Great Picture Books for Jealousy

We have not yet had real problems with jealousy.  Perhaps it is because we read many of these books before our youngest's arrival. Big brother has always been a very welcoming and kind sibling.   

But we do deal with jealousy on birthdays - this year in particular.  Greysen recently celebrated his fifth birthday at a party with all of his friends.  We decided long ago that we would only do family birthdays until the fifth birthday.  However, Camden is about to turn three and is now expecting that she will get the same kind of party.  So we are doing our best to help her understand.  Of course, the usual birthday jealousy comes from one child being jealous of the attention and gifts.  Some of these books are great for kids to learn to be respectful that this is someone else's special day. 

A Birthday For Frances by  Russell Hoban, 

illustrated by Lillian Hoban
For the oh-so-common sibling birthday jealousy.

When I Feel Jealous (Way I Feel Books) by Cornelia Maude Spelman, illustrated by Kathy Parkinson.  This particular book does an excellent job describing a number of different ways that children can feel jealous.  For young children who have trouble finding words to express their feelings this is a great book to teach them.

The Berenstain Bears and the Green-eyed Monster by  Stan and Jan Berenstain

Sister is jealous of Brother's new bike.  Also made into a nice short film.

Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories by Dr. Seuss

All three stories are great tales of humility.  They help to show that jealousy is never good.

A To Z Do You Ever Feel Like Me? : a guessing ALPHABET by Bonnie Hausman, photography by Sandi Fellman.  A great book on many levels - discussing 26 different feelings, the alphabet and seek and find in the border pictures.  This book could have been so much better, some pages rhyme while others do not.  An odd inconsistency in an otherwise enjoyable read. 

Sometimes I Feel Awful by Joan Singleton Prestine

A young girl has a day full of different moods. Although she starts out happy, she begins to feel different throughout the day. She does not want to share with her friend and gets upset when he plays with her toys. She learns what she should have said to make her family and friends understand.

Books that are great for new sibling jealousy: 

Little Monster Did It! by Helen Cooper 

Beautifully illustrated story about Amy, who is not so sure if she likes the new baby.  When odd things happen she blames her toy.

Grumpy Gloria by Anna Dewdney
Gloria has to share attention with her owner's new doll and this makes her grumpy.  The children try to cheer Gloria up (also a wonderful lesson for kids) in this silly story.

Marshmallow by Clare Turlay Newberry
An old classic (Caldecott winner 1943), this is a good one for kids to learn about sharing attention with a new sibling.  The story is about a cat and a rabbit, but the lesson is perfect for children to understand the concept of dealing with jealousy.

Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
Nora makes a lot of noise because she feels neglected.  Her attempts for attention are told very simply and are wonderful for even the smallest of children.

Buzz Bumble To The Rescue by Lynn E Hazen, illustrated by Jill Newton

Fun illustrations with a bit of humor only adults will pick up on, but still a good book for new sibling jealousy.

Howler by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Neal Layton. This story is reminiscent of Lady and the Tramp.  An entertaining look at a dog's view of a new baby in the house.

We love new books at our house - if you love any literature on this topic that didn't make my list, please do share!

Great Picture Books for Cooperation

Cooperation is tantamount to the success of any human being.  Children can use this skill with parents, siblings, friends, aquaintances, etc.  

We have trouble at our house, as most surely do, with siblings sharing.  When reminded that if they cooperate and play nicely together, then everyone has more fun.  It really does work, but it helps to keep a book highlighting cooperation in the mix.  As always, take full advantage of your library.  Most of the books mentioned here we do not own.  I love the variety of stories and ideas that we can share with our kids because of the vast collection available to us through the library.

Greysen, my 5 year old book-lover, recently had a gift certificate for Barnes and Noble that "needed" spending.  We happened upon this first book.  Sitting in the store, we read a whole stack of books and this is the one that Greysen chose to take home.  

Red and Yellow's Noisy Night 
by Josh Selig

The illustrations are lovely and the simple story tells of olive tree inhabitants, Red and Yellow, who must work together to have a peaceful night.  The story is actually based on "The Olive Branch," an animated television series that promotes an understanding of conflict resolution and mutual respect.  More information is available through The Little Light Foundation.  Their website includes a wordless video of Red and Yellow's story:  http://www.littlelightfoundation.org/    I look forward to what the foundation may do next.

My Friend Rabbit 
by Eric Rohmann
Rabbit always seems to get into trouble, but he fortunately has some great friends that with some cooperation can solve any problem. This Caldecott Award winner really captures children's attention.  They want everything to turn out well and root for everyone working together.

The Little Red Pen 
by Susan Stevens Crummel and Janet Stevens 
This is a fantastic take on the classic story The Little Red Hen.  The illustrations are fun and oh do the kids enjoy seeing the inanimate objects come to life.  The little red pen's friends do not want to help her.  "Not I!"  This story goes further than most Little Red Hen adaptations, in that the conflict is resolved through the cooperation of the friends.

The Tale of Pip and Squeak 
by Kate Duke
A tale of sibling discord, but when they have a common goal they learn to work together or cooperate.  The illustrations are quite detailed and the overall message is a great one for bickering siblings or friends.  

Cooperation books continued: 

Swimmy 
by Leo Lionni

Duck and Goose 
by Tad Hills

A Little Story About a Big Turnip 
by Tatiana Zunshine

Whale is Stuck/Whale Gets Stuck 
by Karen Hayles, illustrated by Charles Fuge
[It appears that this book had a recent reprint under a new title, but both are the same book.]

Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen 
by Howard Binkow

This book also has a great accompanying website (http://wedolisten.org/) where you can watch/read many Wigglebottom stories and access other related activities. 


We love new books at our house - if you love any other literature on this topic, please share!