Skill-Building Book Tips

Turn storytime into skill-building time.

These free, downloadable resources offer tips for building children’s life skills based on classic and diverse children’s books.

With content customized to each book, Book Tips help boost science-driven learning, fun and engagement between children and adults. These resources are available in English and Spanish and designed for three age groups, infants and toddlerspreschoolers and school-age.

Educators can also access Book Tips through a partnership with First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise that provides books and educational materials for educators serving children in need.

Books & Tips that Promote Life Skills

Communicating

Bark, George

Infant / Toddler
In this very funny book, George’s mother asks her puppy to bark, but instead, he meows, quacks, oinks, and moos. When she takes George to the vet to find out what is going on, the vet reaches deep inside of George and pulls out a cat, a duck, a pig and a cow.

Perspective Taking

Whoever You Are

Preschool
Whoever You Are shares the ways that children all over the world differ and yet are the same. Demonstrates diversity/inclusion. Available in bilingual and Spanish editions.

Taking on Challenges

The Little Engine that Could

Preschool
The “I think I can” refrain of this classic picture book is synonymous with accomplishment and success. It originated with this book and the story of the Little Blue Engine who knew she could make it over the mountain even though she was small and inexperienced. Available in Spanish.

Perspective Taking

Actual Size

School Age
Just how big is a gorilla’s hand or a giant squid’s eye? This superb nonfiction book shows readers the full scale of the animal kingdom, inviting observations and comparisons while sparking curiosity about the natural world.

Critical Thinking

Grace for President

School Age
When Grace runs for President in her school’s mock election, she learns she can only win if some of the boys vote for her. This is an empowering and fun story about the electoral system, hard work, independent thinking and using fair judgment. Demonstrates diversity/inclusion.

Making Connections

Not A Box

Infant / Toddler
A box is just a box, or is it? There are no limits to what a box can be in a rabbit’s imagination in this creative book.

Interested in Mind In The Making Training?

Find out more!

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