10 Story Books That Teach Children The Importance Of Sharing

Guardians who are ordained to inculcate a strong foundation of life’s principles in children can vouch for the importance of sharing. To share is to care. In line with this adage, it is the duty of the parents and educators in particular to harp on the virtue of sharing which manifests in the form of care and compassion. Such books when included in the library of kindergartens will help kids to learn the art of sharing as part of their socializing skills. Helping guardians to reiterate the ways in which children can share and benefit from the noble act of sharing, here are some intriguing storybooks that can be read out to them.

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1. Gossie and Friends

Oliver Dunrea came up with an adorable board book for kids that is worth every cent. Kids between the ages of 2 and 4 will fall in love with the illustrative narration of this storybook which mirrors the friendship and sharing acts between Gossie, a cute and courageous yellow gosling and Gertie, another gosling of her type. Starting from young toddlers and preschoolers, this storybook can become a perfect learning tool for parents to inculcate the virtue of sharing from a tender age.

So fond of her bright red boots that Gossie wants to be dressed in them at all times. One day she wakes up to find her pair of red boots missing. Heartbroken, she frantically searches for her boots to ultimately find them on the feet of Gertie; her best friend. Gossie, through her kindness teaches kids the importance of sharing. She epitomizes care and love through her intention to share her boots with Gertie.

2. You Are Not My Friend, But I Miss You

Authored by Daniel Kirk, ‘You Are Not My Friend, But I Miss You’ is a picture story book that just right for kids between 2 and 5 years speaks of friendship leading to the virtue of sharing. This is a cute story between a plush toy dog and a sock monkey. Although being friends, a small tussle dampens their playtime when the dog snatches the ball of the monkey and runs away with it. Enraged by this act, the monkey decides to break his friendly ties with the dog, announcing that he would never ever play with him. Their separation becomes an eye opener to the monkey when he begins to miss his partner during play.

No doubt, the monkey has his favorite ball to play, but not a good friend to give him company. Additionally, the story conveys the moral that the monkey failed to become a good friend. Supported by humorous illustrations, this story between two friends conveys the importance of sharing and subtle acts of friendliness that should be practiced by kids so that they grow up into friendly and adorable citizens.

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3. Jonathan and Martha

A yet another illustrative storybook that teaches young kids the noble act of sharing is titled ‘Jonathan and Martha’. Petr Horácek is the Czech-British author of this children’s storybook which attracts the attention of kids between the ages of 2 and 5. A first look at the hardcover of the storybook will help you guess the storyline.

As the title goes, this story revolves around Jonathan and Martha, two lonely worms that share the same home; a huge tree. One fine morning, both the worms will be thrilled to see a huge and juicy pear that falls on the ground, between them. Both the worms eager to have their share of the fruit start to relish it. While Jonathan starts nibbling from the left of the fruit, Martha starts enjoying from the right side. Eating and relishing the pear, they get close to each other and get into a tussle. Mirroring captivating illustrations, this picture storybook speaks volumes of the essence of friendship along with the pleasure that sharing brings to kids.

4. Llama Llama Time To Share

Anna Dewdney is the writer of this children’s storybook that is meant for kids aged between 2 and 5. Llama Llama is excited about his new neighbors, Nelly Gnu and her mama. Both of them plan a play date with Llama which gets Llama thinking whether he should share all his toys during playtime. Llama wonders if he can just let Nelly play with his blocks and keep the rest of his toys to himself. Nelly and Llama plan to build a castle.

On the flipside, Nelly attracts the attention of Llama with a cute little Llama called Fuzzy Llama. Playtime brings tears when Fuzzy Llama is ripped apart into two by Nelly Gnu. It is then that mama steps in to make peace between the two friends. She proclaims that it is time the two friends learnt to share. She not only fixes the Fuzzy but also keeps it on the stairs for both of them to play with it only after they make up their minds to share the toy between themselves.

5. Should I Share My Ice Cream?

All those kids between the ages of 2 and 6 will be excited to listen to the cute story of Gerald, the cute elephant and his best friend Piggie. Authored by Mo Willems, the story revolves around these two friends with a lip-smacking ice-cream as a treat for them.

Contrasting the mindsets of both the friends, Gerald is pictured as a friend who weaves a web of thoughts in his mind whether or not to share the cone ice-cream with Piggie. By the time, he decides to do so, the entire ice-cream melts creating a puddle under his feet. Just then Piggie enters the scene with her cone and without even giving a second thought, shares it with Gerald. Epitomizing the pleasure in sharing, this story can enlighten not only kids but also elders who think hard before they can share what they have with others.

6. The Bear Who Shared

If you are looking to excite young listeners through captivating illustrations of stories with a moral, then the Bear Who Shared can become your top bet. Authored by Catherine Rayner, this is an adorable storybook focusing on the virtues of sharing and patience.

The story revolves around three characters, namely: Norris the bear, Tulip the raccoon and Violet the mouse. All these three would be waiting patiently to relish the last ripe fruit that drops from the tree. While Violet and Tulip hug the fruit, it is Norris that catches the fruit when it drops off the tree. Kudos to the wise bear as it shares the fruit with the remaining two characters and makes them his best friends. Meant for kids between 3 and 6 years, this story sheds light on important traits like sharing, kindness, patience and wisdom that help us stand apart in a crowd.

7. How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends?

Planning to get a novel birthday gift to your kid who finds dinosaurs intriguing? Then you can bank on this cute story series titled ‘How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?’ Jane Yolen; the most acclaimed children’s storybook author teams up with Mark Teague to unveil this bestselling series of narratives that are full of humor. Tagged as a fun-filled guide to play nicely with others, this pictorial storybook is a nice-to-read-and-emulate collection of stories revolving around friendship. A ‘must read’ book for kids between the ages of 3 and 6.

It is a normal phenomenon for parents to inculcate a sense of playing nicely with others. Seen as a part of building good habits in children, this dinosaur board book sets up an imaginary scene when you begin to visualize a situation when dinosaurs become your friends and join you during playtime. If a dinosaur becomes your buddy, you will be prompted to answer the following questions:

Does your friendly dinosaur crib if he is not allowed to go his way?

Does your buddy hide all his dump trucks from you and not share them with you?

Does he/she make your coloring books fly up in the air?

Answers to these three questions will prompt young kids to understand the significance of playing nicely with friends alongside highlighting the need to share your things amidst friends. Offering a perfect blend of instruction and humor, this is a cute narrative that makes reading fun and beneficial.

8. Rabbit’s Gift

While George Shannon presented the story line of this book titled Rabbit’s Gift, Laura Dronzek is the benefactor of captivating illustrations. Picked up from one of China’s ancient folktale collections, Rabbit’s Gift is a perfect reading entertainment and learning for kids between the ages of 3 and 6.

With snow fast approaching, a rabbit wants to hoard food so that it can survive during harsh winters. Just then, it notices a turnip and sometime later another one to its utmost surprise. The extra turnip does not make the generous rabbit fill with greed. On the contrary, the rabbit treads the road less travelled. Picking up a completely different path, the rabbit spreads the idea of sharing, by leaving the turnip at the door of a donkey. The donkey which is already prepared for the winters continues the sharing chain until the turnip reaches the rabbit. Along with graphical representations of the beautiful winter season, this storybook harps on the positive traits of generosity and sharing amongst kids. To top it all, you will be enamored by the Chinese calligraphy that lends an artistic touch to the ancient narrations reiterating the importance of sharing and caring. The turnip is indeed the rabbit’s gift to all the forest friends.

9. One Big Pair of Underwear

All thanks to Laura Gehl who is the author of this lovable storybook and Tom Lichtenheld, the bestselling illustrator that they have come up with a hilarious account of numbers teamed with sharing. Kids above the age of 5 can find this storybook interesting and imitable.

You need to count and share. To count you need to keep track of two bears, four goats, three yaks and six cats. Now comes the twist to the tale. All these characters mentioned above have one thing in common. Can you guess what that is? They all hate to share. So how do these characters learn to share? A pack of twenty pigs now enter the scene with a willingness to share. Upon their arrival all the self-centered characters look up to the pigs to finally start sharing and experience double the fun. It is through this storybook that you can excite the memory of your kids while also teaching them the nobility of sharing.

10. It’s Mine!

“It’s Mine!” – This is a phrase that is so commonly heard amongst self-centered people. Featuring three selfish frogs as the main characters of the story, Leo Lionni came up with this intriguing storybook that is a perfect reading and learning material for kids between 3 and 6 years.

The story goes like this: The three frogs though sharing the same island in the middle of a Rainbow Pond constant fighting over everything and anything that they see. And what do they utter in unison? It’s mine! It’s mine! These quarrels become their daily norm until bad weather strikes the island. An unpredictable storm hits the island introducing them to an angel that comes in the form of a big, brown toad. With the entry of the toad into their lives, the three selfish frogs realize that sharing can indeed be a lot more fun.

Closing Thoughts

All in an attempt to teach kids the virtue of sharing from an early age, you as a guardian can bank on these illustrative and educative storybooks. Simple to read, easy to understand and pleasurable to recapitulate, these picture storybooks can become intelligent tools of young parents. Read these storybooks aloud and help your kids cultivate the good habit of sharing things with the rest of the world.