Books demonstrating empathy

Books are a great way to help build more understanding between us all, building our real-life sensitivity towards other people. Here’s some of our favourite stories that can help pupils understand the world around them.

How to be a Lion by Ed Vere

You don't have to ROAR to be heard...

Meet Leonard - a lion like no other.

Leonard's best friend is Marianne, a duck. But lions chomp ducks, don't they?

What will the pair do when their way of life is threatened?

Charlie Changes Into a Chicken by Sam Copeland, Sarah Horne (Illustrator)

Charlie McGuffin has an incredible secret . . . He can change into animals. All sorts of animals: a flea, a pigeon, even a rhino. Trouble is, he can't decide when - it only happens when he gets worried. And right now, Charlie has quite a lot to worry about: His brother (who is in hospital), his parents (who are panicking about it) and the school bully (who has Charlie in his sights) And even though every kid wants a superhero power, Charlie isn't keen on changing into a chicken in the middle of the school play. So with the help of his three best friends, Charlie needs to find a way of dealing with his crazy new power - and fast!

Check out our resources section for a full scheme of work to help explore this hilarious book and the personal well-being issues it addresses.

My Mum Tracy Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt

Jacqueline Wilson is one of the most loved authors for a reason. Her characters never needed a cape, or a special power to be a hero to generations of children; just huge imaginations, a bit of fierceness and a big heart. And there is no hero fiercer or more iconic than Tracy. My Mum Tracy Beaker is a fantastic new story, reuniting readers with a much-loved old friend (and some old enemies. . .) Just like old times, it’s packed full of illustrations from Nick Sharratt.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Auggie wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things - eating ice cream, playing on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside. But ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids aren't stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Sephy is a Cross: dark-skinned and beautiful, she lives a life of privilege and power. But she's lonely, and burns with injustice at the world she sees around her.

Callum is a nought: pale-skinned and poor, he's considered to be less than nothing - a blanker, there to serve Crosses - but he dreams of a better life.

They've been friends since they were children, and they both know that's as far as it can ever go. Noughts and Crosses are fated to be bitter enemies - love is out of the question.

Then - in spite of a world that is fiercely against them - these star-crossed lovers choose each other.

But this is love story that will lead both of them into terrible danger . . . and which will have shocking repercussions for generations to come.

The Last Firefox by Lee Newbery and Laura Catalàn

Between bullies at school and changes at home, Charlie Challinor finds life a bit scary. And when he's made guardian of a furry fox cub called Cadno, things get a whole lot scarier.

Because Cadno isn't just any fox: he's a firefox - the only one of his kind - and a sinister hunter from another world is on his trail.

Swept up into an unexpected adventure to protect his flammable friend, Charlie's going to need to find the bravery he never thought he had, if he's going to save the last firefox...

The Good Turn by Sharna Jackson

Josephine Williams is a future-focused, internet-loving eleven-year-old who is desperate to explore the world beyond her cul-de-sac - and her browser.

When she learns about Josephine Holloway - a woman who started the first Girl Scout Troop for Black girls in America - she's certain she must start her own.

Enlisting her friends Margot Anderson and Wesley Evans, the trio begin their quest for their Camping Badge. Drawn to an abandoned factory nearby, they stumble across something strange. A square, ancient television and two tatty armchairs. Beside it, a wooden sideboard with an old photograph of a young, happy couple.

What is this? Who, or what, lives here - and why?

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lai

Ten-year-old Hà has only ever known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her family and friends close by. But when the Vietnam War reaches the gates of her home, Hà and her family are forced to flee.

The journey onboard a refugee ship bound for America is hard - but nothing can prepare Hà for the strangeness of the country that greets them on the other side. The language is impossible, the food is strange - and not all the locals are friendly. But amongst her struggles, Hà finds joy, friendship - and most of all, the power of hope, love and family.

Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon, Dapo Adeola (Illustrator)

Rocket is back and this time she sets off on a mission to save a Caribbean island from plastic pollution! When Rocket goes for a holiday to visit her grandparents, she's shocked by the pollution that is spoiling their island home and putting the local sea life at risk. Can she think of a way to save the day?

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

On foggy mornings, Charlotte's web was truly a thing of beauty . Even Lurvy, who wasn't particularly interested in beauty, noticed the web when he came with the pig's breakfast. And then he took another look and he saw something that made him set his pail down. There, in the centre of the web, neatly woven in block letters, was a message. It said: SOME PIG!

This is the story of a little girl named Fern, who loves a little pig named Wilbur - and of Wilbur's dear friend, Charlotte, a beautiful large grey spider. When Fern's uncle decrees that Wilbur must become bacon, Fern, Charlotte, Templeton the rat and all Wilbur's farmyard friends come up with an ingenious plan to fool the humans, and save their very special pig.

Joyful, funny, and deeply moving, Charlotte's Web is a story about the power of friendship, and celebrating what makes everyone special. It is rightly heralded as one of the greatest children's books ever written.