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EARL: Early Childhood Education

This guide is intended for students in the Early Childhood Education program. It will help you locate children's picture books in the Library collection, and conduct research using our online databases.

Search Terms

Many ECE students visit the Library to find picture books that will help teach lessons to children. These lessons are usually about things like sharing your toys, not teasing other kids, etc. These lessons may be about morals (right vs. wrong), ethics (a set of rules adopted by a group of people), or values (personal beliefs). When searching the Library Catalog for books on these topics, it's better to use the specific situation that you need to teach to a child. Here are some examples of search terms to use for morals, ethics, and values:

  • Behavior
  • Bullying/antibullying
  • Honesty
  • Stealing
  • Jealousy
  • Sharing
  • Guilt
  • Friendship
  • Acceptance

Picture Books on Sharing & Jealousy

I Have a Balloon

Author: Ariel Bernstein; Scott Magoon (Illustrator)
Published: 2017
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Owl has a red balloon and Monkey wants it, but Owl does not want to share. So Monkey tries to find something to trade for the balloon"--Publisher's description.

Ollie the Stomper

Author: Olivier Dunrea
Published: 2003
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Three goslings named Gertie, Gossie, and Ollie have fun stomping around in their bright rubber boots"--Publisher's description.

Thank You, Omu!

Author: Oge Mora (author, illustrator)
Published: 2018
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"When the aroma of Omu's homemade stew fills the air, her neighbors arrive, one by one, for a taste until all is gone except for her generous spirit"--Publisher's description.

A Big Guy Took My Ball!

Author/Illustrator: Mo Willems
Published: 2013
Location: Monroe
"Piggie is devastated when a big guy takes her ball. Gerald is big, too -- but is he big enough to help his best friend?"--Publisher's description.

Should I Share My Ice Cream?

Author/Illustrator: Mo Willems
Published: 2011
Location: Bethlehem
"Gerald the elephant has a big decision to make, but will he make it in time?"--Publisher's description.

My Very Own Space

Author: Pippa Goodhart; Rebecca Crane (Illustrator)
Published: 2017
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
""A little rabbit is trying to read his book in peace, but there's so much going on around him! Maybe he needs some space just for himself."--Publisher's Description

How to Share with a Bear

Author: Eric Pinder; Stephanie Graegin (Illustrator)
Published: 2015
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"One cold day, Thomas builds a cave of pillows and blankets where he can read, but when he goes to get a flashlight, a young 'bear' goes inside and nothing Thomas does discourages the bear from being near him."--Publisher's description.

I Can Share!

Author: Karen Katz
Published: 2011
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Children find ways to share things they don't want to give up"--Publisher's description.

Sometimes You Get What You Want

Author: Meredith Gary; Lisa Brown (Illustrator)
Published: 2008
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"A brother and sister spend a day in preschool learning lessons about boundaries, for example: that it is sometimes okay to make a lot of noise, but at other times one must be quiet"--Publisher's description.

Picture Books on Friendship & Acceptance

Dog and Bear

Author: Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Published: 2007
Location: Bethlehem
Three easy-to-read stories reveal the close friendship between Dog and Bear.

The Duck and the Owl

Author: Hanna Johansen; Käthi Bhend (Illustrator); John S. Barrett (Translator)
Published: 2005
Location: Bethlehem
A duck and an owl contemplate starting a friendship, despite their differences in appearance and behavior.

The Featherless Chicken

Author: The Featherless Chicken
Published: 2006
Location: Bethlehem
Scorned at first by others, a featherless chicken finds a way to fit in before discovering that his new friends may not be as beautiful as they appear to be.

Help!

Author: Holly Keller
Published: 2007
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
Mouse hears a rumor that snakes do not like mice, and while trying to avoid his former friend -- Snake -- he falls into a hole from which neither Hedgehog, Squirrel, nor Rabbit can help him escape. Awards note: A Junior Library Guild selection

My Best Friend

Author: Mary Ann Rodman; E.B. Lewis (Illustrator)
Published: 2005
Location: Monroe
Six-year-old Lily has a best friend all picked out for play group day, but unfortunately the differences between first-graders and second-graders are sometimes very large. Awards note: A Junior Library Guild selection.

One Brown Bunny

Author: Marion Dane Bauer; Ivan Bates (Illustrator)
Published: 2009
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"One brown bunny goes out one day and finds many friends who would like to play"--Publisher's description.

The Secret Olivia Told Me

Author: N. Joy; Nancy Devard (Illustrator)
Published: 2007
Location: Bethlehem
"Olivia shares a secret with her best friend, who then lets it slip to someone else, and soon everyone knows about Olivia's secret"--Publisher's description. Awards note: Coretta Scott King Book Award, 2008

A Splendid Friend, Indeed

Author: Suzanne Bloom
Published: 2005
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
Pennsylvania "One Book, Every Young Child" program selection, 2007. When a studious polar bear meets an inquisitive goose, they learn to be friends.

Will I Have a Friend?

Author: Miriam Cohen; Lillian Hoban (Illustrator)
Published: 1989
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Jim's anxieties on his first day of school are happily forgotten when he makes a new friend"--Publisher's description.

Where Is My Balloon?

Author: Ariel Bernstein; Scott Magoon (Illustrator)
Published: 2019
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"While holding his friend Owl's red balloon, Monkey accidentally pops it then tries to substitute other objects before confessing his deed"--Publisher's description.

Monster and Mouse Go Camping

Author: Deborah Underwood; Jared Chapman (Illustrator)
Published: 2018
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"When Mouse and Monster team up to go camping, they discover Monster's insatiable appetite is wreaking havoc on their campsite, but nothing can stop these two friends from having fun in the great outdoors"--Publisher's description.

I Just Ate My Friend

Author: Heidi McKinnon (author/illustrator)
Published: 2018
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Having eaten his only friend, a monster seeks a new companion, but each creature he meets has a good reason not to serve as a replacement"--Publisher's description.

Mouse and Hippo

Author: Mike Twohy (author/illustrator)
Published: 2017
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"When Hippo saves Mouse after he falls into the lake, Mouse paints his new friend's portrait to thank him"--Publisher's description.

We Forgot Brock!

Author: Carter Goodrich (author/illustrator)
Published: 2015
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Phillip and Brock are best friends, although everyone else thinks Brock is imaginary, so when Phillip gets tired out at the Big Fair while Brock is still having fun, they are separated and it will take a very special twosome to bring them back together again"--Publisher's description.

Egg

Author: Kevin Henkes (author/illustrator)
Published: 2017
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Three little birds crack their way out of eggs and fly away, leaving one egg sitting all alone, until the three chicks come back and discover a friendly baby alligator has finally hatched"--Publisher's description.

What a Treasure!

Author: Jane Hillenbrand; Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator)
Published: 2006
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Mole digs with his new shovel, finding useful things for the other animals and a new friend for himself"--Publisher's description.

We Don't Eat Our Classmates

Author: Ryan Higgins (author/illustrator)
Published: 2018
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"When the class pet bites the finger of Penelope, a tyrannosaurus rex, she finally understands why she should not eat her classmates, no matter how tasty they are"--Publisher's description.

Picture Books on Honesty, Stealing, and Guilt

The Accident

Author: Carol Carrick; Donald Carrick (Illustrator)
Published: 1981
Location: Bethlehem
After his dog is hit by a truck and killed, Christopher must deal with his own feelings of depression and guilt.

The Honest-to-Goodness Truth

Author: Patricia C. McKissack; Giselle Potter (Illustrator)
Published: 2000
Location: Bethlehem
After promising never to lie, Libby learns that it's not always necessary to blurt out the whole truth either.

Penny and Her Marble

Author: Kevin Henkes
Published: 2013
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"Penny feels guilty after taking a beautiful blue marble that she sees in Mrs. Goodwin's grass, but gets a pleasant surprise when she goes to return it the next day"--Publisher's description.

The Summer My Father Was Ten

Author: Pat Brisson
Published: 1998
Location: Bethlehem
A father tells his son the story of how he damaged a neighbor's tomato garden when he was a boy and what he did to make amends.

This Is Not My Hat

Author: Jon Klassen
Published: 2012
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
Caldecott Medal, 2013. "A little fish thinks he can get away with stealing a hat"--Publisher's description.

Picture Books on Bullying & Anti-Bullying

Each Kindness

Author: Jacqueline Woodson; E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)
Published: 2012
Location: Bethlehem
"When Ms. Albert teaches a lesson on kindness, Chloe realizes that she and her friends have been wrong in making fun of new student Maya's shabby clothes and refusing to play with her"--Publisher's description.

Hooway for Wodney Wat

Author: Helen Lester; Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)
Published: 1999
Location: Monroe
All his classmates make fun of Rodney because he can't pronounce his name, but it is Rodney's speech impediment that drives away the class bully.

I Walk with Vanessa

Author: Kerascoët; Kerascoët
Published: 2018
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"In this wordless picture book, an elementary school girl witnesses the bullying of another girl, but she is not sure how to help"--Publisher's description.

Lucy and the Bully

Author: Claire Alexander
Published: 2008
Location: Bethlehem & Monroe
"When a mean preschool classmate wrecks Lucy's artwork, she discovers that they can be friends once he stops being jealous of her"--Publisher's description.

Monster Mama

Author: Liz Rosenberg; Stephen Gammell (Illustrator)
Published: 1993
Location: Bethlehem
Patrick Edward's fierce monster mother helps him deal with some obnoxious bullies.

Mr. Lincoln's Way

Author: Patricia Polacco
Published: 2001
Location: Bethlehem
When Mr. Lincoln, "the coolest principal in the whole world," discovers that Eugene, the school bully, knows a lot about birds, he uses this interest to help Eugene overcome his intolerance.

The Little Wood Duck

Author: Brian Wildsmith
Published: 2007
Location: Monroe
"The animals by the lake make fun of little Wood Duck for swimming in circles, but his uniqueness proves to be useful"--Publisher's description.