Using Books to Help Raise Kind Kids

Written By: The Good and the Beautiful Published On: May 8, 2025

A Message from Jenny Phillips

In a world that is largely self-centered and incredibly self-absorbed, it is definitely possible to raise kind and selfless children, but I believe it takes intentional efforts. One powerful way to do this is through giving your children the right books to read. Keep reading for my top three book recommendations that encourage kindness.

Find more ways to foster kindness in children in this short video on The Good and the Beautiful YouTube channel.

Every good book your child reads plants seeds, and those seeds begin to grow, especially if nourished by more of those kinds of books.

When children read books in which characters are disrespectful and self-absorbed, it undoubtedly affects them negatively. And if they have a steady diet of these kinds of books, their characters will fundamentally be shaped in unfavorable ways. Children absolutely model what they see in books.

But it’s not about just keeping the harmful books away from children.

I have found it effective to not just help my family avoid books and media that are violent or disrespectful, but to teach them to personally understand, discern, and desire this for their own lives. I do this in a few ways. The homeschool curriculum we use, The Good and the Beautiful, teaches kids in their language arts courses to understand how books and media impact them. Children learn to love and choose for themselves books that uplift and inspire. I also talk to them often about the books I am reading and how they impact me. And I read good books to my kids and have discussions with them about what we are reading.

Here are some of my favorite read-aloud books for families that encourage kindness:

Esperanza Rising By Pam Muñoz Ryan
Lantern Lane Series By Tessa Greene
No Mountain Too High By Myrna Grant
Nory Ryan’s Song By Patricia Reilly Giff

Here are some of my top recommendations for personal reading books for teenagers that encourage kindness:

Beauty By Robin McKinley
Gifts from the Sea By Natalie Kinsey-Warnock
Hue & Cry By Elizabeth Yates
Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky By Sandra Dallas

The Good and the Beautiful is passionate about helping families and children return to a love of literature that is wholesome and worthy. There is an absolutely beautiful world of books out there—old and new—that teach respect, kindness, and honesty through wonderfully written, engaging, and inspiring stories. When you immerse your children in this kind of literature, over time you will see your children become more kind, more respectful, and more positive.

Go to The Good and Beautiful Book List for a free searchable list of more than 1,000 books for children preschool through high school.

Shop at The Good and the Beautiful Bookshop to purchase parent approved books that are uplifting and character building.

Our Language Arts courses for preschool through high school. These full-year, easy to teach courses contain everything needed to teach reading, comprehension, spelling, writing, grammar, geography, art appreciation, and so much more!

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