Friends with tails, the huggable cactus, and a funny dog. Nooksy’s 17 Books about character development for kids will help your little one learn about living their values

One of the important ways children develop is by way of character building. This is to help them develop positive traits and values that guide how they behave, interact with others and make decisions in their day-to-day life.

Character development includes instilling a sense of right and wrong, teaching empathy, promoting responsibility and developing resilience.  

As children develop their character they learn how to be kind, honest and respectful.

If you need some helpful tools to help you and your little one on their adventure of character development, we’d love it if you looked through our selection of curated books about living your values to get started today. 

17 Books About Character Development for Kids

The Golden Acorn Tree

By:
Jocelyn Argueta, Peili Huang

Follow a friendly squirrel as she explores a charming forest and gathers acorns for her neighbors. Young children will delight in this sweet tale of friends with tails and how they help, and accept, every animal in their forest community.

Philippa and the Homeless Bumblebee

By:
David Greaves, Danielle Callaghan

"There was once a happy bumblebee, who lived beneath a tree..."One day the happy bumblebee has her world turned upside down when her beloved meadow home is destroyed. But to her delight a brave child comes to her rescue. Philippa and the homeless bumblebee embark on an exciting adventure together.Where will their journey take them?This delightful, beautifully illustrated tale gives children a unique introduction to the importance of bees and the natural world.

How to hug a Cactus

By:
Emily S. Smith, Aleksandra Szmidt

How do you hug a cactus?I’d really like to know.You see, I love my cactus,and my hugs will help it grow.A young girl explores the possibilities of hugging her most favourite plant, a cactus. With a little help from her family members and a gardening guru, she tries a number of solutions to help solve her prickly problem, all with varying degrees of success. How to Hug a Cactus is a story that will ‘stick’ with many readers.

The Dance of the Bees

By:
Fran Nuño, Zuzanna Celej

A beautiful hymn to nature featuring haikus, set in a quiet corner of Japan.An old lady and her granddaughter enjoy strolling through the countryside in the middle of summer. The grandmother explains to the little girl all about the wonderful world of bees, and why these beautiful insects are so important for life on our planet. Years later, the granddaughter returns with her son to the place where her grandmother’s house once stood, and thanks to the dance of the bees, discovers something they’ll never forget.

Keeping up with the Dachshunds

By:
Carla Fitzgerald, Rebel Challenger

Keeping up is RUFF!As Jet the dog discovers in this hilarious parody.Jet only has three biscuits and a joke to tell.After trying unsuccessfully to keep up with the Dachshunds, she realises this is more than enough to make a true friend!

Stop the Clock

By:
Maria Christania, Pippa Goodhart

On his dash to school, Joe is missing all the exciting things happening around him. In school, Mr Khan, the teacher, asks everyone to draw everything they saw on their way to school. Joe decides he must stop time to examine everything he saw and figure out why his sister was crying so much. Soon, literally, and metaphorically, things become much clearer, as Joe learns to appreciate the importance of taking his time and noticing what is happening around him.

Read 
Stop the Clock
 now

The Lonely Mailman

By:
Daniel Montero Galán, Susanna Isern, Jon Brokenbrow

Each day, the old mailman faithfully delivers special letters to the forest animals. But the mailman has never received any letters of his own. Then one day everything changes. This touching story of friendship and love will delight readers and letter writers of all ages.

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The Lonely Mailman
 now

My Shadow is Purple

By:
Scott Stuart

My Dad has a shadow that’s blue as a berry, and my Mum’s is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There’s only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it’s both and it’s none.A heartwarming and inspiring book about being true to yourself, by best-selling children’s book creator Scott Stuart. This story considers gender beyond binary in a vibrant spectrum of colour.

The Shooting Star

By:
Hinrich Mummenthey, Claudia Rudolph

A story about a star being born and how it comes to truly understand, what makes it so special.

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The Shooting Star
 now

Grandma's Odd Socks

By:
Marta Taylor

"I love my grandma. But there?s one thing about her that I don?t understand. She always wears odd socks!"Grandma likes to stand out from the crowd. She chooses colourful clothes, covered in flowers, and her hair is bright red. AND she wears mismatching socks. Everyone laughs at her. But when it?s YOUR grandma, it?s really not funny at all, and something needs to be done!

The Heartbeat of the Land

By:
Tannya Harricks, Coral Vass, Cathy Freeman

Cathy ran barefoot every day across the great ancient land, as her people had done for sixty thousand years before.And when she ran, she could hear the heartbeat of the land.Ba Boom Ba Boom Ba Boom...Then one day, Cathy hears a cry. She answers this cry and, with one small step at a time, the seeds of change are planted.Cathy Freeman has always been an inspiration to young people.Here, she does it again, through storytelling - just as her people have done, for sixty thousand years before...Listen, and you too, will hear the Heartbeat of the Land.

Seek the Unique

By:
Anika de Klerk, Jana Rawlins, Yuliana Simakovska

A beautifully illustrated wonder-filled story that encourages kids to be curious and playful

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Seek the Unique
 now

Mister Yes

By:
Carmen Gil, Miguel Cerro

Mr. Yes could do a lot of different, funny things…but he’d never learned how to say no. Even though it made him unhappy, he would reluctantly agree to do things because he would say yes even though he really wanted to say no One day, the unexpected happened and Mr. Yes found a powerful, new voice.So what about you? Have you ever smiled and said yes when what you really wanted to say was no?This is a fun story for readers of all ages about the importance of communication and being assertive.

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Mister Yes
 now

Quill Soup

By:
Dale Blankenaar, Alan Durant

Noko, the porcupine, is very hungry. On arriving at a village, he asks the other animals for some food and shelter. But, despite their full bellies, all the animals say they have nothing to spare...so Noko creates a delicious pot of Quill Soup - fit for a king!

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Quill Soup
 now

The Word Collector

By:
Jon Brokenbrow, Sonja Wimmer

Luna is passionate about words. She adores her light and laughs with her tickles. But one day she realizes that little by little the beautiful, magnificent and funny words are disappearing from the world, and the girl decides that it is time to act.A poetic tale about the magic of the word, about the power it has when it is positive and that invites readers of all ages to follow this wonderful story in an original and fun way.

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The Word Collector
 now

A Very, Very Noisy Tractor

By:
Nívola Uyá, Mar Pavón

A fun, original tale that teach us to open our minds and free our spirits, seeing things the way a child sees them: as they really are.

My EXTRAordinary Mum

By:
Alexandra Colombo, Dani Vee

My mum’s a little quirky, free-spirited and bold. She dances to the beat of her own drum.A fun-filled adventure and celebration of an extraordinary mum and her daughter who find magic in unexpected places.We are all extraordinary, sometimes we just need reminding.

Flip through the pages of these 17 Books about character development for kids and join in on the adventures of the characters as they learn how to be kind, honest and respectful.

Unsure of what type of book to read to your child next? Nooksy’s handy guide, How to Select Books for Your Child is here to help.

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