These children’s books about community will teach your kids about community building in their neighborhoods and the importance of kindness.
“Is everyone okay? Does anyone need anything?” said a message a parent wrote to my son’s classroom group. A fire had erupted nearby, just one of many that struck southern California in a series of unrelenting winds and dry conditions.
That simple question, those acts of kindness, can be all it takes to build a community, even among once strangers. We’re compelled to help when we see others in need, creating a sense of belonging and empathy, and that we’ll get through this… together.
Community doesn’t have to start with tragedy, either. It can be as simple as the very family you share your home with, or the community garden filled with neighborhood conversations. It’s celebrating your ethnic culture, from attending the annual Native American pow wow to baking grandma’s baklava.
Community also grows with generosity and sharing, like community helpers volunteering to clean up trash from your city’s local river to gathering for barbecue picnics with your neighbors.
We all band together in a community, in one way or another.
Children’s books about community
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Reading children’s books about community building is a great introduction on the importance of belonging. They need to know that they are a part of something bigger than themselves and belong to a collective group of people.
Below, I list books and resources I’ve personally read with my kids and truly enjoyed.
These books show how even one person can make an impact, from planting gardens to extending neighborly kindness. They celebrate diversity and people of color, learning from each other’s traditions. They remind kids that they have a place, from neighborhoods to a group of people coming together for the same cause.
And they teach us that a community starts with learning how to act with thoughtfulness, civility, and inclusion, from a little boy growing a garden to a garbage collector changing his neighborhood. These simple gestures—no matter how big or small—can make a difference, even in the face of uncertainty.
Take a look at these children’s books about community with inspiring stories and vibrant illustrations:
Marley and the Family Band by Cedella Marley and Tracey Baptiste
What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers and Shawn Harris
Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagara
The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates and Juniper Bates
You Matter by Christian Robinson
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy, Theresa Howell, and Rafael López
The Breaking News by Sarah Lynne Reul
Whose Hands Are These? by Miranda Paul and Luciana Navarro Powell
Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea by Meena Harris and Ana Ramírez González
Good People Everywhere by by Lynea Gillen and Kristina Swarner
Marvelous Cornelius by Phil Bildner and John Parra
The Relatives Came by by Cynthia Rylant and Stephen Gammell
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman
The One Day House by Julia Durango and Bianca Diaz
A Hat for Mrs. Goldman by Michelle Edwards and G. Brian Karas
Look Where We Live! by Scot Ritchie
Maddi’s Fridge by Lois Brandt and Vin Vogel
Why We Live Where We Live by Kira Vermond and Julie McLaughlin
Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson and Fumi Kosaka
Hey, Wall by Susan Verde and John Parra
Anywhere Farm by Phyllis Root and G. Brian Karas
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña
A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams
Come with Me by Holly M. McGhee and Pascal Lemaître
The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Boughton
Read these next:
- Multicultural Children’s Books to Read with Your Child
- Children’s Books about Family
- How to Teach Gratitude to Children
- Children’s Books about Mail and Letter Writing
- Children’s Books with People of Color
Free printables: Want even more book ideas? Join my newsletter and grab the Read Aloud Book List! You’ll get hundreds of favorite selections to read aloud with your kids. Get it below—at no cost to you:
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