Healthy Relationships Read Alouds & Resources
Friendship:
Chrysanthemum
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?
Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend
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?
The Sandwich Swap
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?
You're Mean, Lily Jean
by Frieda Wishinsky
A picture book that addresses the problem of bossy friends and the struggle to stand up to them. Sisters Sandy and Carly always play together, but when Lily Jean moves in next door and joins them, everything changes. Now Lily Jean is calling the shots, ordering Carly to be a baby when they play house and a dog when they play king and queen. Can Carly find a way to combat Lily Jean’s bullying ways and turn the tables on her bad behaviour?
The Fabulous Friend Machine
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.
The Not So Friendly Friend
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.
Nerdy Birdy
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.
Nerdy Birdy Tweets
by Aaron Reynolds
Nerdy Birdy loves video games, but Vulture finds them BORING. Vulture loves snacking on dead things, but Nerdy Birdy finds that GROSS. Luckily, you don’t have to agree on everything to still be friends. When Nerdy Birdy joins Tweetster and makes new friendships, it is not long before he realizes the importance of real friendship.
Be Kind
by Pat Zietlow Miller
When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate wants to make her feel better, wondering: What does it mean to be kind?From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving story explores what kindness is, and how any act, big or small, can make a difference―or at least help a friend. Be Kind is an unforgettable story about how two simple words can change the world.
I Walk With Vanessa
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.
Enemy Pie
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.
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend
by Dan Santat
This magical story begins on an island far away where an imaginary friend is born. He patiently waits his turn to be chosen by a real child, but when he is overlooked time and again, he sets off on an incredible journey to the bustling city, where he finally meets his perfect match and–at long last–is given his special name: Beekle.
The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship
By Ibathaj Muhammad
It’s picture day and Faizah can’t wait to wear her special red dress with matching hair ribbons, passed down from her mother and sister. Faizah’s teacher starts the day by asking her students to envision the kind of world they want, inspiring Faizah and her friends to spend the day helping one another in ways large and small. But when it’s time for sibling pictures, Faizah realizes that she and her older sister, Asiya, don’t match like her classmates do with their siblings. With help from her classmates inspired by Asiya’s hijab, Faizah finds that acts of kindness can come back to you in unexpected ways.
Should I Share my ice Cream?
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.
A New Friend for Marmalade
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?
A Year with Marmalade
by Alison Reynolds
Ella and Maddy are best friends. But one day Maddy says she is moving away, and she asks Ella to look after her cat, Marmalade. Both Ella and Marmalade cry and cry when Maddy leaves. Ella tries to do fun things—like pick apples, stomp through puddles, and ice skate on the pond—but somehow nothing is fun without her friend Maddy. Then one morning Ella finds Marmalade curled up by her feet, and as they spend more and more time together, a unique friendship begins to grow.
Max and Bird
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?
Little Blue and Little Yellow
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.
When Randolph Turned Rotten
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!).
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
by Phillip Stead
Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, running races with the tortoise, keeping the shy penguin company, and even reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide it’s time they returned the favor.
The Day You Begin
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.
Me, Too!
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.
Me, Me, Me
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.
Stick and Stone
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.
Triangle
by Mac Barnett and John Klassen
Meet Triangle. He is going to play a sneaky trick on his friend, Square. Or so Triangle thinks. . . . With this first tale in a new trilogy, partners in crime Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen will have readers wondering just who they can trust in a richly imagined world of shapes.
Square
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?
Circle
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.
Family:
He Came with the Couch
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.
The Family Book
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.
We Belong Together
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.
Stella Brings the Family
by Miriam B. Schiffer
Stella’s class is having a Mother’s Day celebration, but what’s a girl with two daddies to do? Stella has her Papa and Daddy who take care of her, and a whole gaggle of other loved ones who make her feel special and supported every day. Fortunately, Stella finds a unique solution to her party problem.
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story
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.
Families
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!
Still a Family: A Story About Homelessness
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.
And Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson & Peter Parnell
At the penguin house at the Central Park Zoo, two penguins named Roy and Silo were a little bit different from the others. But their desire for a family was the same. And with the help of a kindly zookeeper, Roy and Silo got the chance to welcome a baby penguin of their very own.
The Invisible String
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.
All Kinds of Families
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.
Bullying, Bystanders, and Peer Influence:
My Secret Bully
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.
Confessions of a Former Bully
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,
Better Than You
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.
Trouble Talk
by Trudy Ludwig
Maya’s friend Bailey loves to talk about everything and everyone. At first, Maya thinks Bailey is funny. But when Bailey’s talk leads to harmful rumors and hurt feelings, Maya begins to think twice about their friendship.
Just Kidding
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.
Sorry
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.
Say Something
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?
The Recess Queen
by Alexis O’Neill
A fresh and original twist on the common issue of bullying.Mean Jean was Recess Queen and nobody said any different. If kids ever crossed her, she’d push ’em and smoosh ’em lollapaloosh ’em, hammer ’em, slammer ’em kitz and kajammer ’em. Until a new kid came to school! With her irrepressible spirit, the new girl dethrones the reigning recess bully by becoming her friend in this infectious playground romp.
One
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.
Zero
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.
Two
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.
The Worst Best Friend
by Alexis O’Neill
Mike and Conrad, Conrad and Mike are best, best friends. That is until Victor, a new boy, a big boy, a cool boy, arrives at school. Suddenly, Conrad turns into the WORST best friend and forgets all about his pal, Mike. But when Victor’s need to win leaves Conrad crushed, it’s Mike who steps up to the plate and shows how to be a real friend, a true-blue friend, a best, BEST friend.
Nobody
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.
Weird!
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.
Dare!
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.
Tough!
by Erin Frankel
Sam wants to keep things orderly and “cool” at school. She thinks people need to have a tough skin in order to fit in and withstand others’ meanness and lack of cooperation. Sam teases her free-spirited classmate Luisa and enlists a friend, Jayla, to help. But when Sam is confronted by a concerned teacher about her bullying, and Jayla turns on Sam and befriends Luisa, Sam begins to show some heart and rethink her treatment of others.
Don't Laugh at Me
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.
I Didn't Stand Up
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.
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