Books About: Bullying Prevention and Inclusion
- Sendero Centre - Red Deer
- Mar 26
- 4 min read
A curated collection of stories that empower readers to confront the challenges of bullying and celebrate diversity.
Through captivating narratives and practical advice, these books encourage compassion and teach essential skills for bullying prevention and creating inclusion.
Dive in, and discover how literature can be a powerful tool for change, creating a brighter, kinder world for everyone.
The Cool Bean
Appropriate for 6-8 Years The “too-cool-for-school” third picture book from the #1 New York Times bestselling creators of The Bad Seed and The Good Egg, Jory John and Pete Oswald
Everyone knows the cool beans. They’re sooooo cool.
And then there’s the uncool has-bean . . .
Always on the sidelines, one bean unsuccessfully tries everything he can to fit in with the crowd—until one day the cool beans show him how it’s done.
With equal measures of humor, wit, and charm, the #1 New York Times bestselling duo Jory John and Pete Oswald craft another incredible picture book, reminding us that it’s cooler to be kind.
Maybe He Just Likes You
Appropriate for 9-12 Years
For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player) Callum tells Mila it’s his birthday, and asks her for a “birthday hug.” He’s just being friendly, isn’t he? And how can she say no? But Callum’s hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feels…weird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like?
But the boys don’t leave Mila alone. On the bus. In the halls. During band practice—the one place Mila could always escape.
It doesn’t feel like flirting—so what is it? Thanks to a chance meeting, Mila begins to find solace in a new place: karate class. Slowly, with the help of a fellow classmate, Mila learns how to stand her ground and how to respect others—and herself.
We Accept No
Appropriate for 3-5 Years
A story about accepting no for an answer and how to handle the feeling of rejection.
Accepting no for an answer is a key foundation of consent. We Accept No builds children’s social and emotional skills and helps teach them how to ask for permission, how to respect no, and how to handle rejection.
The fourth book in the We Say What’s Okay series, We Accept No follows Jamin, who is upset when his friend Zakiya doesn’t want to share a great big extra-squeezy hug at the end of the day. With the help of his teacher, Ms. H, Jamin learns why accepting no for an answer is important, what to do with his sad and angry feelings, and what else he can do when someone doesn’t want a hug.
Using the book as a read-aloud, educators and families can model the language Jamin’s teacher uses to support him as he learns how to respect personal boundaries. The author, who hosts workshops and trainings on teaching boundaries and consent for families and early childhood educators around the country, offers additional activities in the back of the book.
Speak Up
Appropriate for 6-8 Years
When something really matters, one voice can make a difference. This spirited, vibrant picture book celebrates diversity and encourages kids to speak up, unite with others, and take action when they see something that needs to be fixed.
Join a diverse group of kids on a busy school day as they discover so many different ways to speak up and make their voices heard! From shouting out gratitude for a special treat to challenging a rule that isn’t fair, these young students show that simple, everyday actions can help people and make the world a better place.
Claudia and the New Girl: A Graphic Novel (#9)
Appropriate for 9-12 Years
Claudia has always been the most creative kid in her class... until Ashley Wyeth comes along. Ashley's really different: She wears hippie clothes and has multiple earrings, and she's the most fantastic artist Claudia has ever met.
Ashley says Claudia is a great artist, too, but thinks she's wasting her artistic talent with The Baby-sitters Club. When Claudia starts spending more time with Ashley and missing BSC meetings, it becomes clear that Claudia has to make a decision -- one of them has to go!
Crush
Appropriate for 13+
Jorge seems to have it all together. He's big enough that nobody really messes with him, but he's also a genuinely sweet guy with a solid, reliable group of friends.
The only time he ever really feels off his game is when he crosses paths with a certain girl... But when the group dynamic among the boys starts to shift, will Jorge be able to balance what his friends expect of him versus what he actually wants?
Can a Unicorn Help me With Bullying?
Appropriate for 6-8 Years
I have a unicorn for a pet...
She's my best friend ever. We do many cool things together - eating breakfast, racing across the meadow, then sliding down the rainbow, and a lot more...
But most importantly, my unicorn is very wise and smart and often sits with me for hours to talk about important things.
Recently, I didn't feel very happy, and I didn't want to go school, because there was a girl and her friends at school who decided to pick on me, and I felt BULLIED...
They say I can't play with them...
They tell other kids that they can't play with me...
The say mean things to me...
They call me names...
So, school isn't a fun place any more...
All of this made me feel blue, and I wonder if what they said about me is true...
What if they're not wrong?
How can I go to school, where I clearly don't belong?
Luckily, my unicorn told me just what to do to deal with Bullying!
How did she do that?
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