Community Service Books that Encourage Kids (Unit Study)

Ordinary Mary is an ordinary girl from an ordinary school, on her way to her ordinary house who stumbles upon ordinary blueberries.

When she decides to pick them for her neighbor, Mrs. Bishop, she starts a chain reaction that multiplies around the world.

Mrs. Bishop makes blueberry muffins and gives them to her paperboy and four others ― one of whom is Mr. Stevens, who then helps five different people with their luggage and so on, until the deed comes back to Mary.

From esteemed author and speaker Trudy Ludwig and acclaimed illustrator Patrice Barton, this gentle story shows how small acts of kindness can help children feel included and allow them to flourish.

Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party . . . until, that is, a new kid comes to class.

When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome.

When Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine.

This heartwarming book encourages positive behavior by using the concept of an invisible bucket to show children how easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation and love by “filling buckets.”

Updated and revised, this 10th anniversary edition will help readers better understand that “bucket dipping” is a negative behavior, not a permanent label.

It also explains that it’s possible to fill or dip into our own buckets.

When Mrs. Ruler asks five of her kindergarteners to miss recess, she’s got a special plan up her sleeve. She’s about to teach a new golden rule.

Soon the entire class is doing so many good deeds that their kindness bulletin board barely fits their classroom! Count along with Mrs. Ruler’s class.

Can all their good deeds really add up to 100 acts of kindness?

With its touching message and delightful illustrations, adults and children will enjoy this intergenerational tale for years to come.

One snowy day an elderly woman, Sarah, watches children gathering at the bus stop. While they never seem to notice her, she notices them, especially one little boy who has no mittens.

That night, Sarah knits the boy a pair of cozy mittens and places them on the blue spruce tree for him to discover.

It soon becomes a game, with the children looking for new mittens on the mysterious tree every morning, and Sarah joyfully knitting new ones each night.

This spiral-bound, book combines colorful illustrations and entertaining narrative with fun learning activities, inspiring youngsters to give back to the world.

It is a unique, interactive process that allows parents, teachers or friends to help children understand giving and participate in a stimulating experience. T

he book combines entertaining narrative with fun learning activities as it invites readers to record their ideas, dreams and wishes for the world – making them the authors of their stories and creating a “scrapbook” of their journey into compassion, philanthropy and the power of their actions.

This new edition of Free Spirit’s best-selling youth service guide includes a refreshed “Ten Steps to Successful Service Projects” plus hundreds of up-to-date ideas for projects — from simple to large-scale.

At a time when U.S. President Barack Obama has called for increased participation in community service, this revitalized book is sure to find a whole new audience of eager young change-makers.

With the right role models, any child can be a hero.

Thirty true stories profile kids who used their heads, their hearts, their courage, and sometimes their stubbornness to help others and do extraordinary things.

As young readers meet these boys and girls from around the world, they may wonder, “What kind of hero lives inside of me?”

Want to help make your community, your town — your world — a better place, but don’t know where to begin? How To Be An Everyday Philanthropist shows you the way.

A handbook, a resource guide, a call  to action, and an inspiration, it offers 330 concrete, direct ideas for making a difference — all of which have nothing to do with the size of your checkbook and everything to do with using the hidden assets that are already a part of your life.

Whether you’re shopping, working, exercising, or surfing the Web, there are hundreds of ways to slip small but deeply meaningful acts of philanthropy into your life, using over 600 of the most innovative and effective charitable organizations around.

Doing Good Together answers the growing demand for family volunteerism with hands-on service projects focused on easing poverty, promoting literacy, supporting the troops, helping the environment, and more.

Each of the 101 self-contained projects provides time requirements, materials list, step-by-step instructions, debriefing questions, recommended books for kids and teens, and ideas for extending the activity.

Digital content includes the book’s 45 reproducible forms.