Books for children

On this page you’ll find some of our favourite books for children on humanism, humanist perspectives on big questions, and stories with humanist themes. Most of these are picture books, aimed at primary school children, but some can also be used effectively in the secondary classroom. There are also some recommended books for older readers. If you have suggestions for any recommended reads then please get in touch.

Click here to read an article on some of our favourite children’ picture books and stories.

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Humanism

• What is humanism? How do I live without a god? And other big questions for kids (Wayland) by Michael Rosen and Annemarie Young (ages 8-14).
• Belonging and Believing: My Humanist Family (Books at Press) by Gill Vaisey (ages 4-6) – learn about the lived experiences of a young boy and his humanist family
• The Young Atheist’s Handbook by Alom Shaha (ages 12-16) – a personal memoir

Origins

Evolution and the history of life on earth

• Our Family Tree (Houghton Mifflin) by Lisa Westberg Peters
• Grandmother Fish (Feiwel & Friends) by Jonathan Tweet
• How the Borks Became (Otter-Barry Books) by Jonathan Emmett
• Moth (Bloomsbury) by Isabel Thomas
• Frog (Bloomsbury) by Isabel Thomas
• Choose Your Own Evolution: Go Extinct or Survive? You Decide! (Nosy Crow) by Jules Howard
• Stone Girl, Bone Girl (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books) by Laurence Anholt
• The Pebble in My Pocket (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books) by Meredith Hooper
• Who Makes A Forest? (Andersen Press) by Sally Nicholls
• What Mr Darwin Saw (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books) by Mick Manning

Human origins

• The History of We (Rock the Boat Books) by Nikkolas Smith
• Where? (Allen & Unwin) by Jordan Collins
• Human Journey (Red Shed) by Alice Roberts

The Big Bang and the history of the universe

• Older Than the Stars (Charlesbridge Publishing) by Karen C. Fox
• Once Upon a Star (Little Tiger Press Group) by James Carter

Science

• For recommended books to bring alive the wonders of science and the natural world see fivebooks.com’s science books for kids
• We also like Mr Shaha’s Recipes for Wonder: adventures in science around the kitchen table (Scribe) by Alom Shaha and Emily Robertson

Philosophy

• The Complete Philosophy Files (Orion Children’s Books) by Stephen Law
• Sophie’s World (W&N) by Jostein Gaarder

Human rights

• I Have the Right to Be a Child (Groundwood Books) by Alain Serres (translated by Sarah Ardizzone)
• I Have The Right (Scribble) by Reza Dalvand
• We Are All Born Free (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books) by Amnesty International
• My Little Book of Big Freedoms (Buster Books) by Amnesty Internatonal
• Human Rights (Triangle Square) by Yayo Herrero

Death

The following books can support parents and young children with discussions around bereavement and sadness

• Fox: A Circle of Life Story (Bloomsbury) by Isabel Thomas
• The Memory Tree (Orchard Books) by Britta Teckentrup
• Waiting for Wolf (Hodder) by Sandra Dieckmann
• The Boy and the Gorilla (Candlewick Press)  by Jackie Azua Kramer
• Michael Rosen’s Sad Book (Walker Books) by Michael Rosen
• Where Are You, Eddie? (Walker Books) by Michael Rosen
• Always and Forever (Picture Corgi) by Alan Durant
• Lifetimes (Bantam Books) by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen

And for older children

• Charlotte’s Web (Puffin Classics) by EB White
• A Monster Calls (Walker Books) by Patrick Ness

Living well

• Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth (HarperCollins Children’s Books) by Oliver Jeffers – provides thoughts on what we know, how we should live, and how we should treat other people (see our resource)
• Alone and Together (Abrams Appleseed) by Emilie Chazerand – a celebration of what we are capable of and what we can achieve together – links to Humanists UK’s motto: ‘Think for yourself, act for everyone’
• Once Upon A Time There Was And Will Be So Much More (Walker Studio) by Johanna Schaible – where we come from and where we might go in the future
• It’s Your World Now (Pavilion) by Barry Falls

Being good and making a difference

• Aesop’s Fables provide a rich collection of stories to promote discussion around morality (find out more)
• Most People (Tilbury House Publishers) by Michael Leannah and Jennifer E Morris – explores our shared values and makes the claim that most people are good and want to be happy
• Gordon: The Meanest Goose on Earth (OUP) by Alex Latimer – how little acts of kindness can make a big difference
• The Girl Who Planted Trees (Nosy Crow) by Caryl Hart – a story about determination, making a difference, and inspiring others
• Words and Your Heart (Simon & Schuster Children’s UK) by Kate Jane Neal – addresses the power of words and the impact they can have on our emotions – on what makes us, us
• Each Kindness (G P Putnam’s Sons) by Jacqueline Woodson – explores the impact our actions have on other people and the importance of kindness to strangers

Human nature

• Can I Build Another Me? (Thames and Hudson Ltd) by Shinsuke Yoshitake – explores our identity and what kind of thing we are
• A Book of Feelings (Walker Books) by Amanda McCardie – describes how we all have feelings, some are positive, some are negative, but all are part of being human
• In My Heart: A Book of Feelings (Abrams Books) by Jo Witek is an exploration of the variety of different feelings we encounter
• What Makes Us Human? by Victor D O Santos – describes the power and potential of language
• I am Josephine and I am a Living Thing (Franklin Watts) by Jan Thornhill – asks what we share with other people and other living things, and how we are unique

Curiosity and Wonder

• Let’s Be Earthlings (Otter Barry Books) by Mary Murphy – aliens discover the wonders of life on Earth
• I Wonder (Four Elephants Press) by Annaka Harris – tells a story about the pleasures of curiosity and being comfortable with not knowing all the answers
• It Might Be An Apple (Thames and Hudson Ltd) by Shinsuke Yoshitake – explores the pleasures of being sceptical, using our imagination, and trusting our senses
• The Liszts (Andersen Press) by Kyo Maclear – addresses how questions can make life more interesting

Other picture books we like

• The Suitcase (Simon and Schuster) by Daniela Sosa – a young boy discovers how his grandparents lived lives to the full
• The Really Beautiful Thing (Andersen Press) by Frances Tosdevin – Squirrel realises friendship is more valuable than material possessions or illusory wonders
• People Need People (Hachette) by Benjamin Zephaniah – a poem about the value of other people in our lives
• Broken (Pushkin Children’s Books) by X Fang – a story about telling the truth and accepting responsibility
• Small Things (Pajama Press) by Meg Tregonning – addresses our anxieties and the awareness that we are not alone
• What Do You Do with a Problem? (Compendium Inc) by Kobi Yamada – describes how every problem can be an opportunity
• Red: a Crayon’s Story (Greenwillow Books) by Michael Hall – explores how we can find our true selves
• Silver Buttons (Walker Books) by Bob Graham – raises an awareness of the many different lives being lived around the world at the same time
• The Red Tree (Hodder Children’s Books) by Shaun Tan – shows how hope and inspiration can be found in the darkness
• Come With Me (Putnam Publishing Group) by Holly M McGhee – addresses how we can overcome the sometimes scary world around us by observing little acts of kindness and being brave
• One World Together (Frances Lincoln Children’s Books) by Catherine and Laurence Anholt – addresses diversity and how differences are not a barrier to friendship
• Lovely (Creston Books) by Jess Hong – a celebration of our differences with the message that ‘we are all lovely’
• The various Bear and Bird books (Walker Books) by Jarvis – stories about friendship
• The various Frog and Toad books (HarperCollins Children’s Books) by Arnold Lobel – stories about friendship
• Thoughtful Tales for Growing Minds (Uganda Humanist Schools Trust) by Steve Hurd – these stories about the wildlife of Africa explore big themes and questions in an empathetic and humanist way, including friendship, curiosity, the Golden Rule, the wonders of the natural world, and the protection of the environment

For older children and young adults

• His Dark Materials trilogy (Scholastic) by Philip Pullman – addresses questions on physics, freedom, and organised religion
• Chaos Walking trilogy (Candlewick Press) by Patrick Ness – explores themes of freedom and authoritarianism
• Small Gods (Corgi) by Terry Pratchett
• The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (Corgi) by Terry Pratchett
• Not the End of the World (OUP Oxford) by Geraldine McCaughrean – provides an alternative perspective on the story of the flood

With thanks to the wonderful Alligator’s Mouth Bookshop in Richmond who helped us to find many of these books.