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17 Books to Inspire Kids to Change the World

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I truly believe books inspire kids. It’s one of the many reasons I share children’s book lists with my fellow parents right here every Monday. Today,  I’ve gathered together a collection of picture books that parents can use as conversation starters with their kids about how both small and large actions can change the world, and inspire their own kids to make a difference, whether it’s with one small act of kindness or by leading others in a grand movement.

Books to inspire kids to change the world.

These are all picture books, but I encourage you to read them with your older kids, who will get a lot out of them. Teach them that kids CAN change the world! Share these picture books with your family and discuss what actions you can take this year to create a positive change in the world you live in. (Note: covers and titles are affiliate links.)

MORE: See the index of all my book lists for kids. I have more than 100 of them (!), for all ages and interests.

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A is for Activist. A board book that’s not just for babies! With a fun sense of humor, this alphabet book introduces kids to the idea that life may not be all about acquiring the latest Thomas Train. I was worried this book would be annoyingly didactic, but the rhymes and wit make this introduction to social justice a worthwhile read. The book teaches generosity, compassion, consideration for others. Use the book as a starting point for further discussions about the topics.


Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan/Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan: Two Stories of Bravery is actually two books in one. Both extraordinary protagonists figure in the fight for the rights of children. Malala, who survived an assassination attempt, was the recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Iqbal fought for child-labor rights in Pakistan but was tragically shot and killed at the age of 12. The stories are well written with simple, yet effective text (Winter has a number of good non-fiction biographies for children) but parents may decide the seriousness of the subject matter means this book is best for older kids.


Grandfather Gandhi is an absolutely gorgeous book! The story is narrated by then-12 year old Gandhi’s grandson, Arun. Arun goes to live with his grandfather, which was considered a great honor. One day his grandfather gets angry, a surprise to Arun. Gandhi explains to his grandson that anger is a normal human emotion, that people must work to conquer and transform so that it can be used for a good purpose. This is a marvelous, must-read book that will encourage your kids to think about the role emotions play in the choices we make.


The Other Side.  The more I read this book, the more I love it. A fence, both metaphorical and physical, defines the boundary between Annie’s white family and Clover’s African-American one. Clover’s mom has told her not to cross the fence because it is unsafe. Instead, Clover sits on the fence, watching the other girl play. Annie eventually approaches Clover and the two sides begin talking, a friendship is formed and the fence, finally crossed. There is no didacticism in Woodson’s writing as might make one cringe in a book like this. The final image of a line of girls sitting on the fence points to the possibilities of the future.


The Story Of Ruby Bridges. I really like this book because it’s the true story of a child told in a way that children of the same age can really understand. This book celebrates six year old Ruby, who in 1960, faced angry crowds and empty classrooms as she became the first child to attend an all-white school after a court-ordered desegregation in New Orleans. Author Coles does a great job of making an historical event personal and showing how a child can overcome a difficult situation.


Grace for President. When Grace finds out there has never been a female president, she is determined to change that. While the boy she is up against makes popular promises and counts electoral votes, Grace works hard and steadily to earn her votes and show with her actions that she’s the right girl for the job. The explanation of how electoral votes are cast is skillfully woven into the narrative, making this a great choice for discussions around election time.


Harlem’s Little Blackbird is the story of singer Florence Mills, who used her fame to fight for civil rights in the 1920s. She was well-known for her compassion for the less-fortunate and for helping to advance the careers other African-American performers who faced profound racism. If you’re looking for a book with a good role-model, this is the one.


Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis. New girl, Maya, finds herself alone at school. Her obvious poverty sets her apart and the other children reject her overtures of friendship. Another girl, Chloe, narrates the action and the way the other children reject Maya, including her own admission, “She’s not my friend.” One day, their teacher drops a stone into a bowl of water to demonstrate how powerful the ripples from a single act of kindness can be. “Even small things count,” she says. Chloe decides that the next day she will be kind to Maya, but Maya never returns to school and Chloe doesn’t get her chance. This book could so easily sink into the depressing and didactic, but Woodson’s beautiful text elevates the story into a moving reminder to show kindness every chance we get.

Brave girl
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Clara comes to NYC dirt poor but full of grit. She works a miserable, backbreaking job at a garment factory. An extraordinary individual, she taught herself to read and led the largest walkout of women workers in U.S. History, despite being beaten and jailed for participating in labor strikes. Melissa Sweet’s books and illustrations just keep getting better and better and she tells a valuable story of the history of women workers and the importance of fair labor practices, which still resonates today.


The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq. When war threatens to destroy Alia’s precious library collection, which includes rare editions, she bravely works to move 30,000 volumes to safety. This is a powerful story about courage and determination.


Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya.  Wangari Maathai was the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. She was recognized for her work restoring trees to Kenya. The wonderful thing about Maathai’s story is that it involves the cooperation of an extended community of women and will make kids aware of the power of individuals to bring positive, long-lasting global change.  As always, Kadir Nelson’s illustrations are stunning.


The Three Questions [Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy] by Jon J. Muth. I like to recommend this book as much as possible and it is a good stepping stone for a discussion with your kids about what constitutes inner happiness.  They will ask, What is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do? and reflect on the importance of doing good deeds and paying attention to the immediate moment.


The Most Magnificent Thing may seem like an odd choice for this list, but as we know, science and technology changes the world and having a can-do attitude like the protagonist is a must for any person wanting to make an impact. With the help of her assistant dog, a “regular girl” decides she is going to invent a most MAGNIFICENT thing. She has a lot of false starts. Nothing seems to be turning out the way she wants and it’s so frustrating for her! However, she takes a walk, comes back and looks at her inventions afresh, and finally figures things out. I adore the “lesson” in the book, that success comes only after “failure” (something we learned recently in science camp). You know: trial and error. The book is not at all preachy and Spires’s illustrations are a delight.


Tomás and the Library Lady is based on the true story of Tomás Rivera, who went on to become the first minority chancellor at the University of California. As the son of migrant workers, Tomás listens every night to stories his grandmother tells him. Then one day, a librarian opens up a whole new world for him. This is an inspiring story of the power of education and reading which will ring true for all children, no matter what their backgrounds.


The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, one of my favorite science books. is an inspiring story of a how a William Kamkwamba, a 14 year old boy brought electricity to his village in Malawi. William had to drop out of school because he had no money for the fees, but a picture of a windmill on a book. It lit a spark in him and worked hard to research and build a windmill for his impoverished and drought-stricken village. A truly amazing story about the power of perseverance.


The Pink Refrigerator is also on my lists of books about trying new things. Sometimes just getting out is enough to make a big difference in one’s life. The badger (? mole? – I’m not really sure what kind of creature he is!) finds a mysterious pink refrigerator in a junk yard. Each day the note on the fridge sports a new suggestion, like “read more”, “make pictures”, or “play music”. Inside the fridge he finds the materials he needs: books, art supplies, a trumpet, etc. The final note, “keep exploring” prompts Dodsworth to leave his own note, “Went to find an ocean.” This is a great story about the willingness to be open to trying new things.


Hug Machine is the wild card on this list but it was one of our favorite books of 2014. It’s about a boy who simply can not stop hugging. Are we all agreed in the power of a hug to change the world?  This book is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Have you read any of these books? Do you have any recommendations for great books that will inspire kids to change the world? How are you teaching your children to work to make a positive impact on the world around them?

MORE LISTS TO INSPIRE:

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Books to inspire kids to get out and change the world, with big and small actions.

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Comments

  2. LOVE the list! The Librarian of Basra is one of our faves. Can’t wait to read a few that I don’t recognize — we’ve read about the trees of Kenya but not “Mama Miti” and also looking forward to A is for Activist.

    Reply

  4. Great list, as always. My five year old loved The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. Another book along the same lines that we read multiple times is One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Kate Smith Milway.
    I have lists of books on this topic packed away with all my teaching things that my students enjoyed. The only one I can remember off the top of my head, that you have not listed, is Baseball Saved Us and Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story. Both are by Ken Mochizuki. I used both of these every year with my 4-6 graders and each one was well received. The fact I can’t remember any of the others is concerning.:)

    Reply

  6. Thank you for the fabulous list! Please check out, What Do You Do With an Idea, by Kobi Yamada

    It’s so inspiring!

    Reply

  7. A great list as always! I love the different types of books all with a great message. Hug Machine was one of our favorites last year and Each Kindness is one of my all time favorites. Thanks as always for sharing!

    Reply

    • Thanks, Stacey. Those are two of my favorites, as well. I think Each Kindness is a really important book.

      Reply

  10. Thanks so much for sharing this great list with the Kit Lit Blog Hop! I share a lot of these with my 3rd graders as we study people from different continents, but I found a few new to add to my list!

    Reply

  12. This is one inspiring list, and we have seen The Most Magnificent Thing quite a few times and we really want to read it. The other books are also epic, so thank you for such a wonderful list and for joining us on the Kid Lit Blog Hop

    Reply

  13. Love this list! Thank you for sharing–my emphasis on my blog (and in my research) is Children’s Lit. and Spirituality, and the theme of this list matches that. I so appreciate finding reads that will inspire kids to change the world. I used to include The Story of Ruby Bridges in a teacher training course on using children’s literature in the classroom. And I literally just was reading The Most Magnificent Thing tonight so that was perfect timing.

    Hopping over from the Kid Lit Blog Hop! (http://bookish-illuminations.com/2015/01/08/middle-grade-review-donuts-absolutely-almost-2014-lisa-graff/)

    Reply

  14. Just read this list and love it. I don’t know these books because I’m a grandmother of a 15 year-old and not sure he had any of these in his (younger) library. However, I am Steward of a Little Free Library and will see about getting ALL of these for my young patrons.

    I would add to this list one of the “books” – a traditional folk tale, told by many different authors over the decades: The Little Red Hen. I realized some years ago how much that simple lesson of an industrious, hard-working Little Hen has influenced my adult life.

    Thank you for publishing this list (and thanks to my friend Sally for forwarding it to me.)

    Reply

    • Thank you, Sharon! I’m so happy the list is useful for you and I do agree about The Little Red Hen, that would be a great addition!

      Reply

  15. Lists like this are so extremely important to ensure people become aware of the great resources that help kids become global citizens, advocates, and change makers!

    I am a teacher and Tosca Killoran and I created a book entitled “A is for Action: The ABCs of Taking Action”, which is a great next step from the wonderful “A is for Activist” book! I would recommend it as an addition to this great list.

    Our book hit #1 on 2 of Amazon’s Best Seller’s lists and walks kids through the process of taking action, digging into the skills, behaviors and habits of mind for youth to make sustainable change in our world:
    -building self-esteem and confidence in problem-solving
    -inspiring and empowering kids to solve personal, local and global issues
    -includes activities and online component (curriculum resources, extension activities, videos and more)

    Thanks again for curating this list and if you get the chance, definitely take a look at our book!

    Reply

  17. Hi there! I just came across this blog and have a book that goes along with what you are promoting. It’s called A Girl With A Cape: The true story about the superhero in all of us. It’s a picture book I wrote and published in 2013. I’ve been touring the schools (been to about 200 since 4/13) and getting the students to Rock the CAPE (CAPE= Create A Positive Environment). I’d LOVE to get you a book and see what you think. Just trying to make the world a better place – one person at a time 😉
    Thanks for sharing these book titles!
    You matter,
    amy

    Reply

    • My review only states that Iqbal was assassinated but you are right that if someone didn’t know Malala was alive when she was awarded the Nobel Prize they might misunderstand.

      Reply

  21. I would add these to the list: The Girl with a Brave Heart and Tenzin’s Deer— sweet story about a boy who finds an injured deer. He takes care of it and tends to the deer’s wounds and gets the deer back on its feet again. In the end, he releases the deer. Later on in life, that boy goes on to be a Doctor, a Surgeon. The first time I read that book to our Son, we both cried. Our Son, wanted the boy to keep the deer as a pet and not release it back into the wild. Both of these books are from Barefoot Books. Great list of books, will have to check these out at the library.

    Reply

  22. I can’t believe there’s a book called A is for Activisit and I’ve never seen it before! Can’t wait to add some of these to our collection

    Reply

  23. THE PRINCE WHO LOVED ANIMALS New!! By Irene Ritchie and Eddy Pursubaryanto
    Prince Hastipaka did not like his father King Cakrapada of Nartaka killing animals to make money for the Kingdom so he went to the forest to help the animals. With advice from a mouse deer and a Myna Bird, he stopped the collection of elephant tusks, trophy hunting for tiger heads and the taking of rhinoceros’s horns for medical purposes. He got the approval of the forest animals to set up environmentally friendly activities so that animals and humans could live peacefully together.

    Please add my book to your list to make children more aware of animals.

    Reply

  26. We’ve already read A is for Activist to our child several times and we all love it so much. The evocative imagery, alliteration are great for now. And when our child is older, the book has so many openings for important conversations! We highly recommend!

    Reply

  27. These books are GREAT! I have no words to describe them.If my kids will read them they’ll engage loads of information about our world

    Reply

  29. Wonderful list! This year our whole school has focused on social justice. One thing we did was read a series of books, one a month, in every classroom. We hoped that this would spur conversations at home as sibling in different grades would be sharing the experience. This list is perfect for continuing that work next year. Although I won’t be there, I’m very excited about presenting this to our Social Justice Committee.

    There are a couple of other books that spring to mind. One is “The Lady in the Box”, a realistic fiction story of two children trying to help Dory, a homeless woman living in a box over a heating grate outside a restaurant. At first they try to help by leaving food. When they try to sneak a blanket out their mother confronts them. When they all go to see Dory she is not there. Mom finds out that the restaurant told her to leave. After reading him the riot act, Mom and kids find her and bring her back to her warm spot. As a family they decide to start serving at a soup kitchen. I liked this book because there is no tied-up-in-a-bow happy ending. It presents a problem that can’t be solved overnight, but shows what one family can do to at least get her warm place back, and then go on to serve now that they are more aware of the problem and the human cost.

    Another book, that might be slightly off topic is Let Them Play, the true story of a black Little League team in South Carolina in the ’50s.

    Reply

  30. Wonderful list. How can I get the beautifully illustrated timely and timeless bi-lingual book Joelito’s Big Decision/ La gran decisión de Joelito on the list for BOOKS TO INSPIRE KIDS TO CHANGE THE WORLD. It’s about a boy, a burger, a friendship and the fight to raise the minimum wage. It shows the next generation that the struggle for economic justice didn’t end with Cesar Chavez.

    The book was written to inspire kids to change the world. Innosanto Nagara, author of “A is for Activist”, saw an early version and pronounced it “perfect” except for the cover, so he designed the cover for me. Spanish bi-lingual

    Reply

  31. Rosie Revere Engineer is an entertaining book inspiring girls to enter STEM fields and to learn about the history of women in STEM (and World War II).

    Reply

  33. I realize this is a belated response, but I just love the book “My Brother Martin,” by Christine King Farris & illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. Text AND illustrations are amazing.

    Reply

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