20 Picture Books About Compassion, Because Everyone Could Use A Bit Right Now

I think kids and parents alike will relate to the little girl in Come with Me. When she hears all of the horrible things going on in the world from the news, she goes with her parents to see how they can help in their own little ways — showing that all it takes is a little act of kindness to go a long way.

The Rabbit Listened is such an important book to have on hand when teaching your children about compassion, or even dealing with grief. When something sad happens to Taylor, he goes to all of the animals for advice on how to cope. But only the rabbit has the solution to his problem. Sometimes, all people need for you to do is listen.

Lovely beautifully illustrates the many differences in everyone we meet, but also proves that we are all just "lovely" anyway. Even though we all come from different backgrounds, it's important to treat everyone equally.

Whether your family is the one struggling right now, or if you know of other families who are, Tight Times is an important read to bring to light that sometimes families go through some "tight times," but love and compassion is what keeps us together.

In Maddi's Fridge, when Sophia finds out that her friend Maddi's refrigerator is empty, she tries to smuggle food from home to school for her, all while keeping Maddi's secret. When Sophia decides to tell her mom the secret, they both show compassion by going to the grocery store to help Maddi's family.

"Maddi's Fridge is a book that works on a child's awareness level, with no intervening adult judgements to cloud the basic reaction of human compassion. It also tells children exactly what they can do to help," per the Midwest Book Review.

Self-compassion is also something super important to focus on right now, and even when there isn't a pandemic. Listening with My Heart: A Story of Kindness and Self-compassion tells the story of Esperanza, and how when she finds a heart-shaped rock, she "sees it as a reminder to spread kindness and love" all over the world, per the description. But will she be able to give herself this same love and kindness when something doesn't go as planned in her life?

Windows shows just how fun (and important) it is to get to know your neighbors, and how everyone just wants a place to feel safe and to belong. Plus, who doesn't like looking into your neighbor's windows while you're going for an evening walk?

Upon finding an injured bird in the sea of people in too big of a hurry to notice, Will's compassion is the star of How to Heal a Broken Wing when he takes the bird home to try to nurse it back to health.

What do you do when you lose your best friend? Apparently, you learn a valuable lesson in compassion. The Teddy Bear tells the story of a boy who loses and finds his teddy bear best friend, and learns a little something about compassion along the way.

Amos McGee's best friends with all the animals at the zoo, but when he falls ill and can't go visit them, they decide to return the favor and pay him a visit. A Sick Day for Amos McGee is a sweet story about friendship and compassion for a sick friend.

Adrian Simcox Does NOT Have a Horse is essentially a story about cutting people some slack. It shows that sometimes being kind is much better than having judgement and that "friendship is the best gift" someone can give to another person, according to the description.

The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade shows that no matter how small you are, you can make a very big difference in someone's life when you're kind and stand up for what's right.

In Last Stop on Market Street, CJ gets caught up in the haves and have nots between everyone — like most kids. But his story shows that no matter your circumstances, you can always help others in need — and there's always someone who needs help.

By reading Uniquely Wired: A Story About Autism and Its Gifts, children can learn a little bit more about their friends at school who are "uniquely wired" and may be a little bit different than them. The first step is understanding others that are not like us.

We've all been there, wanting to fit in by having the latest style or shoes. Those Shoes chronicles the story of Jeremy and how he wants the latest shoes like the other kids in his school. When his grandmother tells him they cannot afford them and he gets a pair that's too small from a thrift store, he is shown that he should be thankful for what he has — including being able to help another friend in need.

"Eleanor Estes’s The Hundred Dresses won a Newbery Honor in 1945 and has never been out of print since," according to the description. And for good reason. Wanda is bullied at school for her lies about having 100 dresses, and the class feels terrible when she is pulled out of the school. One girl, Maddie, decides that she'll never not do the right thing again and promises to stand up to bullies and show other kids compassion.

A Chair for My Mother is a story about a family who has lost everything, and how that family saved "their coins" to buy a comfortable chair for everyone to enjoy after their home was destroyed by a fire. It can help kids realize they're not alone during tough times, or even to be mindful of others because we never know what they're going through.

The Giving Tree is a classic that shows how you shouldn't take advantage of one's kindness for too long, and to make sure you always show others appreciation for their kindness and thoughtfulness.

Based on the adult-version of this book, How Full Is Your Bucket shows kids how their interactions with people can either fill their buckets or empty them, and how important it is to have a "full bucket" yourself. "Before the day is over, you’ll see how Felix learns to be a great bucket filler, and in the process, discovers that filling someone else’s bucket also fills his own," the description notes.

Tip & Lulu: A Tale of Two Friends tells the story of a not-so-ordinary friendship between a leopard and meerkat, and teaches compassion, friendship, and acceptance — and how important it is to be there for others.