For those of us who had a childhood bully (and still remember their name) we know firsthand that these cruel experiences can have lasting impact, inducing feelings of shame, anxiety and low self-esteem that are hard to shake. If your own child is struggling with a bully—or on the flip side, if you suspect that yours may be the aggressor—reading is one tried and true way to help flip the script in their minds. Books can offer laughs, insight and even advice that may be easier to absorb when it comes from a beloved character.
And in these children’s books below, your young readers can cheer on a variety of characters—a bear, a ballet dancer, even a bouncy balloon—as they take charge of their situations and learn how to accept and love themselves despite what others might do or say.
RELATED: Is My Child a Bully?
Picture Books on Bullying for Little Kids
The Pout Pout Fish and the Bully Shark
Written by: Deborah Diesen
Illustrated by: Dan Hanna
Age range: 1 to 5-year-olds
Year published: 2019
Number of pages: 32
Why I love it: This picture book is part of the Diesen’s Pout-Pout Fish series about a frowny fish at the ocean bottom who gets down on himself but makes strides in learning to value friendship. In this case, a naughty shark is pestering Pout-Pout Fish and his friends. This series is bright in color and filled with animals whose character traits we can all learn from about accepting oneself and being a good pal.
Where to find it: Visit poutpoutfish.com for more details.
Llama Llama and the Bully Goat
Written and illustrated by: Anna Dewdney
Age range: 2 to 5-year-olds
Year published: 2013
Number of pages: 40
Why I love it: It’s hard to know what to do when a bully comes along. Not everyone wants to get someone in trouble, even when we are upset. Llama Llama has this very problem with Gilroy Goat when he pesters Llama Llama and friends. Weighing when to tell or deal with a problem oneself is not always easy. Dewdney’s gentle approach to this topic and vibrant illustrations are vital in helping young readers prepare themselves if they are caught in a similar situation.
Where to find it: Visit penguinrandomhouse.com for more details.
Dude. Be Nice.
Written by: Sarah Scheerger
Illustrated by: Alex MacNaughton
Age range: 3 to 7-year-olds
Year published: 2025
Number of pages: 32
Why I love it: The author of this brand-new book is also a social worker, whose experience working with at-risk kids informs her perspective that there’s potential for goodness in everyone. Dude is a bear who just wants to help but oversteps some boundaries, not asking what his friends actually want or need and putting his ideas and expectations on them. His intended good deeds turn into chaos and cause trouble with his buddies, but he learns his lessons: cleaning up the messes he made and remembering that being a good friend starts with good communication.
Where to find it: Visit penguinrandomhouse.com for more details.
The Recess Queen
Written by: Alexis O’Neill
Illustrated by: Laura Huliska-Beith
Age range: 4 to 8-year-olds
Year published: 2002
Number of pages: 32
Why I love it: Playground bully Mean Jean (the name says it all) had all the kids at recess holding their breath, refusing to move until they had her approval. And if they did move, she had plenty of ideas for punishment in mind—that is, until the new girl named Katie Sue, unafraid and unaware of Mean Jean’s reputation, asked her to skip rope. When Mean Jean accepted the offer, she learned that having a friend is much more fun than being a bully.
I love that this book allows the kids to try and solve their own problems, because the solution then is genuine and heartfelt instead of a command. The bouncy language, rhymes, and funny word mashups make this an entertaining read that opens up conversations about getting along, even with grumps.
Where to find it: Learn more at scholastic.com and find it on amazon.com.
The Bad Seed
Written by: Jory John
Illustrated by: Pete Oswald
Age range: 4 to 8-year-olds
Year published: 2017
Number of pages: 40
Why I love it: My favorite of Jory John’s food-themed, character-building books (The Smart Cookie, The Sour Grape), The Bad Seed makes the figurative-turned-literal seed into quite the stinker of a character. He makes others mad, cuts in line, and pushes them around. He is a bully, but you can’t help but want to know what he does next. It is a fierce frolic of fun as you laugh along with Seed’s naughtiness and then cheer him on when he’s moved toward redemption.
Where to find it: Visit harpercollins.com for more details.
Hooway for Wodney Wat
Written by: Helen Lester
Illustrated by: Lynn Munsinger
Age range: 5 to 8-year-olds
Year published: 2002
Number of pages: 32
Why I love it: Recommended by fellow librarians, this book is a charming but not preachy story about a rat who has trouble pronouncing his name. When a bully thinks he can talk down to Rodney, and talk over him too, Rodney finds his own voice and by the end of the story, feels the power of believing in himself. Speaking up and speaking out are the most powerful tools we can use, and self-love and self-acceptance can help protect us against those who would tease and mock us.
Where to find it: Visit harpercollins.com for more details.
Goal!
Written by: Mina Javaherbin
Illustrated by: A.G. Ford
Age range: 6 to 9-year-olds
Year published: 2012
Number of pages: 40
Why I love it: Perfect for the sports lover or the reluctant reader who would rather be outdoors, this story is set on the soccer fields of South Africa. A group of friends has a new soccer ball, and a group of bullies has set their sights on this new ball. Though the friends are swift and agile on the field, they’re unsure of what to do, until they decide to outsmart the bullies and beat them at their own game.
Where to find it: Visit candlewickpress.com for more details.
Smitty Tackles Bullying
Written by: Wade Smith
Illustrated by: James Little
Age range: 6 to 12-year-olds
Year published: 2017
Number of pages: 24
Why I love it: After his pro football days in the NFL, the former lineman for the Houston Texans evolved from athlete to children’s book author. The main character, Smitty, loves to read and is an avid athlete. Noticing another student, Luke, is being bullied about his reading challenges, Smitty jumps in to help. Proceeds from book sales benefit the Wade Smith Foundation, serving school literacy programs in Dallas and Houston and encouraging students to find their strengths.
Where to find it: Visit wadesmithfoundation.org for more details.
Chapter Books on Bullying for Big Kids
Rooster Joe and the Bully/El Gallo Joe y el Abusón
Written and illustrated by: Xavier Garza
Age range: 8 to 12-year-olds
Year published: 2016
Number of pages: 129
Why I love it: In a bilingual “flip” book, this Texas author brings the lucha once again to his collection with this chapter book about bullying. Seventh grader Joe is an avid artist and a good friend, who refuses to stand by when Martin terrorizes other kids. Joe digs deep down to his roots and uses his personal struggle to wrestle this bully back behind the ropes. Garza’s sketches of villains and heroes in his signature style are accompanied by a few roosters, of course.
Where to find it: Visit artepublicopress.com for the paperback or amazon.com for the e-book.
Bernice Buttman, Model Citizen
Written by: Niki Lenz
Age range: 8 to 12-year-olds
Year published: 2019
Number of pages: 240
Why I love it: In this hilarious read—a Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List nominee—Bernice is the bully. She’s got big dreams of becoming a stunt woman when she grows up and is teeming with shenanigans, but she slowly comes to understand how her antics are causing her own loneliness. So readers follow her story as she navigates her path of personal growth from local bully to true friend. This is Lenz’s first novel, and she nailed it. If you like this one, check out her follow-up novel The Stepmom Shakeup.
Where to find it: Visit penguinrandomhouse.com for more details.
Wonder
Written by: R.J. Palacio
Age range: 8 to 12-year-olds
Year published: 2012
Number of pages: 320
Why I love it: Wonder is completely wonderful. A New York Times bestseller that’s since been adapted into a blockbuster movie, this book inspired an entire nation to look closely at how we treat others based on their appearance. Auggie Pullman has a very unique face, one that people find hard to overlook, but in this novel, with kindness and caring, his personality shines through. This book inspired additional books and even the Choose Kind movement. You’ll find more resources through the Craniofacial Children’s Association’s Choose Kind Inititative here.
Where to find it: Visit penguinrandomhouse.com for more details.
Hello, Universe
Written by: Erin Entrada Kelly
Illustrated by: Isabel Roxas
Age range: 8 to 12-year-olds
Year published: 2017
Number of pages: 352
Why I love it: In this Newbery Award-winning book, bully Chet pranks a shy kid named Virgil and his pet guinea pig, trapping them both at the bottom of a deep well. So Virgil’s friends then come together for a rescue mission, but first they must overcome their own perceived limitations. This book is strong in voice that will keep your young reader engaged until the very end. This book has so many worthy messages, but mostly, I love that the story demonstrates our differences can be our strengths.
Where to find it: Visit harpercollins.com for more details. If you love this one, follow it up with Entrada Kelly’s You Go First.
RELATED: Raising Kids With Moral Courage
Kena Sosa is an award-winning children’s book author of Kindertransport, with over 20 years experience in the classroom and school library.
