Finding good, thought-provoking, inspiring and educational books for children is not as easy as you might think. The stories that children remember and learn from are almost always with books with a positive message. But, how do you find these kinds of books?
Good news! No need to go on a wild goose chase around your local bookshop and sleuthing through the internet. I have done the looking for you and discovered 6 kids books with a genuinely inspiring message, written by local New Zealand authors! And who doesn’t want to support good Kiwi children’s book authors?!
Why is a Positive Message Important in a Kids Book?
If you are like me, you’re finding it harder than you have in the past to find children’s books with a really positive message. There’s a reason for this. After many conversations with publishers and literary agents, I have discovered that kids’ educational books and books that tell a substantial story don’t sell as well as silly kids books.
I have nothing against funny stories and silly characters. We all need a good laugh, especially now. But, when I was pregnant, I wanted to find some good solid stories that were a mix of fun and great lessons that would be firmly housed on the forever bookshelf and be loved by my kids into adulthood. I knew it was these kinds of books that would have a lasting impact on my kids. Children’s book creation has increased since the pandemic. This means traditional publishers are spoiled for choice and are looking for books that will appeal to the masses.
Now, I am speaking to you not as an expert but as someone who has first hand experience selling kids books at markets and bookshops. I’ve looked into the eyes of many a child and doting parent who want their child to read books they will love and will teach them a good healthy lesson to carry with them throughout their lives. The desire for a meaningful story for our kids is very much a real thing. When I said I used to to sell my books at markets, that was until I made a fateful mistake, which is kind of a funny story. I made the mistake of taking my dogs to the market along with me for kids to pat. All of a sudden I found myself being hauled over by my dogs beelining towards a fallen hotdog. I ended up getting terribly injured and having a plate put in my wrist! Whose fantastic idea was it to take an exuberant three-legged heading dog and a huntaway/border collie who believes I don’t feed her enough and gives me the eternal side-eye, to a market!? That same person, I might add, who needs a spoon and a rather large amount of triple chocolate chunk marshmallow raspberry ice cream to admit this in her first-ever blog in her ‘lemony snickets’ of a professional career, and yes, it was my idea!
Anyway, I digress, and the tide is out on ice cream, so let’s get down to the point… I’ve compiled a list of 6 excellent books that stand out because of their positive message, and I believe they deserve your attention on the hunt for meaningful kids’ books. Disclaimer: My book is first because, well, I wrote this blog, and, well, I like my books. Guilty!
These are all equally wonderful books. I have included website details to read more about them and support the wonderful authors who wrote them. You won’t regret adding these timeless stories to your forever bookshelves. All the books below are for an age range from 3 to 7 but because of the lessons they hold I would rather say 3+ as even I have learnt from them! After all, we all need reminders about courage, community, kindness and empowerment! So, without further adieu, here they are:
1. Whoopsie Daisy
A kids book about courage written by Monique Rowe (me!)
Whoopsie Daisy tells the inspiring story of a three-legged farm dog who compares herself to the other dogs on the farm. How can she do everything they can when they have four legs and she only has three?
When a storm sweeps through the farm and destroys a fence, Daisy must save the farmer’s sheep and, in doing so, discovers that she could do everything she thought she couldn’t after all.
Behind the Book
Whoopsie Daisy came from seeing the way children reacted to my three-legged heading dog Daisy when I was walking her. They were surprised at how well she got around and how she didn’t care that she was different from other dogs. I think sometimes we all feel that we are different, not good enough, not talented enough and can’t possibly do what others can. Yet given a little encouragement, we can surprise ourselves and not only do what we thought we couldn’t but, in fact, we can do so much more.
My hope is that kids reading this picture book will see that just like Daisy, they can do anything they put their minds to, and there is no point comparing themselves to others when different is wonderful!
Whoopsie Daisy is available in NZ here Or on Amazon here:
2. Enough
A kids book about community written by Sarah Johnson
Enough: A story about community tells the story of New Zealand girl Hana and her efforts to make sure that everyone in her community has enough when times get hard – enough food, enough warmth, enough company and kindness. Although Hana at times feels dispirited, she rallies when the people she has helped in turn help her, working together as a community to make ‘enough’ for everybody’s needs.
Behind the Book
Enough is a story about community that is dear to the author’s heart. Sarah says,
“It is about community care and resilience, and how people look after each other in times of need. This is very much evident most of the time in the wonderful community where I live but is something that is missing from some people’s lives / communities. I was also interested in presenting a story for younger people that considered the concept of ‘enough’: what is enough, what is more than enough, who has enough and who doesn’t, and how can we work together to create enough. Though the book doesn’t say it, I personally consider that people (or some people) having too much can be as damaging socially as not having enough, although in different ways.”
Monique’s Review
I love this story! Often we look at the sheer scale of need in the world and get daunted. What could we offer that would make a difference? This story shows us that even the smallest act of kindness and help to people in your own community can make a big difference to the people around you. In this story, Hana’s just enough encouraged her community to start thinking about what they could do and what they could offer to improve the lives of the people around her. This book needs to be on top of everyone’s book pile. Enough is available in NZ here:
3. Curly Cat
A kids book about the power of kindness against bullying written by Jennifer Somervell
Curly Cat just wants to look ordinary, like all the other cats. He tries everything – then Barber Cat has a brilliant idea … Taunted because of his superlong, curly tail, Curly Cat tries everything to make it better. Curly Cat’s faithful friends try to protect him, but in the end, it is an eccentric cat groomer who shows Curly how wonderful his tail really is. Includes quirky cat facts and tips against bullying.
Behind the Book
The author was lying on her bed one night and saw a picture in her head of a cat with a long, curly tail. She imagined the tail trailing off the bed, along the floor, up the walls, across the ceiling and down to tickle her nose!
She thought having a tail this long could be a big problem! The story developed as she imagined how other cats would react to it and how Curly might try to solve his ‘tail problem’. The idea of the Curly Cat being kind to his bully only came very late in the story process. While not intentionally focusing on kindness and self-worth, her own school experiences served as inspiration for this inspiring childrens book.
Monique’s Review
In a world where we are taught from a young age to seek perfection, it is so important to teach children that the things that make us different from others are things to be celebrated. Imagine how boring life would be if everyone was the same and the world’s version of ‘perfect’. The world needs people with differences to function, to grow, and to be interesting. Curly Cat describes this need in a beautifully illustrated picture book story. Curly Cat is available in NZ here: 
4. Of Course You Can
A kids book about kindness and inclusion written by Karen Hinge
A bilingual story about a boy who is nervous about starting school because he is in a wheelchair. When he gets there, he discovers that his classmates are welcoming, and whenever he thinks he can’t join in, the children find ways for him to participate. This book is about kindness, inclusion and finding positive solutions to challenges.
Monique’s Review
A wonderful and truly inspiring story to show children who have disabilities or see themselves as different from others that they can be a part of school and its activities. Also, teaching an understanding of what those children might be going through and including them in everything is so helpful to creating inclusive and kind environments for children everywhere. Originally published in English and te reo Maori, it has now been released in English and Samoan too.
Of Course You Can is available in NZ here:
5. The Girl Who Was Scared of Everything
A kids book about empowerment written by Emma Pascoe
Elaine feels scared of everything, and she doesn’t always know why . . . but she doesn’t want to miss out on all the exciting things her friends get to do. Luckily for Elaine, her best friend Lou is here to help!
Behind the Book
One in five Kiwi children will have been diagnosed with some form of anxiety disorder by the age of 19. Children need to know that these feelings of anxiety, while uncomfortable, are not uncommon and can be overcome. They are not alone. It is based on Emma’s personal experiences of anxiety and depression. And with encouragement from her friends and family, it was turned into a book to introduce children to exposure therapy, focusing on how enjoyable life can be when facing our fears head-on. It includes a DIY section for parents and children to fill in together – making a list of the support people in that child’s life. This aims to start a conversation about whom children can look to for support when they feel scared or anxious.
Monique’s Review
I really like books that have a story as well as interactional pages at the end or throughout. And this book deals with an emotion that is so often overlooked or not found as the route of some behaviours in children––anxiety brought on by fear. Once again, this is a must-have for your forever bookshelves. The Girl Who Was Scared of Everything is available in NZ here:
6. Emotions in Motion
A kids book about understanding our emotions written by Rose Stanley
Everybody experiences all sorts of emotions at different times and in different situations. Emotions in Motion encourages children to identify their own emotions and to be able to express and understand them. This is a book for every parent, grandparent, teacher or support person who wants to nurture a child in their life. It is one of three thoughtful, entertaining and beautifully illustrated books that sensitively help the development of ‘emotional literacy’ in young children.
Behind the Book
The message Rose hopes readers take away is that we all experience emotions at different times and in different situations, and it really helps if we can name what we are feeling, as we can begin to understand what’s going on for us, and others can too.
Monique’s Review
With so many emotions going on inside us every day, it is sometimes hard for children to understand what feelings they are having to give them a name. Along with beautiful illustrations and wonderfully descriptive words, this book enables children to recognise the bouncing firecracker as anger, or the maze of trees as confusion, associating words and pictures with a feeling. Sometimes feelings come at once, and that is okay too. This book is a must for your forever bookshelf, as the sooner children can understand their emotions, the sooner they can work out why they are experiencing them. Emotions in Motion is available in NZ here:
Conclusion
There you have it, a healthy, positive start to your forever bookshelves. These books deliver inspiring stories to instill kindness, courage, inclusion and understanding into young readers and put a smile on their faces at the same time. Among our local kids book authors in New Zealand, these really are the cream of the crop.
My hope is that your takeaway from this article is that there are books out there that are written by truly amazing New Zealand authors addressing some very real subjects exquisitely. Also, I hope that you will join me in getting these books out there in front of children all over the world. If you liked this article, please take a moment to share it or follow my blog and join my email list and together we can spread the love! Below is a link to my children’s books that cover approaching dogs, finding your imagination in books, courage and different directions. Also, you will find colouring in book versions of all my children’s picture books. I have included the words in these books to encourage creativity and learning at the same time. Check out my childrens books here: