• Ask Questions as They Read: How does the story make you feel? Do you feel happy or sad for the main character? 
• Make a Connection to the Story: Encourage your child to make a connection between what is happening in the story and their own life. 
• Read Aloud Together: Read together and bond over the story and the shared experiences you have together and with the characters in the book.
• Join a Book Group: Join a kids' book group to encourage further exploration of the characters and situations in a book. Your child can share their thoughts and hear others’ perspectives. 

Books to Inspire Empathy

Get started with these suggested titles from the FCPL catalog and OverDrive eBook collection — and connect with advisors at your branch or through My Perfect Read for more ideas. 

Young Readers 

• Nobody Hugs a Cactus by Carter Goodrich
• We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
• The Cool Bean by Jory John
• Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena
• Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
• The Arabic Quilt by Aya Khalil
• Crunch the Shy Dinosaur by Cirocco Dunlap
• When Grandma Gives You A Lemon Tree by Jamie L.B. Deenihan

School-Age Readers

• Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
• The BFG by Roald Dahl
• Lety Out Loud by Angela Cervantes
• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
• El Deafo by Cece Bell
• Braced by Alyson Gerber
• Focused by Alyson Gerber
• Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
• Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern
• When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jameson