100+ Character Building Books for Kids

There comes a time in parenting when you realize that sometimes it is easier to teach your child some valuable lessons through story telling than through other methods. Helping your child establish a character worthy of respect and honor can be challenging.  Here are 100+ character building books for kids to help!

Character Building Books for Kids

Honesty and Integrity

First up are 25 books about honesty, truth telling, and integrity. Some of these emphasize the importance of truth telling, while others illustrate the consequences of dishonesty.

Telling the Truth: A Book about Lying (Growing God’s Kids)Sam Tells StoriesThe Boy Who Cried WolfRuthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny LieDavid Gets In TroubleTiddlerLiar, Liar, Pants on FireThe Empty Pot (An Owlet Book)Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big (Storyopolis Books)The Berenstain Bears and the TruthThe Honest-to-Goodness TruthEli’s Lie-O-Meter: A Story about Telling the TruthMax and the Big Fat Lie: A Book About Telling the Truth (Building Christian Character)The Boy Who Cried NinjaHonesty Counts (Character Counts)Tell the Truth, B.B. WolfHarriet and the Garden (Nancy Carlson’s Neighborhood)The Big Lie (Katie Woo)On the Road to . . . Honesty!: But Why Should I Tell the Truth?!?Howard B. Wigglebottom and the Monkey on His Back: A Tale About Telling the TruthI Didn’t Do It!: A book about telling the truth (Our Emotions and Behavior)The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot!Being FrankLittle Rose’s Big Lie (Children’s Books with Good Values)Lying Up a Storm

Kindness, Empathy,and Compassion

The following 35 books teach about kindness, empathy, and compassion for others. From treating others with kindness to putting the needs of others before our own wants, these books illustrate what it means to treat others as we want to be treated.

The Berenstain Bears: Kindness Counts (Berenstain Bears/Living Lights)The Kindness Pledge: A Kindness Kids Adventure (Kindness Kids Adventures)Plant a Kiss Board BookGood People EverywhereIf You Plant a SeedPay It Forward: Young Readers EditionKindness Is Cooler, Mrs. RulerRandom Acts of KindnessThe Invisible BoyThe Giving TreeHey, Little AntFly Free!Because Amelia SmiledEnemy Pie (Reading Rainbow book)Fill a Bucket: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Young ChildrenI See Kindness EverywhereA Sick Day for Amos McGeeLittle BirdOrdinary Mary’s Extraordinary DeedA Home for BirdHow Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch (paperback)Stand in My Shoes: Kids Learning About EmpathyDo Unto Otters: A Book About MannersWe All Sing With the Same VoiceSouthThe Teddy BearThe Three Questions [Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy]How to Heal a Broken WingAngeloThe Lady in the BoxThe Hundred DressesLoserThe Can ManA Chair for My Mother 25th Anniversary Edition (Reading Rainbow Books)

Accepting Others (and Yourself)

It isn’t always easy for kids to accept (or celebrate) the differences in others or themselves. Here are 30 books that deal with diversity, friendship, and acceptance.

Giraffes Can’t DanceLooking after LouisCalvin Can’t Fly: The Story of a Bookworm BirdieThe Cow That Laid an EggFrederickFreckleface StrawberryRed: A Crayon’s StoryStellalunaThe Thunder Egg (Wisdom Tales)Exclamation MarkNot Your Typical DragonChrysanthemumElmer (Elmer Books)WonderCan I Play Too? (An Elephant and Piggie Book)The Brand New KidJanine.Stick and StoneJack and Jim: Picture BookThe Sandwich SwapI’m Like You, You’re Like Me: A Book About Understanding and Appreciating Each OtherWhoever You Are (Reading Rainbow Books)CloudetteLittle Sweet PotatoNo Hugs for PorcupineRot, the Cutest in the World!A Bad Case of Stripes (Scholastic Bookshelf)The Crayon Box that TalkedWoolburStand Tall, Molly Lou Melon

Responsibility and Accountability

The next 27 books teach lessons about being responsible and accountable for your own actions.  Responsibility is a hard lesson learned, and may require several revisits.

Do I Have To?: Kids Talk About ResponsibilityThe PaperboyI Just Forgot (A Little Critter Book)What If Everybody Did That?Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last SundayPigsty (Scholastic Bookshelf)The Way I ActStanley and the Class PetKid President’s Guide to Being AwesomeWhat If? (Talking with Trees) (Volume 3)But It’s Not My Fault! (Responsible Me!)It’s Not My Fault! (Nancy Carlson’s Neighborhood)Respect and Take Care of Things (Learning to Get Along®)If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do?I Just Want to Do It My Way! My Story about Staying on Task and Asking for HelpWhat Were You Thinking?: Learning to Control Your Impulses (Executive Function)The Berenstain Bears and the Blame GameBlame it on the Monsters!Planting My ValuesWilliam and the Guinea-pig (Thinkers)Responsibility (Learn about Values)Saving Shadow (Read-It! Readers: Character Education)My Choices Make Me Who I AmIf You Made a MillionArthur’s Pet Business (An Arthur Adventure)RulesIf I Never Forever Endeavor

Of course, peppering in your OWN stories of how you learned different character traits will make these stories even more impacting and memorable for your children.

This post is part of the iHomeschool Network collection of 100 Things posts, coming Monday 11/6/17.  Be sure to check them all out! Just click on the image below!