10 Diverse Picture Books About Gratitude & Giving

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In our family, we don’t talk enough about being grateful for what we have and being generous towards others. It seems to come up more during birthdays and holidays when the kids are inundated with toy advertisements. Discussions about gratitude and giving shouldn’t be regulated to just the holiday season.

The terms gratitude and giving get tossed around fairly often this time of the year, but the concepts may be too abstract for young kids. Reading books together is a great way to jumpstart a chat.

Believe it or not, I had a tough time coming up with this list of diverse picture books about gratitude. If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments so others can see them!

Diverse Picture Books About Gratitude & Giving

The Circle of Thanks by Joseph Bruhac offers fourteen poems based on traditional Native American songs and prayers. Bruhac is an Abenaki storyteller, poet, and author who has dedicated his life’s work on sharing stories about Native Americans.

Feeling Thankful by Shelly Rotner is perfect for preschoolers. Short, direct sentences paired with animated photos help young readers understand gratitude.

Gracias ~ Thanks (English and Spanish Edition) by Pat Mora: This bilingual picture book features a biracial (Caucasian and Mexican) boy and the everyday things for which he is thankful.

Stone Soup by Jon Muth: This classic tale retold by Muth (and his gorgeous illustrations) is set in China, where strangers trick a suspicious village into sharing their food. They learn to become a community again through trust and generosity.

The Can Man by Laura E. Williams is layered with themes of homelessness, prejudices, stereotypes, and generosity. A multiracial boy wants a skateboard for his birthday, but his family cannot afford it. To earn the money, he decides to collect empty soft drink cans, like the Can Man, but soon realizes how his actions affect the Can Man.

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts: Jeremey wants a pair of shoes just like all his friends are wearing, but all he gets are a pair from the thrift shop. A relatable look at “want” and “need.”

A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams: After a house fire that destroys everything, Rosa learns the importance of saving and giving to others.

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena: CJ does’t understand why his family doesn’t have a car or iPod. He peppers his grandma with questions during their Sunday bus ride across town as she encourages him to see the beauty in what they already own and the world around them.

Tashi and the Tibetan Flower Cure by Naomi Rose: Tashi is worried about her sick grandfather. Inspired by her grandfather’s Tibetan stories, she recruits neighbors and friends to gather flowers to help him recover.

Thanks a Million by Nikki Grimes contains sixteen poems that remind us the powerful of a “thank you” and how feeling thankful lifts us.

5 Comments

Karin Fisher-Golton October 28, 2015

I love your list–quite a varied set of approaches to the topic and several new to me, which I’m really glad to know about. Thank you!

I want to let you know about my own book, My Amazing Day: A Celebration of Wonder and Gratitude–a board book for ages 0-3, illustrated with photos of a dynamic biracial little girl.

I agree, that gratitude is an abstract topic for that age group. My collaborators and I felt that gratitude draws from that sense of wonder that comes so naturally to young children, and that people of all ages form habits through daily rituals. The book begins with simple sentences about the wonders in everyday life from a toddler’s point of view, and ends with a bedtime routine of thanking each of those things, culminating in thanking the one constant through the child’s whole day–herself.

Happy season of gratitude!
Carol Gordon Ekster October 28, 2015

I’d love to see my book, BEFORE I SLEEP: I SAY THANK YOU, Pauline Books and Media, 2015, added to the list.
It’s a sweet bedtime story encouraging a nightly routine of gratitude. Here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbf_KXG73HY
It is being grateful that makes you happy! Gratitude is powerful. Thanks for this wonderful list.
The Children's Writer's Guild October 28, 2015

Wonderful collection! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Priscilla November 13, 2015

I think “Sam and the Lucky Money”, also qualifies as a book about gratitude and giving. It is one of my favorite books about Lunar New Year.
http://www.amazon.com/Sam-Lucky-Money-Karen-Chinn/dp/1880000539/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1447437366&sr=1-1&keywords=sam+and+the+lucky+money
Beth @ Pages and Margins April 20, 2016

What a wonderful list! If you’re interested, we’d love for you to link up this post (or another featuring diverse kid lit) to the Diverse Children’s Books Link-up! You can find it at http://pagesandmargins.wordpress.com/2016/04/16/diverse-childrens-books-link-up/. Thanks!