The Rabbit Listened
Ages 3 to 6Sometimes the kindest thing is to stay and listen.
Recommended by Build Strong ChildrenFind great children’s books by the values they model.
Children learn by watching and copying. We help you find stories full of examples you’d like them to follow, and enjoyable enough to read again.
Browse books by value Or find a book for what’s happening todayFor reading together, ages 3 to 7What would you like to grow?
Start with a value. Explore 95 books across 37 shelves.
The Most Magnificent Thing
Ages 4 and upTry, get stuck, take a break, try a different way.
Recommended by Pragmatic Mom
Last Stop on Market Street
Ages 3 to 5Notice what’s good, right where you are.
Recommended by Rebecca ReadsThey pick up
more than
the plot.
Children learn by watching and copying. We want their books to give them plenty of good things to imitate.
That means looking at what characters actually do throughout a story. A tantrum can have a place. We pay attention to how much of the book it takes up and what follows it. When behavior we wouldn’t want copied dominates the story, we leave that book off our shelves.
And it still has to be a good story. With so many books to choose from, finding one that’s fun to read and offers a useful example takes time. We bring the story notes, value labels, and parent recommendations together to make that choice easier.
What goes into a recommendation?
We start with parent and educator recommendations, check story details against available sources, and explain our own value assignment. We look at repeated behavior and how the conflict resolves. We credit the original recommendation and make relevant concerns visible. The current prototype’s value assignments are still provisional.
Good finds start with good readers.
Meet some of the people whose recommendations help us find our next read.
David Horton
Build Strong Children
Horton names it a favorite and focuses on friendship, listening, and the different ways we respond to difficult feelings.
Read the recommendationMia Wenjen
Pragmatic Mom
Wenjen includes it in her books for kids who like to build, describing the frustration, the walk, and the return to the project.
Read the recommendationRebecca Reid
Rebecca Reads
Reid’s parent review considers the story’s attention to joy and beauty in ordinary life.
Read the recommendationThese are independent sources we credit, not partners or endorsements of kidsbooks. Our value labels are our own interpretation.