Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre

Inspiring & Promoting Excellence in Child Care & Early Learning

Register

Resource List: Safe Spaces Children's Books

The following are selected picture books which support Safe Spaces training and practices available at the Westcoast Early Learning Library The picture books were purchased with a grant from CKNW Orphans’ Fund in the spring of 2015. Each book was selected based on how well it supports the goals of the Safe Spaces program (Bullying Prevention Education For Young Children).

These titles are also a natural fit with the rest of our curriculum collection which features resources supporting anti-bias education, multiculturalism and diversity. Early Childhood Educators and others who support parents and children in their work are welcome to borrow from our special collection—we look forward to meeting you at the WELL.

  • Cool Down and Work Through Anger
    By: Cheri J. Meiners
    This book is designed to help children understand angry feelings and gives suggestions for coping with angry feelings.
  • Glad Monster, Sad Monster: A Book About Feelings
    By: Ed Emberley & Anne Miranda
    This book shows monsters experiencing various emotions and gives examples of the things that make them feel that way. Each emotion is represented as a mask which can be detached, used, and then stored in a pocket at the back of the book.
  • The Great Big Book Of Feelings
    By: Mary Hoffman
    This book explores all kinds of feelings from joy to curiosity to jealousy and anger. It includes clear examples of various emotions and ideas for how to show feelings, or to make oneself feel better when overcome with a particular feeling.
  • Lots Of Feelings
    By: Shelley Rotner
    A photographic concept book that emphasizes the feelings that people have in common.
  • Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make My Day
    By: Jamie Lee Curtis
    A child's emotions run from silliness to anger to excitement, colouring and changing each of her days.
  • When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry…
    By: Molly Bang
    Lots of people get angry and they cope with their anger if different ways. Sophie runs out and climbs her favourite tree to calm herself.
  • The Way I Feel [board book]
    By: Janan Cain
    Feelings come and go and are sometimes unexpected. Silly or angry, happy or sad--they're all part of who we are.
  • Being Fair
    By: Cassie Mayer
    This book gives a definition of fair behaviour and examples of how to act fairly. It presents everyday situations that are fair or unfair with simple text and illustrations, and provides an opportunity to discuss these concepts.
  • Class Meetings: Young Children Solving Problems Together
    By Emily Vance
    This book provides guidance on how to plan and carry out class meetings with children. Class meetings can give children the confidence to speak up and the respect for others that leads to cooperation and peaceful problem solving.
  • Don't Squeal Unless It's A Big Deal : A Tale Of Tattletales
    By Jeanie Franz Ransom.
    A classroom full of piggies learns the difference between tattling and reporting a serious problem.
  • It’s Not Fair
    By Amy Krouse Rosenthal.
    Life doesn't always go as we’d like and this book shows that everyone, including pigs, planets and square pegs sometimes think that life's not fair.
  • Not Fair, Won’t Share
    By Sue Graves.
    On Monday morning Miss Clover unveils the new Space Station in the classroom! Miss Clover tells the children they must share and take turns but sharing proves very difficult and hurt feelings and anger soon follow. Will the children be able to calm down and work it out?
  • Talk And Work It Out
    By Cheri J. Meiners.
    A young child talks about the process of peaceful conflict resolution in clear, simple words with supporting illustrations.
  • Accept and Value Each Person
    By: Cheri J. Meiners
    With simple text and illustrations, this book introduces diversity and related concepts: respecting differences, finding similarities, being inclusive, and appreciating people the way they are.
  • Being With You This Way
    By: W. Nikola-Lisa
    Beautiful illustrations accompany this delightful playground chant about human diversity. As they play, the happy crew of children depicted in this book discover that despite obvious physical differences – straight or curly hair, brown eyes or blue eyes, light skin or dark skin - we are all really the same.
  • Cleversticks
    By: Bernard Ashley.
    Ling Sung feels he can’t do the things some of the other children in his daycare can do. He decides he does not like daycare until he discovers that he can do something extra special which no-one else can do.
  • It's Okay To Be Different
    By Todd Parr.
    This book aims to enhance self-esteem and self-confidence and advises us to embrace our individuality and accept others as they are.
  • The Name Jar
    By Yangsook Choi.
    When Unhei moves from Korea to the US her classmates have difficulty pronouncing her name. Will Unhei decide to choose a new name?
  • From Far Away
    By Robert Munsch.

    This book is based on a series of letters received from Saoussan Askar who was born in Beirut, Lebanon and immigrated to Canada when she was 7 years old. The story was co-written by Ms. Askar and Robert Munsch and details her challenges as a newcomer in a strange and sometimes scary place.
  • The Skin You Live In
    By Michael Tyler.
    It's great to be YOU in your wonderful skin, no matter which hue, you are still you. You’re the feelings that start from deep in your heart and you’re more than you seem, all your hopes and your dreams.
  • We All Have Different Abilities
    By Melissa Higgins.
    Photos and basic text explore the diversity of cultures, appearances, abilities, and family compositions across our community.


  • How To Be A Friend: A Guide To Making Friends And Keeping Them
    By Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown.
    There are many ways to show you want to be a friend. This book provides advice on the following: how to choose friends, how to show someone you'd like to be their friend, how to handle bosses and bullies, the best ways to be a friend and ways NOT to be a friend, and ways to settle an argument with a friend.
  • How To Lose All Your Friends
    By Nancy Carlson.
    A humorous offer of advice on the kinds of things to do if you don't want to have any friends.
  • Every Buddy Counts
    By Stuart J. Murphy.
    A sleepy child cheers herself up by counting her buddies.
  • You Are Friendly
    By Todd Snow.
    This book describes ways to be friendly such as sharing, being gentle, and asking others to join in the play.
  • Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
    By Mem Fox.
    Wilfrid is a small boy who has a big name - and that's why he likes Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper, because she has a long name too. When Wilfrid finds that Miss Nancy has lost her memory he determines to discover what memories are so he can return it to her. A warm and delightful book about inter-generational friendship.
  • Ballerinas Don’t Wear Glasses
    By Ainslie Manson and Dean Griffiths
    Ben shows great maturity and love for his little sister when he helps her deal with her anxiety about her pigtails and glasses and figures out how to make her very large costume fit.
  • Have You Filled A Bucket Today? A Guide To Daily Happiness For Kids
    By Carol McCloud.
    This book attempts to show children how very easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation and love on a daily basis.
  • How Full Is Your Bucket? For kids
    By Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer.
    In this story, filling one’s bucket is a metaphor for encouraging kind and considerate behaviour and for teaching the benefits of positive relationships. Felix notices that every interaction he has with others either fills or empties his bucket, and that everything he does and says fills or empties the buckets of those around him.
  • The Compassionate Classroom: Relationship Based Teaching And Learning
    By Sura Hart and Victoria Kindle Hodson.

    A practical guide for creating emotionally safe learning environments.
  • The Little Bit Scary People
    By Emily Jenkins.
    A girl describes how sometimes people seem a little bit scary but suggests that when you know them a little better -- how they treat their pets, that they love to sing, etc.-- they are very much like you and those you love.
  • Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed
    By Emily Pearson.
    Ordinary Mary was so very ordinary you’d never guess she could change the world, but her caring act sets off a chain reaction of kindness that multiplies around the world.


  • Hey, Little Ant
    By Phillip Hoose and Hannah Hoose.
    What would you do if the ant you were about to step on looked up and started talking? Would you stop and listen? What if your friends saw you hesitate? That’s what happens in this funny, thought-provoking book. Originally a song by a father-daughter team, this conversation between two creatures, large and small, is bound to inspire important discussions.
  • The Little Red Hen Makes A Pizza
    By Philemon Sturges.
    A retelling of the classic tale wherein an industrious hen makes food with no help from her lazy friends.
  • Seen & Heard: Children’s Rights In Early Childhood Education By Ellen Lynn Hall and Jennifer Kofkin Rudkin.
    Using examples from a Reggio inspired school for children from 6 weeks to 6 years, the authors emphasize the importance of children’s rights and our responsibility as adults to hear their voices.
  • Socially Strong, Emotionally Secure: 50 Activities To Promote Resilience In Young Children
    By Nefertiti Bruce and Karen B. Cairone.
    This book is a guide to promoting emotional resilience through supportive, caring practices, home and school partnerships, experiences, routines, play, and through the learning environment.
  • The Way I Act
    By Steve Metzger.
    The child in this story declares, “Dancing-prancing-runningjumping-spinning like a top. When I’m active I feel great and never want to stop.” This book is an exploration of what it may be like to behave in certain ways. The bold illustrations and verses convey many positive ideas of how to act in a variety of situations.
  • What Does It Mean To Be Present?
    By Rana DiOrio.
    This refreshing, vibrant picture book engages all of the senses to demonstrate the myriad ways a child can seize the moment. The story sparks meaningful discussions about the important gift of appreciation, and advises children and adults alike to live more fully and richly.
  • Who Took The Cookie From The Cookie Jar?
    By Bonnie Lass & Philemon Sturges.
    This adaption of the well-loved song features animals from the American southwest, including a skunk who asks the question, “Who took the cookies from the cookie jar?” Who left the trail of cookie crumbs to show the way?