Each collection below includes DGT's exclusive conversation starters and project suggestions!
Recommended Reads
Inspire empathy and spark reflection.
DGT has designed each list to support acts of service and kindness.
At DGT we believe that the deeper “magic” of reading happens when you wonder together about the story, which is why we offer reflection tools for every list.
Choose among the chapter and picture books below to get started!
Featured Read for Parents
The Art of Talking With Children by Rebecca Rolland
A comprehensive guide for parents, teachers, and anyone who interacts with children, this book shows how to effectively communicate and foster meaningful conversations. Through real-life examples and easy-to-implement tips, Rolland illustrates how enhancing our conversations with children can build empathy, boost confidence, and strengthen the emotional cues of others, laying a foundation for healthy, empathetic, and effective communication.
All DGT Picture Book Collections
Squeeze every last ounce of sunshine out of summer. The season is a chance to take a deep breath, even when the schedule can feel full with fun, camps, and vacation. Slow down and spend some time reading about kindness with these sweet, summer-themed stories.
Whether gun violence has happened near home, or you’ve seen it in the news, the kids in your life have likely seen or heard about it, too. Children will feel a mix of confusion, sadness, and fear after these events, and most do not have the tools to process those emotions. When reading these books together, you can use them as a starting point for conversations about the hard emotions they’re feeling, and where there’s room for safety and hope.
When what’s on the news, either on TV, our computers, or our phones, feels overwhelming or scary, children are often picking up on more then we realize, even when they’re not directly taking in the information. The books on this list are gateways for helping kids understand what’s happening in the world, to help them ask their questions and process big emotions.
Family separation and deportation are difficult realities that many children encounter, whether in their own lives, their classrooms, or their communities. The books on this list offer gentle, age-appropriate ways to help kids understand these experiences and process big feelings.
Give thanks every day with this growing collection. Research shows that people who regularly express gratitude are happier and healthier than their counterparts, regardless of measurable wealth. Plus, regularly practicing gratitude shines a spotlight on the abundance of gifts in our lives, gifts we might otherwise overlook.
Teach your child to be an "upstander,” not a bystander. The books on this list will give them the tools to take a stand.
What does it take to be an engaged, thoughtful, ethical citizen of the United States of America? This unique and evolving list of picture books will help your whole family answer that question.
Explore these complicated issues through the power of story, and get inspired for your next service project or kindness activity.
This growing collection sets the stage for big conversations about the differences and similarities between us all. It’s never too early - or too late - to encourage kids to start conversations about race, racism, and justice. These outstanding books will get you started!
Honor the moms in your life through story and thank them for all they do. Whether you’re looking for a meaningful gift or a story to share together, these books capture the love, influence, and everyday magic of moms and families.
Nothing inspires wonder, cultivates mindfulness, and relieves stress as effectively and enjoyably as time spent in nature. Inspire the wilderness enthusiast in your child with this growing list of stories.
The plight of animals, from homeless cats and dogs to wild animals losing their wilderness, inspires profound empathy in people of all ages. These picture books will inspire the animal lover in your life to extend their compassion and kindness to the animal kingdom.
Books can help children become more empathetic to those who may be different from them and answer questions they may have about those with disabilities. Children who themselves have disabilities may find themselves represented in this evolving book list.
Reading with a child is itself an exercise in mindfulness, especially if you take care to notice each sentence and each illustration as the pages turn. This growing list of captivating stories offer incredible opportunities to encourage mindfulness.
Open an earnest conversation about loss. When children have questions about death and grief, let's do our best to answer them honestly and compassionately. Here are a few beautiful books to help your family begin a conversation about death, grief, and the cycles of life.
From heartwarming tales of kind hearts to difficult stories that highlight real roles dads take in our lives, each book offers a unique glimpse into the special bond between dads and their kids. Ideal for shared reading time, these books will not only entertain but also inspire and strengthen familial connections. Perfect for showing appreciation for the dads in your life, these selections promise to make this Father's Day memorable.
Serious or sudden illness can be a scary issue to deal with at any age. Yet caring for and reaching out to those who are sick is an essential lesson in compassion, even for very young children. Whether you are caring for a loved one or volunteering to provide comfort, this collection of picture books will help your whole family get started.
These stories feature characters who learn to bond over shared interests, face adventures together, and embrace each other's differences. They teach valuable lessons about empathy, trust, and the importance of being true to oneself when forming connections with others.
These stories offer an engaging way to introduce children to some inspiring elderly characters, the challenges of aging, and the importance of sharing intentional acts of kindness and service with elderly friends.
This growing list of stories about love and kindness will help you focus your family on sending ripples of kindness throughout your community.
Don't let tired stereotypes and holiday greed overshadow your family’s Thanksgiving. Explore this growing list of picture books with your children, and take time to deepen your holiday experience.
What is peace? Is it something you feel in your heart? Is it something to try to create in the world around you? Help children of all ages answer these questions with this growing collection of picture books.
All DGT Chapter Book Collections
As a new school year begins, books can help children build empathy, welcome new friends, and create caring classroom communities. These stories encourage readers to notice others, celebrate differences, and discover how even small acts of kindness can make a big impact.
Spend lazy summer days curled up with a book! Summer is a chance to take a deep breath, even when the schedule can feel full with fun, camps, and vacation. Slow down and spend some time reading about kindness with these summer-themed chapter books about kindness.
As our nation — along with our global community — struggles with the complicated issues of crisis migration and immigration policy, great fiction can play an essential role in helping families understand the human story behind the headlines.
Shape hearts and inspire action with these read-aloud picks for elementary kids. Perfect for sparking meaningful conversations, whether you're starting a book club at home, reading together as a class, or simply looking to connect over a great story.
Explore history and get motivated to champion social justice. These fiction and nonfiction books will raise awareness about the history of the United States and the movements that are pushing us closer to equity. Scroll through our extensive list to find books on Civil Rights, Disability Rights, the LGBTQ Movement, Women's Rights, and the Native People's Movement.
This growing collection of resources provides the perfect starting place for a conversation about challenging social conflicts. Pick a book that interests your family. Read it together. Then, use the discussion questions to take the concepts further.
These captivating stories offer incredible opportunities to think about mindfulness and gratitude. Use our conversation starters to engage your child in a deeper conversation.
Honesty. Justice. Perseverance. Activism. Political season or not, citizenship is an important and complicated topic to explore with kids of all ages.
Practice curiosity and open-minded inquiry with this growing collection of books for your family’s philosophy club.
The plight of animals, from homeless cats and dogs to wild animals losing their wilderness, inspires profound empathy in people of all ages. These chapter books will inspire the animal lover in your life to extend their compassion and kindness to the animal kingdom.
DGT's growing list of chapter books that explore the complicated issues of hunger, poverty, and homelessness, along with conversation starters to aid in important discussions. Recommended for readers ages 9-12.
Ready to dive deeper into book-based, kindness-themed lessons?
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Our membership will make it easier to live kind and nurture grow big hearts even when life gets busy!
Browse these popular, bookish blog articles.
As adults, we have a better sense of what is within our locus of control and how we can approach solving problems from our mature perspective, whereas young children see a lot of problems as big and insurmountable even if they are not. The good news is that we can cultivate the growth of our child’s sense of helpfulness over time in ways that match their developmental stage, while teaching about both agency AND the interconnectedness of humanity.
The last few years have pushed us to our limits as we watch our world become more and more polarized over conversations around gun laws, mental health, the pandemic, race, and a war that rages in Eastern Europe. It seems almost impossible to take a breath. I struggle with how much to share with my children, but I ultimately know that they need to hear the truth – in age appropriate ways – even when it breaks my heart to share it with them.
Here are my suggestions on having these challenging conversations along with some resources that have helped me – and might help you as well.
Making time to read and wonder together offers a comforting oasis in an often chaotic world, for both children and parents. To make getting started easier for your family, we at Doing Good Together have added several bookish acts of service to our growing Pick-a-Project collection.
Let’s make time to explore our nation’s storied history with our children. By cultivating a thorough, nuanced, and inclusive understanding of our shared history, we will be able to see each other with greater compassion as we work to build a more just society. DGT offers tools to get you started.
Poetry is uniquely suited to bring us together and ease our anxiety in troubled times. Let’s put our words to work for the comfort of others.
At DGT we know that books give us the gift of perspective, a sense that we are not alone on this journey to raise empowered, engaged kids. The books we’ve gathered here offer
inspiration to try something new when the status quo isn’t working,
encouragement and hope at the end of a hard day, and
practical, doable ideas to help you raise kind, community-minded kids.
There is a certain amount of “Who am I?” and “Why are we here?” work that needs to happen during our early years. At Doing Good Together, we have found that a great deal of the inner work happens when kids have the opportunity to ask big questions with adults in their lives. Our latest post gives you the scientific benefits of philosophical inquiry and offers practical tools to get you started.
Since it came out in 2006, McCloud's book Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids has become essential reading in schools and homes across the country. I recently had the privilege of chatting with Carol McCloud and learning more about her bucket-filling adventures.
Together, if we share our big-hearted stories, we can transform the tone of public conversation. Ultimately, we can change the world!
The right book can do more than transport and entertain its readers. Powerful stories spark empathy for people we've never met. They inspire us to take action, to right injustices, or even simply to reach out to those around us. So how do you inspire your older child to put down the latest goofy series or dystopian saga and pick up a book full of big ideas?
Does your family love to read? Are you looking for ways to feed that love of storytelling while doing good for others? Here are some new ideas to get you going!
Thinking through your responses before discipline is required is a common theme in all of these books and was key to my family's successful management of our behavioral low point (to date). Pick one, read it, and feel that much more prepared next time you face a parenting challenge that threatens to trigger an explosion.
Deepen your service experience with DGT's book-based reflection guides.
You can make a difference to someone coping with an illness – and help their loved ones as well.
By volunteering with older people, children learn to celebrate aging and the wisdom our seniors can offer.
By volunteering together, your family can address the issue of homelessness thoughtfully and make a meaningful difference.
By volunteering together, you and your family can make a difference to those who are experiencing hunger or food insecurity.
Reflecting on your volunteering experience can lead to thoughtful learning and growth. Take time to explore these questions together!
All of us have had times of need, and times when we've given to others. Chat with your children about those times and how we are all givers and receivers.
Encourage children to appreciate and celebrate the wonderful diversity of the people and cultures around our globe.
Understanding our impact on the environment will inspire enthusiasm for any environmental volunteering you plan.
The plight of animals inspires profound empathy and makes children want to do something to help.
Disclaimer: Doing Good Together™ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. The recommendations we offer are based solely on our mission to empower parents to raise children who care and contribute.
As a new school year begins, picture books can help children build empathy, welcome new friends, and create caring classroom communities. These stories encourage readers to notice others, celebrate differences, and discover how even small acts of kindness can make a big impact.