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“A children’s story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children’s story in the slightest.”
– C.S. Lewis
There are so many children’s picture books that not only have beautiful illustrations that enchant you but also inspirational stories that carry profound morals.
This article is a collection of 50 such children’s picture books along with a favorite quote and the moral that the book is trying to convey.
Note: If you want a book included to this list, please get in touch.
List of 50 Children’s Books with Morals
1. Ish by Peter H. Reynolds
Favorite quote: “Ramon felt energized. Thinking ish-ly allowed his ideas to flow freely. He began to draw what he felt like, without worry.”
Moral: You don’t have to live up to other people’s expectations or to established standards. Everything is subjective in nature and what one person hates, another person loves and you cannot please everyone. So be yourself and express yourself without the need for approval.
2. An Awesome Book of Thanks by Dallas Clayton
Favorite quote: “Thank you for the sun above, thank you for my friends I love, thank you for the earth and air, thank you for the food to share.”
Moral: Become conscious of the abundance surrounding you and be grateful and thankful for all the things you have. Learn to look at the bright side of things.
3. Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltsberg
Favorite quote: “A little drop of paint lets your imagination run wild. A smudge and a smear can make magic appear.”
Moral: Learn to see the beauty in everything even in the seemingly imperfect things. All that is required is a change in perspective to see the hidden beauty in all things.
4. Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud
Favorite quote: “You feel good when you help others feel good.”
Moral: Be kind to everyone, for when you are kind to others, you are kind to yourself. And in the same vein, when you make others feel good, you feel good yourself.
5. It’s Not Fair! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Moral: Everyone is unique and has their own strengths and weaknesses. So stop comparing yourself to others, accept yourself for who you are.
6. The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald
Favorite quote: “Out there, under the stars, I really tried to focus on myself and what I needed. I took walks, I read books, I floated in the river, I wrote in my journal and found simple moments to be quiet.”
Moral: You can’t pour from an empty cup so you need to take care of yourself first. Take time for yourself, to love, to care, to understand, to appreciate and value everything you are.
7. Because by Mo Willems & Amber Rea
Favorite quote: “Because a man named Ludwig wrote beautiful music, a man named Franz was inspired to create his own.”
Moral: We are all intricately connected and every little thing you do has a profound effect on so many others, for generations to come.
8. The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes By Mark Pett & Gary Rubinstein
Favorite quote: “People no longer call her the Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes. They just call her – Beatrice.”
Moral: Let go of perfectionism and your need to be always right. Don’t let your fear of making mistakes stop you from pursuing the things you love to do.
9. A World Without Failures by Esther Pia Cordova
Favorite quote: “Not trying is much worse than failing.”
Moral: Do not be afraid of failure. Failure is often just the first attempt at learning something new. You need to have failures in order to learn how to do new things. Without failure there would be no progress.
10. You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang
Favorite quote: “You are not big, you are big and you are small. And you are not small, you are small and you are big.”
Moral: Nothing is big or small. Everything is a matter of perspective. Things change when you look at them from a different perspective. So always have an open mind and do not hold on to rigid beliefs and ideas.
11. Bagels From Benny by Aubrey Davis
Favorite quote: “You made the world a little better; what better thanks could God have?”
Moral: God or consciousness is in each one of us. Helping the other is akin to helping God.
12. Firenze’s Light by Jessica Collaço
Favorite quote: “I am brilliant. I am wonderful. I am unique!”
Moral: Being different is a gift. Surround yourself with people who understand, accept and appreciate you for who you truly are. Let your uniqueness shine.
13. Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
Favorite quote: “Remember, there is only one important time and that time is now; the most important one is always the one you are with, and the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side.”
Moral: The now is all you have and hence everything that happens in the now is the most important. To be truly alive is to be fully present to this moment.
14. There’s Nothing To Do by Dev Petty
Favorite quote: “Why do you have to do anything? Just be. Watch clouds go by. Think about stuff. Sometimes the best ideas come when you stop looking for them.”
Moral: You don’t have to be constantly doing something. Sometimes, it’s perfectly okay to do nothing. To let go, relax and just be.
15. The Invisible String By Patrice Karst
Favorite quote: “People who love each other are always connected by a very special string made of love. Even though you can’t see it with your eyes, you can feel it with your heart and know that you are always connected to everyone you love.”
Moral: There are things in this world that are beyond the physical that can only be felt with your heart – like Love. No one is ever alone. We are all connected by this invisible string called Love.
16. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andrea and Guy Parker-Rees
Favorite quote: “We all can dance when we find music that we love.”
Moral: Anyone can achieve anything in the right environment and with the right bit of encouragement.
17. Same Difference by Calida Rawles
Favorite quote: “You can be different and still be the same.”
Moral: We are all special in our own unique way and we should learn to accept and celebrate our differences and that of others.
18. Same Same But Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw
Favorite quote: “We are best friends, even though we live in two different worlds. Or do we? Different, Different but the same.”
Moral: We are all the same from within even though we look different on the outside.
19. Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin
Favorite quote: “Snow white is just pretend. You’ve always been my real princess. You’ve just got enough of all the right stuff.”
Moral: You are beautiful and special just as you are. You don’t need to change yourself to fit in.
20. Unicorn Day By Diana Murray
Favorite quote: “Have fun, fun fun, this rule’s the most important one.”
Moral: Be inclusive of people even if they appear to be a little different.
21. Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miler
Favorite quote: “Maybe I can only do small things. But my small things might join small things other people do and together, they could grow into something big.”
Moral: You don’t need to do big things. Even the smallest acts of kindness can have a really powerful and profound impact on the world.
22. The Hugging Tree by Jill Neimark
Favorite quote: “I wax and wane, I ebb and flow, I cycle through from full to thin, and when I am done, I start again. That’s how life is, you know.”
Moral: Life is a cycle of ups and downs. So whenever you feel down, believe in yourself, be patient and things will soon become bright again.
23. Listening to My Body By Gabi Garcia
Favorite quote: “Sensations and feelings are like the waves in the ocean, some come crashing in while others roll in gently, and they come and go. We can’t stop the waves from coming, but we can pay attention to them so they don’t knock us over.”
Moral: Thoughts are to your mind what feelings and sensations are to your body. Get to know your body by bringing your attention within your body and consciously feeling all your feelings and sensations. The more awareness you have of your body, the better you understand yourself.
24. My Strong Mind by Niels Van Hove
Favorite quote: “You can teach your mind what to do so it can tackle any challenge with a positive attitude.”
Moral: We may or may not be able to control external circumstances but we have control over our mind and can choose the way we respond to them.
25. Don’t Feed The Worry Bug by Andi Green
Favorite quote: “I got things to do – I must work, I must play! I’m not going to worry so go on your way.”
Moral: Worry for the most part is a waste of energy. Focus your energy on good thoughts and on finding solutions than worrying. Don’t feed the worry bug.
26. You Should, You Should by Ginny Tilby
Favorite quote: “You’re welcome to enjoy a ride and float awhile on my backside, but I won’t say, ‘You should, you should’. I’ll let you choose it, if you would, ’cause very most importantly I am choosing to be ME.”
Moral: Always be yourself and do not give into peer pressure. You don’t need to do something just because others are doing it. You can create and walk your own path.
27. My Penguin Osbert by Elizebeth Kimmel
Favorite quote: “I wanted Osbert to meet everybody but Osbert really wanted to go outside and play. It was pretty cold and kind of windy too, but I had asked for Osbert and now I had him, so we went outside.”
Moral: Everything comes with its share of good and bad. And when you are responsible for someone or something, you need to take good care of them irrespective of anything.
28. Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson
Favorite quote: “After all, carrots weren’t for collecting – they were for sharing with your friends!”
Moral: Don’t let your possessions possess you. Do not get too attached to them. Learn to live with what you need and share the rest away.
29. The Monster Who Wanted It All by Andi Green
Favorite quote: “Without someone there to share his fun, Zelly finally came to see, that a castle filled with lots of stuff, was empty as can be.”
Moral: Focus on what you have as opposed to what you don’t have. For, things cannot make you happy, happiness comes from within.
30. B is for Breathe by Dr. Melissa Boyd
Favorite quote: “B is for breathe. Breathe by slowly taking a deep breath in through your nose and slowly breathing out through your mouth.”
Moral: You can relax and calm yourself by following simple techniques like taking a deep breath, doing art or simply going out for a walk in nature.
31. Olaf Gives Thanks by Colin Hosten
Favorite quote: “Olaf gives thanks for great many things, especially the wonders that each day brings.”
Moral: There is so much around us to be thankful for. Once we start giving thanks, we feel abundance and get to see the grace of life.
32. Tad by Benji Davies
Favorite quote: “Sometimes the biggest stories have the smallest beginnings.”
Moral: Believe in yourself, have patience and all the good things will come to you.
33. Edward the Emu by Sheena Knowles
Moral: The grass always appears greener on the other side but it is not.
34. A tale of Two Beasts by Fiona Roberton
Favorite quote: “The terrible beast was waiting for me. She seemed quite pleased to see me. And I began to think, that maybe, just maybe.. she wasn’t that terrible after all.”
Moral: Everything is subjective in nature. What you consider good might be considered bad by someone else. Learn to look at the world through various perspectives.
35. I Don’t Want To Be A Frog by Dev Petty
Favorite quote: “I guess you can’t fight nature. We are what we are.”
Moral: We all have our own strengths and weaknesses and to be happy it’s prudent that we focus on our strengths and see the positives even in our weaknesses so we see the grace in them.
36. Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
Favorite quote: “Give a glittering scale to each of the other fish. You will no longer be the most beautiful fish in the sea, but you will discover how to be happy.”
Moral: You become happy when you make someone else feel happy.
37. Leo the Lop by Stephen Cosgrove
Favorite quote: “Normal is whatever you are.”
Moral: Normal and abnormal exist purely within our minds. In reality, there is nothing that is normal or abnormal. Everything just is as it is. The only thing that matters is how you look at it.
38. Nobody Likes a Goblin By Ben Hatke
Favorite quote: “Do you know who else likes a goblin? More Globlins!”
Moral: There will always be people who don’t like you and there will always be people who do like you. You just need to identify your perfect tribe.
39. Only One You by Linda Kranz
Favorite quote: “Find your own way, you don’t have to follow the crowd. There’s only one you in this great big world.”
Moral: You are unique. Spend time getting to know yourself. Find out who you truly are and walk your own path. You don’t need to do what others are doing.
40. The Gift of Nothing by Patrick McDonnell
Favorite quote: “Mooch and Earl just stayed still and enjoyed nothing and everything.”
Moral: Your presence is the greatest gift you can give someone who truly loves you.
41. South by Daniel Duncan
Favorite quote: “He set sail on a new course – Home!”
Moral: There is no place like home. You may roam the whole world, but eventually, you want to come back to the comfort of your home and family.
42. A Smile That Went Around the World by Patrice Karst
Favorite quote: “You never really know how far a smile can go. When one comes your way, it may have travelled thousands of miles and cheered millions of people before it reached you.
Moral: Even small gestures of kindness can have a profound effect throughout the world.
43. Heal a wing by Bob Graham
Favorite quote: “With rest and time and a little hope, a bird may fly again.”
Moral: Be kind to all living beings.
44. In My Heart (A Book of Feelings) by Jo Witek
Favorite quote: “My heart can feel so many feelings, and yours can too! Today, my heart is proud. How does your heart feel?”
45. Little Frog And The Scary Autumn Thing by Jane Yolen
Favorite quote: “Be brave little frog, most things that are scary are only just new. You need to see what they are all about. Once you know them, they aren’t scary anymore.”
Moral: Fear goes away when you understand the thing that you fear.
46. Infinity And Me
Favorite quote: “How many stars were in the sky? A million? A billion? Maybe the number was as big as infinity.”
Moral: The universe is massive and there is so much that we don’t know.
47. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Favorite quote: “And for all I know, he is sitting there still, under his favorite cork tree, smelling the flowers just quietly. He is very happy.”
Moral: You don’t need to join the rat race. You can lead your life however way you want to. You can choose to lead a life of peace and harmony even when others are all about fighting and competing.
48. Unstoppable Me! by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Favorite quote: “You’re great no matter what! You are worthwhile simply because you’re alive. Never forget this and you’re sure to thrive.”
Moral: Believe in yourself and follow your dreams.
49. I Am Peace, A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde
Favorite quote: “I feel the ground beneath my feet and steady myself, and start to notice the here and the now. My thoughts begin to settle, my mind begins to clear. I am Peace.”
Moral: Being mindful helps you break free of unconscious thinking and become conscious of the world around you.
50. Every Little Thing by Cedella Marley
Favorite quote: “Don’t worry about a thing, ’cause every little thing is gonna be all right.”
Moral: Have faith and patience and things will change for the better.
If you know of a great kid’s picture book that you want added to this list, do get in touch.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. Outofstress.com gets a small commission for purchases through links in this story. But the price of the product will remain the same for you. Click here to know more.
