Teaching Respect to Kids: The 9 Best Picture Books About Respect for Kids
Inside: Nine books about respect that will teach students how to treat themselves, one another, and their environment.
Aretha Franklin may have been the queen of respect, but teachers are a close second. Respect is a vital building block in creating a positive classroom culture, and it helps set the stage for educational growth. When I reflect on my own life, the periods where I have experienced the most success and happiness is when I have felt valued and respected by myself and the people around me. Why wouldn’t it be the same for our kiddos?
The books highlighted below are some of my favorites and will make great teaching tools throughout the school year. Some of the stories would be relevant when establishing expectations at the beginning of the year, and others would make a good “reset” read on a day when the classroom rules have gone out the window and everyone is in major need of an impromptu regrouping session (we’ve all been there!). Finally, there’s a cute story that would be applicable when setting expectations before a field trip. Most importantly, your students will relate with these characters and their lessons, such as differences making us unique, having more in common with one another than what first meets the eye, and everyone deserving respect no matter what.
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Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller
Mr. Rabbit is frantic with worry when he discovers a family of otters has become his new neighbors. However, he changes his perspective when a wise owl reminds him of the golden rule: “Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you.” Mr. Rabbit beautifully models how to slow down and think through how you would like to be treated before providing the same courtesy to others. This sweet story promotes giving people a chance, and more importantly, respect— a good reminder for all of us.
I love to use this read aloud during the first few weeks of school to talk about manners and the golden rule (“Doo-Dee-Doo unto otters as you would have otters Doo-Dee-Doo unto you”). Check out my favorite activities below!
Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun by Maria Dismondy
Lucy likes ketchup on toast, spaghetti on hot dog buns, and has a mess of beautiful red hair. Her differences make her who she is but a bully at school makes it a challenge for her to come to this realization. Eventually, Lucy chooses to have the courage to love herself despite what anyone thinks of her. When given the choice between retaliation or showing kindness to the boy who bullied her, she chooses the latter. This story can lead to a great discussion on how respecting ourselves first can make respecting everyone else in our lives easier.
This story is a great back to school read that lends itself well to reviewing story elements and character traits. Take a look at my favorite activities below!
Elmer by David McKee
Elmer is a patchwork elephant surrounded by “normal” elephants and it really bothers him! He longs to be like everyone else. One day he decides to roll around on a pile of berries to make his skin appear the same color as everyone else’s. Upon returning to the group, he is unrecognizable without his patchwork. When he finally gives himself away, the other elephants think it is hysterical and make the decision to pick one day a year where they all paint themselves in unique designs to remember the joke Elmer played. Just like Elmer, your students will realize that they are awesome just how they are without needing to change themselves to fit in.
The Crayon Box That Talked by Shane Derolf
A girl wanders into a shop to buy a box of crayons and is surprised to find them all arguing and putting each other down. Regardless, she takes them home and lays them all out so they can watch as she creates her picture. The crayons realize that they all play a unique and equally important role in creating a masterpiece. This is a perfect first week of school read aloud that lends itself well to discussions of respecting each other’s differences and celebrating the things that make each of us unique. My students always love decorating their very own unique crayons to display in the hallway alongside these writing pages. Take a look below!
Respect and Take Care of Things by Cheri Meiners
Respect and Take Care of Things is a simple book that teaches what the title implies. It’s a great introduction to stewardship and respecting our environment for younger grades.
The Sandwich Swap by Queen Rania Al Abdullah and Kelly DiPucchio
The Sandwich Swap is the story of two best friends who eat lunch together every day. One eats a PB&J sandwich while the other eats a hummus sandwich. Secretly, each of them thinks that the other’s lunch looks disgusting, and when this truth eventually comes out, it threatens to end their friendship. It takes a huge food fight breaking out for the girls to realize that they’re acting silly, and their friendship means a lot more than what they eat. Students will see their own friendships reflected in Lily and Salma and the lovely story of tolerance and acceptance that they teach.
Each year when we read this book, we create our very own “friendship sandwich.” On each page, we brainstorm the different ways we can be a good friend. Click the pictures below to take a closer look!
The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood
I have read this probably five times, and it still brings me to tears. The Man Who Loved Clowns is a fascinating story about Delrita, a meek teenager, and her Uncle Punky, who loves clowns and has Down Syndrome. The reader gets to observe Delrita struggle with feeling ashamed of her uncle when her peers make fun of him for being different. This chapter book promotes empathy, inclusion, and showing respect to people that are different from us, and your students won’t be able to get enough of it.
Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
This precious book teaches that all children are the same at the core. Even if we dress, talk, and look different, we all laugh, cry, love, and hurt the same way. We are more similar than different, even if it doesn’t appear that way at first. The illustrations that show children from various cultures and religions are the icing on the cake. As a bonus, social studies standards could be seamlessly integrated into this read-aloud in various ways if you wish to do so.
What if Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick
This story follows a boy whose first impulse is always an ornery one. He finds himself licking the icing off a cake, feeding popcorn to a bear at the zoo, and shooting spitballs at dinner. Every time he gets caught, someone asks him, “What if everybody did that?” Students will find this book hilarious and engaging, but more importantly, it illustrates the importance of making respectful choices even when we are tempted to do something silly initially. I could see this making a great read-aloud when discussing behavior expectations prior to a field trip as it examines showing respect everywhere you go, not just in the classroom.
MORE RESOURCES FOR TEACHING RESPECT
Mini-lessons are my favorite way to teach social emotional skills. If you’re anything like me, you don’t have a “social emotional time” built into your schedule, you just have to find the time to “squeeze” it in. Read alouds are great, but I’ve found the most success when I combine read alouds with videos and explicit lessons about respect. Click any of the images below to take a closer look at this no-prep mini-lesson all about respect!
