books for children on

giving and helping others

PICTURE BOOKS

Bedard, Michael. Emily . New York: Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 1992. When a mother and child pay a visit to their reclusive neighbor Emily, who stays in her house writing poems, there is an exchange of special gifts.

Brumbeau, Jeff. The Quiltmaker's Gift . Duluth, Minn: Pfeifer-Hamilton Publishers, 2000. When a generous quiltmaker finally agrees to make a quilt for a greedy king under certain conditions, she causes him to undergo a change of heart.

Cazet, Denys. A Fish in His Pocket . 1st American ed. New York: Orchard Books, 1987. All through school Russell the bear is worried about the little orange fish in his pocket, until he figures out how to return it to its pond.

Christiansen, Candace. The Mitten Tree . Golden, Colo: Fulcrum Kids, 1997. Old Sarah knits mittens for all the children waiting for the school bus and hangs them on the blue spruce tree at the bus stop.

Cooney, Barbara. Miss Rumphius . New York: Viking Press, 1982. As a child Great-aunt Alice Rumphius resolved that when she grew up she would go to faraway places, live by the sea in her old age, and do something to make the world more beautiful--and she does all those things, the last being the most difficult of all.

DeArmond, Dale. The Seal Oil Lamp . San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1988. A retelling of a traditional Eskimo tale of how a seven-year-old blind boy is saved from death by the kindly little mouse people.

DiSalvo-Ryan, DyAnne. Uncle Willie and the Soup Kitchen . New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1991. A boy spends the day with Uncle Willie in the soup kitchen where he works preparing and serving food for the hungry.

Fine, Edith Hope. Under the Lemon Moon . New York: Lee & Low Books, 1999. The theft of all the lemons from her lemon tree leads Rosalinda to an encounter with la Anciana, the Old One, who walks the Mexican countryside helping things grow, and to an understanding of generosity and forgiveness.

Fleischman, Sid. The Scarebird . New York: Greenwillow Books, 1988. A lonely old farmer realizes the value of human friendship when a young man comes to help him and his scarecrow with their farm.

Hughes, Shirley. Giving . Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press, 1993. A little girl and her baby brother experience the various aspects of giving, finding that it is nice whether you are giving a present, a smile, or a kiss.

Lucado, Max. All You Ever Need . Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Books, 2000. A servant of the Watermaster, a kind man who gives water freely to the thirsty people of a desert village, tries to restrict this gift by imposing his own terms on it, even though his master wishes to share the water with all.

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. The Green Truck Garden Giveaway: A Neighborhood Story and Almanac . New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 1997. When two people pass out seeds and gardening supplies, neighbors who claim to have no interest in gardening are transformed into a community of gardeners. Includes information on gardening and related topics.

Moon, Nicola. My Most Favorite Thing . New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2001. Katie lends her favorite stuffed bunny to her grandpa when his dog gets sick and has to stay at the pet hospital.

Munsch, Robert. Ribbon Rescue . New York: Scholastic, 1999. A young girl unselfishly gives away the ribbons from her new dress to help various people on their way to a wedding.

Newton, Patricia Montgomery. The Five Sparrows . New York: Atheneum, 1982. When a kindly old woman is richly rewarded for nursing a wounded sparrow back to health, a greedy neighbor attempts to emulate the old woman and brings trouble upon herself and her family.

Nolan, Dennis. Androcles and the Lion . San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1997. A retelling of the fable originally written by Apion, an Egyptian living in Rome around 40 A.D., in which Androcles, a runaway slave, befriends a wounded lion.

Pfister, Marcus. Rainbow Fish . New York: North-South Books, 1992. The most beautiful fish in the entire ocean discovers the real value of personal beauty and friendship.

San Souci, Robert D. The Talking Eggs. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 1989. A Southern folktale in which kind Blanch aids an old woman and gains riches, while her greedy sister makes fun of the old woman and is duly rewarded.

Seuss. Horton Hears Who! . New York: Random House, 1954. A city of Whos on a speck of dust are threatened with destruction until the smallest Who of all helps convince Horton's friends that Whos really exist.

Seuss. Horton Hatches the Egg . New York: Random House, 1940. When a lazy bird hatching an egg wants a vacation, she asks Horton, the elephant, to sit on her egg--which he does through all sorts of hazards until he is rewarded for doing what he said he would.

Spinelli, Eileen. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch . New York: Bradbury Press, 1991. An anonymous valentine changes the life of the unsociable Mr. Hatch, turning him into a laughing friend who helps and appreciates all his neighbors.

Stewart, Sarah. The Library . New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1995. Elizabeth Brown loves to read more than anything else, but when her collection of books grows and grows, she must make a change in her life.

Stroud, Bettye. Down Home at Miss Dessa's . New York: Lee & Low Books, 1996. In the South of the 1940s, two young African-American sisters spend the day caring for an elderly neighbor.

Thomas, Shelley Moore. Somewhere Today . Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman, 1998. Gives examples of ways in which people bring about peace by doing things to help and care for one another and their world.

Warren, Cathy. Saturday Belongs to Sara . New York: Bradbury Press, 1988. Sara and her mother set aside Saturday as a special day to spend time together doing the things they enjoy most, but then Sara discovers that they must share their day with someone else.

Wilde, Oscar. The Selfish Giant . Natick, MA: Picture Book Studio USA, 1984. A once selfish giant welcomes the children to his previously forbidden garden to play and is eventually rewarded by an unusual tiny child.

Williams, Vera B. Music, Music for Everyone . New York: Greenwillow Books, 1984. Rosa plays her accordion with her friends in the Oak Street Band and earns money to help her mother with expenses while her grandmother is sick.

Yep, Laurence. The Junior Thunder Lord . Mahwah, N.J: BridgeWater Books, 1994. Yue, a Chinese merchant, discovers the wisdom in passing along kindness, when Bear Face, the huge hairy man Yue has befriended, saves his life.

Yolen, Jane. Raising Yoder's Barn . 1st ed. Boston: Little, Brown, 1998. Eight-year-old Matthew tells what happens when fire destroys the barn on his family's farm and all the Amish neighbors come to rebuild it in one day.

Zolotow, Charlotte. I Know a Lady . New York: Greenwillow, 1984. Sally describes a loving and lovable old lady in her neighborhood who grows flowers, waves to children when they pass her house, and bakes cookies for them at Christmas.

CHAPTER BOOKS

Bains, Rae. Gandi: The Peaceful Warrior . Troll Associates, 1990. Biography of the Indian leader whose nonviolent passive acts of rebellion influenced other leaders all over the world.

Cosby, Bill. Money Troubles . New York: Scholastic, 1998. While trying to raise enough money for a telescope, Little Bill makes a discovery about generosity and the needs of others.

Fleischman, Paul. Seedfolks . New York: HarperCollins, 1997. One by one, a number of people of varying ages and backgrounds transform a trash-filled inner city lot into a productive and beautiful garden, and in doing so the gardeners are themselves transformed.

Hurwitz, Johanna. Aldo Ice Cream . New York: Morrow, 1981. Nine-year-old Aldo discovers the pleasures of doing volunteer work to help the older citizens of the community and the satisfactions of earning his first money on his own for unselfish reasons.

Koertge, Ron. The Heart of the City . New York: Orchard Books, 1998. After she and her parents move to an ethnically mixed inner city neighborhood, ten-year-old Joy and her new friend Neesha decide to do something to keep drug dealers off their block.

TEENS

Barron, T. A. The Ancient One . New York: Philomel, 1992. While helping her Great Aunt Melanie try to protect an Oregon redwood forest from loggers, thirteen-year-old Kate goes back five centuries through a time tunnel and faces the evil creature Gashra, who is bent on destroying the same forest.

Bauer, Joan. Hope was Here . New York: Putnam, 2000. When sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who has raised her move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner, they become involved with the diner owner's political campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor.

Brooks, Martha. Being with Henry . New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2000. A young homeless man develops a friendship with an older widower, from which they both benefit.

Canfield, Jack, Mark Victor Hansen, and Kimberly Kirberger. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Florida: Health Communications, 1997. Inspirational stories about humanity are told in this volume. Famous celebrities also tell tales of kindness and giving.

Hyde, Catherine Ryan. Pay it Forward: A Novel . New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999. When a young man starts "paying it forward" for a social studies project, unusual things happen in this bittersweet and uplifting tale.

Koja, Kathe. Straydog . New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002. Rachel, a teenager with a healthy dose of both aptitude and attitude, begins to feel at home volunteering at an animal shelter.

NONFICTION

Digeronimo, Theresa. A Student's Guide to Volunteering. Career Press, 1995. Guide for young people to help them to begin to work in the areas of service.

Rogers, Fred. The Giving Box: Create a Tradition of Giving with your Children . Philadelphia: Running Press, 2000. A book and actual box set, to help children begin to save money for good causes. The accompanying book teaches children lessons in generosity through heartwarming fictional stories set in countries around the world. For parents, Rogers offers wise suggestions and practical guidelines to help teach children the moral lesson of compassion for others, and the value of charitable donation.

Graham, Christine. Where the Heart Is: An Allegory of Philanthropy . Shaftsbury, VT. 2001. Inspired by the Vermont Youth Orchestra, this story is about a small town and its inhabitants following their passion for music and learning about raising money and community service. Available through Christine Graham directly by visiting her website at www.cpgfundraising.com .

Carter, Rosalynn. Kids Random Acts of Kindness . Berkeley, Calif: Conari Press, 1994. In their own words and handwriting, children record the little things they do to make the world a better place.

Lewis, Barbara. The Kid's Guide to Social Action: How to Solve the Social Problems you Choose - and Turn Creative Thinking into Positive Action . Minneapolis: Free Spirit Pub. 1998. Resource guide for children for learning political action skills that can help them make a difference in solving social problems at the community, state, and national levels.

Meltzer, Milton. Who Cares? Millions Do - a Book about Altruism . New York: Walker, 1994. A book dedicated to the everyday heroes, many of whom are young, who give their time and energy to help others in need.

Salzman, Marian and Teresa Reisgies. 150 Ways Teens Can Make a Difference . Princeton, NJ: Peterson's Guides, 1991. Teenagers discuss the rewarding and sometimes frustrating experiences of being a volunteer, including their commitment and accomplishments, parental support, and how they incorporate volunteer activities into their busy high school schedules.

Janet Wakefield. What If Everybody Gave? . Indianapolis, IN: 2002. Two children and their "giving and serving" pig explore what would happen if every child gave a nickel, a dollar, or five dollars to help solve society's problems.

Community Partnership for Youth. The Word for Me Is Philanthropy . Franklin, IN: 2002.
A curriculum used to introduce the practice of giving, sharing and serving to youth, ages 7 to 11 years. The 180-page curriculum incorporates poetry, songs, group projects, games and service projects into 24 lessons. Available through the website at www.cpyinc.org.

With grateful acknowledgement to book lists compiled by Brianne Williams, Youth Librarian, Multnomah County Library, Portland Oregon; Michigan's Learning to Give, A Family Foundation Guidebook for Raising Kids Who Give , Share and Care; Strength in Sharing, Philanthropy in Girl Scouting , and Giving New England.

A special thanks to Deborah Schachter
Senior Program Officer
New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Concord, NH