Children’s Books about Cooperation
by Julie Douglas, Family Program Director

 

Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” I keep that quote taped near my computer. It’s a good reminder that I can’t do everything; no one can. Working in the nonprofit world, we hear a lot about collaboration and partnerships. We are encouraged (and sometimes required) to team up with others who share a common goal. Successful collaboration makes a task easier, but I think it also makes us better people. When we work together, we are really able to appreciate the gifts and talents of other people. We are also able to be more forgiving of our own shortcomings because we know we can rely on the strengths of our partners. What we “can’t do” by ourselves is less important than what we “can do” with the help of others.

Our family reading programs rely greatly on our collaborations with libraries, schools, parent educators, social service agencies, and most importantly, parents. It is exciting to know that there are so many people dedicated to the idea that reading to young children is important!

Learning to work with others starts at a very young age, and happily, there are many wonderful children’s books that celebrate collaboration and cooperation. Here is a list of some good ones to get you started.

A Castle on Viola Street by DyAnne DiSalvo

In a warm story about a family that works to fix up houses for others, despite their own meager surroundings, the themes of community and working together are explored.

 

 

 

 

 

 Swimmy by Leo Lionni

A tiny fish encourages his friends to work together to protect themselves from the dangers of the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq by Jeanette Winter


The true story of librarian Alia Muhammad Baker, who recruited friends and neighbors to help save a library full of books when the library was threatened by war.

 

 

 

 

 

 The Enormous Potato by Aubrey Davis, illustrated by Dusan Petricic

 In a retelling of a Russian folktale, the farmer’s family and the townspeople work together to harvest the world’s largest potato.

 

 

 

 

 

 A Little Story About a Big Turnip by Tatiana Zunshine, illustrated by Evgeny Antonenkov

Another amusing retelling of the story of the gigantic turnip.

 

 

 

 

 

 Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper

Duck, Cat, and Squirrel get along beautifully until they disagree about their jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

 Bone Button Borscht by Aubrey Davis, illustrated by Dusan Petricic

The familiar story about soup made only from a stone gets a clever twist in this story about cooperation and sharing.

 

 

 

 

 

 Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Rivals for the blue ribbon discover a way to work together to create a prize winning quilt.

 

 

 

 

 

 Stone Soup by Jon Muth

Traveling monks teach the villagers the joy of cooperation in this retelling of the stone soup story.

 

 

 

 

 

 With Love, Little Red Hen by Alma Flor Ada, illustrated by Leslie Tyron

The little red hen discovers that she can rely on her neighbors to help her out.

 

 

 

 

 

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