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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 toddlers, preschoolers 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

Making Connections

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes

Infant / Toddler
In this sweet book, young children meet a cast of smiling, round-cheeked babies from around the world as they’re told about a universal trait that (almost) all babies have in common. Bouncy rhymes and repetition make this a wonderful read-aloud for babies and toddlers. Demonstrates diversity/inclusion. Available in a bilingual edition.
Download English
Download Spanish

Perspective Taking

Are You Ready to Play Outside?

Preschool
In this hilarious award-winning book, Gerald (an elephant) and Piggie (a pig) think the rain has ruined their plans, until they learn that, to others, wet weather is big fun.
Download English
Download Spanish

Self-Directed, Engaged Learning

Press Here

Preschool
Press Here is an inventive concept—an interactive page-turner of a book where the child’s actions lead to changes in the patterns of dots on each page. Available in Spanish.
Download English
Download Spanish

Communicating

Emma’s Poem

School Age
Emma’s Poem is the compassionate and inspiring story behind the famous poem engraved on a plaque at the entrance to the Statue of Liberty.
Download English
Download Spanish

Taking on Challenges

The Empty Pot

School Age
In a kingdom where everyone loved flowers, the Emperor was very old and had to choose a successor. He issued a proclamation to the children of the land. He would give each of them a flower seed and said, “Whoever can show me their best in a year’s time, will succeed me to the throne.” Ping worked hard, but despite his usual skill with flowers, nothing grew. Sadly, he had to face the Emperor with an empty pot. This beautifully illustrated book is both charming and inspirational. Demonstrates diversity/inclusion.
Download English
Download Spanish

Making Connections

It Looked Like Spilt Milk

Infant / Toddler
It Looked Like Spilt Milk is a book full of white images against a royal blue background that look like spilt milk, a bird or a tree, but aren’t any of these objects. This book will keep children guessing and then coming up with their own creative games. Demonstrates diversity/inclusion. Available in bilingual and Spanish editions.
Download English
Download Spanish

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