live in a homeless shelter. Even worse, due to a common shelter policy, her dad must live in a men’s shelter, separated from her and her mom. The family still finds time to meet at the park to play hide-and-seek, slide on slides, and pet puppies. While the young girl wishes for better days when her family is together again under a roof of their very own, she reminds herself that they’re still a family even in times of separation.

by Patrice Karst

In this heartwarming story, Karst delivers a very simple approach to overcoming the fear of loneliness or separation from parents, written with an imaginative flair that children can easily identify with and remember.

by Suzanne Lang

Lots of nontraditional family structures are celebrated in this super-fun and super-accessible board book! Kids will love finding their own family represented, no matter if they have two moms, one grandpa, or just a cousin named Doug.

by Trudy Ludwig

Monica never expected to be bullied by her best friend. With help from a supportive adult, Monica learns to cope and thrive, by facing her fears and reclaiming her power.

by Trudy Ludwig

After Katie gets caught teasing Monica, she’s told to meet with the school counsellor, so she can make right her wrong. Told from the unusual point of view of the bullier rather than the bullied,

by Trudy Ludwig

Jake’s bragging is really starting to get to Tyler. With the help of his uncle, Tyler begins to understand that Jake’s bragging has nothing to do with Tyler’s own abilities and that puffing yourself up leaves little room for friends.

by Trudy Ludwig

A rare look at emotional bullying among boys. D.J.’s friend Vince has a habit of teasing D.J. and then saying, Just kidding!” as if it will make everything okay. It doesn’t, but D.J. is afraid that if he protests, his friends will think he can’t take a joke. With help, D.J. progresses from feeling helpless to taking positive action, undermining the power of two seemingly harmless words.

by Trudy Ludwig

Jack’s friend Charlie seems to know how to get away with just about anything. Adults always back down when you say you’re sorry. But does an apology count if you don’t really mean it? Jack learns that the path to forgiveness isn’t always the easiest. Includes afterword by apology-expert Dr. Aaron Lazare, M.D., note from author, and discussion questions.

by Peggy Moss

At this school, there are children who push and tease and bully. Sometimes they hurt other kids by just ignoring them.The girl in this story sees it happening, but she would never do these mean things herself. Then one day something happens that shows her that being a silent bystander isn’t enough. Will she take some steps on her own to help another kid?

by Kathryn Otoshi

Blue is a quiet color. Red’s a hothead who likes to pick on Blue. Yellow, Orange, Green, and Purple don’t like what they see, but what can they do? When no one speaks up, things get out of hand — until One comes along and shows all the colors how to stand up, stand together, and count.

by Kathryn Otoshi

Every day round Zero watches the other numbers line up to count “Those numbers have value,” she thinks. How could a number who’s worth nothing become something? Zero feels empty inside. Children are introduced to accepting different body types, developing social skills and character, and learning what it means to find value in yourself and in others.

by Kathryn Otoshi

Two is best friends with One. Until Three jumps in between them . . . Suddenly One only wants to play with Three. Two feels left out. But what can she do? Two is a powerful story of friendship, loss, letting go, and self-discovery.

by Erin Frankel

Thomas feels like no matter what he does, he can’t escape Kyle’s persistent bullying. At school, at soccer – nowhere feels safe! “Mom said Kyle would grow over the summer and stop picking on me, but he didn’t grow up, he just grew.” With support from friends, classmates, and adults, Thomas starts to feel more confident in himself and his hobbies, while Kyle learns the importance of kindness to others.

by Erin Frankel

Luisa is repeatedly teased and called “weird” by her classmate Sam, even though she is simply being herself. Luisa initially reacts to the bullying by withdrawing and hiding her colorful nature. But with the support of her teachers, parents, classmates, and one special friend named Jayla, she is able to reclaim her color and resist Sam’s put-downs.

by Erin Frankel

Jayla feels threatened by her classmate Sam, who has bullied her in the past. Sam is now bullying Jayla’s friend Luisa, and she enlists Jayla to participate. Jalya reluctantly joins in but soon realizes it is wrong. With the help of caring adults and friends, Jayla comes to sympathize with Luisa and finds the courage to dare to stand up to Sam and put an end to the bullying.

by Steve Seskin

For anyone who’s ever been bullied–or been a bully themselves–it’s time to change your tune. This is not a book for whiners, but a new language that will give you the words you need to take charge and stop the cycle of teasing.

by Lucy Falcone

This beautifully illustrated picture book tells the story of a bystander who doesn’t stand up for the innocent targets of school bullies simply because he views them as different from himself. When things turn around and the bystander becomes the target, who will stand up for him? The book is a lesson in compassion and courage to defy bullying whenever and wherever you see it.