Check out this list of favorite books for Black History Month (and anytime!) from Reading Rockets. Some describe different histories while others show the joys and challenges that are shared by all children as they learn and grow.
100 Books About Life's Lessons
There are lots of times in life where your child might need a helping hand in order to understand what's going on. From the first day of school to the "monster" under the bed, these books were written to inform children on how to deal with everything life throws at them.
infants & toddlers (0 - 2 years)
A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
Germs Are Not for Sharing by Elizabeth Verdick
Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper
I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont
Let's Be Thankful by P. K. Hallinan
South by Patrick McDonnell
Thank You and Good Night by Patrick McDonnell
The Selfish Crocodile by Faustin Charles and Michael Terry
The Very Clumsy Click Beetle by Eric Carle
preschool (3 - 4 years)
A Kiss Goodbye by Audrey Penn
A Letter to Amy by Ezra Jack Keats
An Awesome Book of Thanks! by Dallas Clayton
Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? by Martin Waddell
Clifford's First School Day by Norman Bridwell
David Goes to School by David Shannon
Elmer by David McKee
Flight School by Lita Judge
Fred Stays with Me by Nancy Coffelt
Froggy Goes to School by Jonathon London
Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
Hey, Little Ant by Phillip M. Hoose, Hannah Hoosie, and Debbie Tilley
It's Mine! by Leo Lionni
It's Time for School, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback
Little Boy by Alison McGhee
Little Rabbit Goes to School by Harry Horse
Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
Old Dog Baby Baby by Julie Fogliano
Owen by Kevin Henkes
Pezzettino by Leo Lionni
Raccoon on His Own by Jim Arnosky
Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall
Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie by Laura Rankin
School's First Day of School by Adam Rex and Christian Robinson
Stone Soup by Marcia Brown
Ten Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Annie Kubler
The Flower Man by Mark Ludy
The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
The Mine-O-Saur by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and David H. Clark
The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing
The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills
The Stray Dog by Marc Simont
The Super Hungry Dinosaur by Martin Waddell
The Thankful Book by Todd Parr
The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
Timothy Goes to School by Rosemary Wells
Widget by Lyn Rossiter McFarland
early school (5 - 6 years)
A Big Guy Took My Ball! by Mo Willems
A Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken
Agate: What Good Is a Moose? by Joy Morgan Dey
Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg
Boomer's Big Day by Constance W. McGeorge
Brave Irene by William Steig
Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
Bully by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss
Dream Big: Michael Jordan and the Pursuit of Excellence by Deloris Jordan
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles
Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big by Berkeley Breathed
Frederick by Leo Lionni
I Can Be Safe: A First Look at Safety by Pat Thomas
I Will Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
It Could Always Be Worse: A Yiddish Folk Tale by Margot Zedach
Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
Meet the Barkers: Morgan and Moffat Go To School by Tomie dePaola
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready For Kindergarten by Joseph Slate
My Teacher Sleeps in School by Leatie Weiss
Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett
Pancakes For Breakfast by Tomie DePaola
Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell
Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev
Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room by Stan & Jan Berenstain
The Berenstain Bears and the Truth by Stan & Jan Berenstain
The Berenstain Bears: Kindness Counts by Jan & Mike Berenstain
The Boy and the Airplane by Mark Pett
The Dark by Lemony Snicket
The Empty Pot by Demi
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Good-Pie Party by Liz Garton Scanlon
The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers
The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss
The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
There's an Alligator under My Bed by Mercer Mayer
What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick
What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
Wilma Unlimited by Kathleen Krull
You Are Special by Max Lucado
Want to read more? Check out our next category of 100 books all about appreciating the outdoors. And make sure to share your journey to 1,000 on social media and tag us! #1000Books
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