9 Books On Sharing: There Is No 'We' In Mine:
And Are Bears Bad Sharers?
We talk about how important it is to share with kids but who here hasn’t snuck into another room to eat something they don’t want to share with their kids? This guy knows…
Like the man above, my vice is not sharing food and that includes not sharing with kids. On my recent trip to Italy, I pulled down the umbrella shade of my kid’s stroller and shamelessly (and quickly) devoured my gelato alla nocciola. And that’s truly a testament to my unwillingness to share food since I’m lactose intolerant and would really be better off if someone else ate at least half of that absolutely delicious, lactose-laden goodness.
But we must follow the cardinal rule in the child caregiving handbook: Do as I say, and not as I do (unless of course, you are one of those paragons who is perpetually an excellent role model in which case can you please come live with us?). We are not perfect, but we try our best to instill all the morally right things so that our kids are at the very least marginally better than us. For all of us adults, our best lesson in sharing actually comes from the kids we care for: they remind us to aspire to be our better selves. To help reinforce the modeling you’re doing and the gentle reminders you’re providing, here are some fun books to discuss why sharing is a good thing…
Learning Why We Need To Share…
People Share With People
Written by Lisa Wheeler | Illustrated by Molly Idle
Recommended Ages: 2-7 years
The dynamic duo behind the People Don’t Bite People are back with this delightful read-aloud. The rhyming text is clever and has a lovely beat to it. While it’s perfect for toddlers and very young kids, I can see even older kids being drawn in by the beautiful illustrations and rhyme. The tale traverses through various sharing scenarios: over objects and food, between friends and siblings, etc. What I especially liked about this is the very clear stake in the ground that, yes, what is yours is yours and you can share. I also liked the simple call out that sometimes you have to wait your turn before someone is willing to share. This lovely book is a treat to hear and a feast for the eyes and is guaranteed to put a smile on a kid’s face.
Links to buy: Bookshop.org*
Pie Is For Sharing
Written by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard | Illustrated by Jason Chin
Recommended Ages: 3-7 years
This is a gooey slice of pure Americana summer captured in 28 gorgeous pages. I wanted to include a book that goes beyond the simple sharing of stuff to look at the bigger picture of how much our life is enriched when we share all sorts of things and, especially, experiences with others. And with summer practically here, this book hits the nostalgia spot. We start with pie but the book meanders (as one must to truly enjoy a hot summer day) through all the beautiful parts of summer that wouldn’t be half as enjoyable if they weren’t being shared: stories, a tree, a jump rope, amongst many others. The watercolor illustrations are stunning. They do that perfect job of transporting you to your favorite summer memory. Even if your kids don’t have any issue with sharing in particular, read this book just to bask in the glory of summer and community.
Links to buy: Bookshop.org*
When It’s Hard To Share Things…
Everyone Shares (Except Cat)
Written by Jamie Michalak | Illustrated by Katie Mazeika
Recommended Ages: 1-4 years old
Cat has no problem when others share but when Cat has to share… well that’s this story. Cat realizes quickly that not sharing often results in no friends and it’s better to share. This board book does an elegant job of showing how hard it can be to want to share but that the reward—friendship—is worth it. The language is simple and easy for babies and toddlers to follow along. The painted illustrations are bright and appealing and do a marvelous job capturing the expressions of not-a-sharer Cat.
Links to buy: Target
This Is MY Fort!
Written by Drew Daywalt | Illustrated by Olivier Tallec
Recommended Ages: 3-6 years old
Written by Drew Daywalt, that author of The Day The Crayons Quit, this masterful, humorous little tale is about Monkey, Cake, and a fort. Cake has decided to build a fort with one rule: No monkeys allowed. Monkey longingly watches Cake finish building its fort. But when Monkey cleverly makes a fort and tells Cake that no cakes are allowed, Cake is desperate to share. Monkey, holding no grudges, let’s Cake know that Monkey’s fort is for everyone, even cakes. The pencil artwork is simple but so expressive, from the facial expressions of the characters to the body language. Kids will appreciate this very relatable read and delight in Monkey’s cleverness.
Links to buy: Bookshop.org*
Lionel And The Lion’s Share
Written by Lou Peacock | Illustrated by Lisa Sheehan
Recommended Ages: 3-6 years old
A cautionary tale playing off the old idiom, Lionel does not like to share. He takes the meaning of “lion’s share” quite literally and assumes that he must have the most. As you can imagine, this does not make him popular. Things take a turn for the worst when he goes to a friend’s birthday and eats the entire cake. When his friends turn against him, Lionel realizes that having everything isn’t half as fun as having friends. The beautiful illustrations are bright, warm, and cozy. Similar to Everyone Shares (Except Cat), this is a good book for a slightly older audience.
Links to buy: Bookshop.org*
I Wanna New Room
Written by Karen Kaufman Orloff | Illustrated by David Catrow
Recommended Ages: 5-8 years old
One of my favorites and soon-to-be-favorite book of any kid who has to share with a sibling. When baby Annie is born, Alex has to start sharing his room with his younger brother, Ethan. Told in a hilarious letter exchange between Alex and his dad, Alex pesters his dad into a resolution. If you are a sibling or have kids who are siblings, you will empathize with Alex. There’s something uniquely hard about sharing with a sibling. This book isn’t a secret, subtle lesson in sharing but it does acknowledge the fact that sharing can still be fun sometimes. The illustrations are quirky and so intricate—you could easily spend a good amount of time poring through the artwork. I highly recommend this book for kids who are tired of sharing with a sibling and, though they know they must share, could use some empathy and understanding on how hard it can be.
Links to buy: Bookshop.org*
When It’s Hard To Share Food…
Sharing
Written and Illustrated by Yusuke Yonezu
Recommended Ages: 1-3 years
A cut-out board book that teaches kids how to divide and share what they have to make everyone happy. Characters are shown frowning and tugging at the same piece of food and once you flip the page, voilà!, the food is divided equally between the characters. Food is “easy” to share because it can be divided (obviously not the case with objects like toys) so it makes the concept of sharing less abstract and more meaningful. The artwork is simple and pleasing to the eye with bold, vibrant colors. The language is plain enough for the youngest readers to understand. This is a great entry book into the world of sharing especially for babies and toddlers who don’t quite understand the concept of sharing.
Links to buy: Bookshop.org*
Should I Share My Ice Cream?
Written and Illustrated by Mo Willems
Recommended Ages: 3-7 years
The quintessential question of summer. A book I should have read before I sneakily ate that gelato (literally) behind my kid’s back, ducking this way and that to avoid her catching me. This brilliant story is about whether or not Elephant will share ice cream with Piggie. What makes it brilliant is the inner turmoil Elephant goes through before making a decision. You can see the proverbial inner angel and demon at war as Elephant contemplates what to do. (In other words, I am clearly more emotionally stunted than Elephant since I felt absolutely zero guilt for not sharing my gelato.) With simple sketch work on plain white background, the illustrations are entirely focused on the characters and their experience. I think this book is a great conversation starter about why a kid (specifically, them) does not like to share even when they know they should.
Links to buy: Bookshop.org*
No Nibbling!
Written by Beth Ferry | Illustrated by A.N. Kang
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years
This magnificently illustrated picture book is a trifecta of learning: kids learn about vegetables, hilarious wordplay, and, the part we’re here for, the power of sharing in friendship. Derwood Goat is a budding farmer and has invested quite a bit of time in his garden. When he spots Tabitha, a bunny, in his garden, his tingling senses go off and he’s on guard. As Tabitha frequents the garden longingly, Derwood Goat and Tabitha get to know each other better and become friends. The wordplay in this book is incredibly well-done:
“Ooh,” said Tabitha, “I love a good squash in the rain.” “Did you just say squash?” “Heavens, no. I said I really love to wash in the rain. Don’t you?”
A.N. Kang’s colored pencil and watercolor illustrations are truly a sight to behold. Not only is this book adorably funny but it’s a beauty too. This book is perfect for the Scrooge-like Derwood Goat in your life who needs a funny reminder of why we share.
Links to buy: Bookshop.org*
Bears are NOT great sharers. This is apparent because an incredibly mind-boggling number of children’s books focused on sharing are about bears. So, clearly, they must not be very good sharers and, as we all know, animal characters in children’s books obviously behave the exact same way they do in nature. End of story. Except… my “critical brain” refused to accept this answer so I decided to do my own investigation. Based on a very conclusive Google search, it turns out that bears are generally solitary animals who are not really into sharing. This adds up to everything I’ve learned in elementary school about bears and all the sharing books I’ve read. Fact checked. Case closed? Not quite. I remained unconvinced. After great deliberation, I have decided that children’s books on sharing often feature bears because “bear” and “share” rhyme. Now, the case is closed. I know. I’ve blown your mind. Come for the book recommendations, stay for these nuggets.
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Thanks! We definitely need these titles in our house. Everything is MINE right now.
I’m reading this as I eat my Oreo cheesecake(that I definitely won’t share) and this is a good list.
We’ve read Should I Share My Icecream and This Is My Fort- both books my kids enjoyed.