#PICTUREBOOKS4RE
A useful picture book list to support the teaching of Religious Education
Curated by @KarlDuke8 with help from the fantastic reading community on Twitter
Acceptance (slides 2-4)
Belonging (5-6)
Big Questions (7)
Celebrations & Festivals (8-9)
Community (10-11)
Diversity/Respect (12-16)
Joy (17-18)
Letting Your Light Shine (19)
Loss (20-22)
ACCEPTANCE
Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann
War Game by Michael Foreman
Mixed by Arree Chung
The Smeds and The Smoos by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
Hue Boy by Rita Phillips Mitchell & Caroline Birch
The Society of Distinguished Lemmings: In a society of lemmings, can a bear ever belong? by Julie Colombet
One World Together by Catherine & Laurence Anholt
Green Lizards and Red Rectangles and the Blue Ball: A Story of Living in Harmony by Steve Antony
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson & Rafael Lopez (USA)
There’s Room for Everyone by Anahita Teymorian
Inch & Grub: A Story of Cavemen by Alastair Chisholm & David Roberts
Drawn Together by Minh Le & Dan Santat
Quill Soup by Alan Durant & Dale Blankenaar
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman & Caroline Binch
The Day War Came by Nicole Davies & Rebecca Cobb
Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
The New Girl by Nicola Davies & Cathy Fisher
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees
The Tale of Gilbert Alexander Pig by Gael Cresp & David Cox
The Snow Rabbit by Camille Garoche
Perfectly Norman by Tom Percival
10000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert & Rex Ray
Eyes that Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho & Dung Ho
The Bad Seed by Jory John & Pete Oswald
Bob The Artist by Marion Denchars
The Boy Who Grew Flowers by Jen Wojtowicz & Steve Adams
Clancy The Courageous Cow by Lachie Hume
Elmer by David McKee
A Funny Little Bird by Jennifer Yerkes
Guji-Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen
I Don’t Want to be a Frog by Dev Petty & Mike Boldt
It’s Okay to be Different by Todd Parr
Just Ask! By Sonia Sotomayor & Rafael Lopez
Leila in Saffron by Rukhsanna Guidroz & Dinara Mirtalipova
Lila and the Crow by Gabrielle Grimard
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar & Alea Marley
My Name is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin & Barbara Kiwak
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
ACCEPTANCE
Neither by Airlie Anderson
The Only Way is Badger by Stella J Jones & Carmen Saldana
Sulwe by Lupita Nyong’o & Vashti Harrison
The Ugly Duckling by Hans Chrisrian Anderson & Jerry Pinkney
We’re All Wonders by RJ Palacio
Where Are You From? By Yamile Saied Mendez & Jaime Kim
I’m Here by Peter H Reynolds
Red A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall
A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz & Ca’Tia Chien
Emmanuel’s Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson & Sean Qualls
My Friend Isabelle by Eliza Woloson & Bryan Gough
Miss Little’s Gift by Douglas Wood & Jim Burke
ACCEPTANCE
BELONGING
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman
Where’s My Darling Daughter? by Mij Kelly & Katherine McEwan
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
One World Together by Catherine & Laurence Anholt
Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin
Migrations: Open Hearts Open Borders by numerous
Flock by Gemma Koomen
No Matter What by Debi Gliori
John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat by Jenny Wagner & Ron Brooks
Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman & Caroline Birch
Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family’s Journey by Margriet Ruurs & Nizar Ali Badr
Refugees by Brian Bilston & Jose Sanabria
My Name Is Not Refugee by Kate Milner
Wisp: A Story of Hope by Zana Fraillon & Grahame Baker-Smith
What is a Refugee? By Elise Gravel
The Journey by Francesca Sanna
The Little Refugee by Anh Do, Suzanne Do & Bruce Whatley
A Different Pond by Bao Phi & Thi Bui
The Day War Came by Nicola Davies & Rebecca Cobb
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt De La Pena & Christian Robinson
Azzi In Between by Sarah Garland
The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman & Karin Littlewood
The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
One Green Apple by Eve Bunting & Ted Lewin
Nicky and Vera by Peter Sis
Coming to England by Floella Benjamin & Diane Ewen
Island Born by Junot Diaz & Leo Espinosa
Migrants by Issa Watanabe
Refuge by Anne Booth & Sam Usher
Welcome to Our World by Moira Butterfield & Harriet Lynas
Migrant by Maxine Trottier & Isabelle Arsenault
King of the Sky by Nicola Davies & Laura Carlin
There’s A Boy Just Like Me by Frasier Cox & Alison Brown
The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield
BELONGING
BIG QUESTIONS
What is God Like? By Rachel Held Evans & Matthew Paul Turner
Really Really Big Questions about God, Faith and Religion by Julian Baggini & Nishant Choksi
Big Ideas for Young Thinkers by Jamia Wilson & Andrea Pippins
The Three Questions by Jon J Muth
A Travel Guide to Heaven for Kids by Anthony DeStefano & Erwin Madrid
Dear God, I Have a Question by Kathryn Slattery
How Did I Get Here? by Philip Bunting
Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers
That’s a Good Question by J. John
The Little Book of Big Questions by Jackie French & Martha Newbigging
What Makes Me A Me? By Ben Faulks & David Tazzyman
The Big Question by Leen Van Den Berg & Kaatje Vermeire
Blue by Britta Teckentrup
Maia and What Matters by Tine Mortier & Kaatje Vermeire
Your Place in the Universe by Jason Chin
What Happens When I Talk to God by Stormie Omartian & Shari Warren
How Great Is Our God? by Louie Giglio, Tama Fortner & Nicola Anderson
Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing by Sally Lloyd-Jones & Jago
Why Did Jesus Die? By Alison Mitchell
Everything a Child Should Know about God by Kenneth N Taylor & Jenny Brake
What Every Child Should Know about Prayer by Nancy Guthrie & Jenny Brake
CELEBRATIONS & FESTIVALS
A Year Full of Celebrations and Festivals by Christopher Corr
Festivals and Celebrations by Sandra Lawrence & Jane Newland
Ramadan: Festivals Around the World by Grace Jones
Eid al-Adha: Festivals Around the World Grace Jones
Rosh Hashanah: Festivals Around the World by Grace Jones
Easter: Festivals Around the World by Grace Jones
The Birthday of Guru Nanak: Festivals Around the World by Grace Jones
The Big Book of Festivals by Marita Bullock, Joan-Marie Hargreaves & Liz Rowland
Yom Kippur: Festivals Around the World by Grace Jones
Chinese New Year: Festivals Around the World by Grace Jones
Christmas: Festivals Around the World by Grace Jones
Prince of Fire: The Story of Diwali by Jatinder Verma & Nilesh Mishry
Festival of Colors by Kabir Sehgal, Surishtha Sehgal & Vashti Harrison
Holi Colours by Rina Singh
Diwali by Hannah Elliot & Archana Sreenivasan
Holi: Festivals Around the World by Grace Jones
Ramadan Moon by Na’ima B Robert & Shirin Adi
Dogger by Shirley Hughes (Easter)
He is Risen by Patti Rokus
A Saviour is Born by Patti Rokus
Rama and Sita: The Story of Diwali by Malachy Doyle & Christopher Corr
CELEBRATIONS & FESTIVALS
COMMUNITY
Hey, Wall: A Story of Art and Community by Susan Verde & John Parra
It Takes a Village by Hillary Rodham Clinton & Marla Frazee
The Invisible by Tom Percival
Stick and Stone by Beth Ferry & Tom Lichtenfield
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman
Quill Soup by Alan Durant & Dale Blankenaar
If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall
The Society of Distinguished Lemmings: In a society of lemmings, can a bear ever belong? by Julie Colombet
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
Elmer by David McKee
The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig & Patrice Barton
The Whispering Town by Jennifer Elvgren & Fabio Santomauro
Mr Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena & Christian Robinson
If the World Were a Village by David J Smith & Shelagh Armstrong
Island Born by Junot Diaz & Leo Espinosa (Dominican Republic/USA)
The Marvellous Fluffy, Squishy, Itty Bitty by Beatrice Alemagna (France)
Child of St Kilda by Beth Waters
Love the World by Todd Parr
The Thing by Simon Puttock & Daniel Egneus
Katie Morag Island Stories by Mairi Hedderwick
Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers
My Very Own Space by Pippa Goodhart & Rebecca Crane
We Are Britain! by Benjamin Zephaniah by Prodeepta Das
There Is a Tribe of Kids by Lane Smith
Footpath of Flowers by Jon Arno Lawson & Sydney Smith
The Only Way is Badger by Stella J Jones & Carmen Saldana
Who Will I Be? By Abby Huntsman & Joanne Lew-Vriethoff
Mama Panya’s Pancakes by Mary & Rich Chamberlin & Julia Cairns
Varmints by Helen Ward & Marc Craste
The Lumberjack’s Beard by Duncan Beedie
Little Glow by Katie Sahota & Harry Woodgate
The Proudest Blue by Ibtihaj Muhammad, SK Ali & Hatem Aly
Ramadan Moon by Na’ima B Robert & Shirin Adl
Yokki and the Parno Gry by Richard O’Neill, Katherine Quarmby & Marieke Nelissen
We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T Higgins
The Field by Baptiste Paul & Jacqueline Alcantara
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman & Kevin Hawkes
My Teacher is a Monster by Peter Brown
COMMUNITY
DIVERSITY/RESPECT
Two Monsters by David McKee
How to Change the World by Rashmi Sirdeshpande & Annabel Tempest
The Honey Hunter by Karthika Nair & Joelle Jolivet
Oh No, George! By Chris Haughton
All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold & Suzanne Kaufman
Green Lizards and Red Rectangles and the Blue Ball: A Story of Living in Harmony by Steve Antony
Inch & Grub: A Story of Cavemen by Alastair Chisholm & David Roberts
My Two Grannies by Floella Benjamin & Margaret Chamberlain
Drawn Together by Minh Le & Dan Santat
If You Come to Earth by Sophie Blackall
There’s Room for Everyone by Anahita Teymorian
Cyril and Pat by Emily Gravett
Quill Soup by Alan Durant & Dale Blankenaar
The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee
Perfectly Norman by Tom Percival
The Day War Came by Nicole Davies & Rebecca Cobb
Under the Love Umbrella by Davina Bell & Allison Colpoys
Making Friends: Emily Learns about Tolerance by Deborah Chancellor & Elif Balta Parks
Witchfairy by Brigitte Minne & Carll Cneut
Grandad’s Secret Giant by David Litchfield
Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito & Laura Freeman
Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann
Colin and Lee Carrot and Pea by Morag Hood
Through the Wall by Jonathan Standing
War Game by Michael Foreman
The Island by Armin Greder
The Vedas and Upanishads for Children by Roopa Pai
Mixed by Arree Chung
The Smeds and The Smoos by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler
The Society of Distinguished Lemmings: In a society of lemmings, can a bear ever belong? by Julie Colombet
Marney’s Mix Up by Jane Rushmore & Sally Darby
One World Together by Catherine & Laurence Anholt
What Religions are in our Neighbourhood? by Jean Mead
Frog and the Stranger by Max Velthuijs
War and Peas by Michael Foreman
Champion Gran: Kara Learns About Respect by Deborah Chancellor & Elif Balta Parks
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson & E B Lewis
The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
The Little Island by Smriti Prasadam-Halls & Robert Starling
Perfect by Nicola Davies & Cathy Fisher
DIVERSITY/RESPECT
For the Right to Learn: Malala Yousafzai’s Story by Rebecca Langston-George & Janna Bock
Freedom, We Sing by Amyra Leon & Molly Mendoza
Every Child a Song by Nicola Davies & Marc Martin
Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker & Dow Phumiruk
I Have the Right to be a Child by Alain Serres, Aurelia Fronty & Sarah Ardizzone
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine & Kadir Nelson
If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks by Faith Ringgold
Kamala Harries: Rooted in Justice by Nikki Grimes & Laura Freeman
Migrants by Issa Watanabe
Muslim Girls Rise by Saira Mir & Aaliya Jaleel
Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley
Julian at the Wedding by Jessica Love
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford & Kadir Nelson
Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford & Michele Wood
Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder & Jerry Pinkney
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander & Kadir Nelson
Flight for Freedom by Kristen Fulton & Torben Kuhlmann
Shine by Sarah Asuouo & Florelle Bohi
Best Test by Pippa Goodhart & Anna Doherty
What a Wonderful Phrase by Nicola Edwards & Manu Montoya
DIVERSITY/RESPECT
One World Together by Catherine & Laurence Anholt
Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag by Rob Sanders & Steven Salerno
We Are Family by Patricia Hegarty & Ryan Wheatcroft
And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell & Henry Cole
Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
Introducing Teddy by Jessica Walton & Dougal MacPherson
The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad, S K Ali & Hatem Aly
What Religions are in our Neighbourhood? by Jean Mead
The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson & Rafael Lopez
The Girl with Two Dads by Mel Elliott
Pink by Lynne Rickards & Margaret Chamberlain
Keith Among the Pigeons by Katie Brosnan
Little Dreamers: Visionary Women Around the World by Vashti Harrison
HerStory by Katherine Halligan & Sarah Walsh
Desmond and the Very Mean World by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams & AG Ford
Coming to England by Floella Benjamin & Diane Ewen
Yaffa and Fatima Shalom, Salaam by Fawzia Gilani-Williams & Chiara Fedele
Jerome by Heart by Thomas Scotto & Olivier Tallec
Two Monsters by David McKee
DIVERSITY/RESPECT
Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai & Kerascoet
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson & E B Lewis
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford & Floyd Cooper
My Place by Nadia Wheatley & Donna Rawlins
Amazing Muslims Who Changed the World by Burhana Islam
Two Pigeons on a Pilgrimage: A Hajj Story by Rabia Bashir & Aisha Dean
Golden Domes & Silver Lanterns by Hena Khan & Mehrdokht Amini
The Hanukkah Mice by Steven Kroll & Michelle Shapiro
Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel & Emily Hughes
Sita’s Ramayana by Sambita Arni & Moyna Chitrakar
The Diwali Gift by Shweta Chopra, Shuchi Mehta & Anna Koan
Festival of Colors by Kabir Sehgal & Surishtha Sehgal
The Vedas and Upanishads for Children by Roopa Pai
The Promise by Nicola Davies & Laura Carlin
The Silence Seeker by Ben Morley & Carl Pearce
What We’ll Build by Oliver Jeffers
Steamboat School by Deborah Hopkinson & Ron Husband
Nen and the Lonely Fisherman by Ian Eagleton & James Mayhew
DIVERSITY/RESPECT
JOY
Freedom, We Sing by Amyra Leon & Molly Mendoza
Augustus and his Smile by Catherine Rayner
Joy by Corinne Averis & Isabelle Follath
Happy Dreamer by Peter H Reynolds
Nothing Can Separate You From God’s Love! By Natalee Creech & Joseph Cowman
Lights on Cotton Rock by David Litchfield
Tom’s Magnificent Machine by Linda Sarah & Ben Mantle
Would You Rather by John Burningham
Happy by Nicola Edwards & Katie Hickey
Once Upon An Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices by SK Ali & Aisha Saeed
Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees
The Dancing Tiger by Malachy Doyle, Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
What a Wonderful World by Bob Thiele, George David Weiss & Tim Hopgood
After the Fall by Dan Santat
When I Coloured in the World by Ahmadreza Ahmadi & Ehsan Abdollahi
Singing in the Rain by Arthur Freed & Tim Hopgood
Olivia Dances for Joy by Natalie Shaw
The World Made a Rainbow by Michelle Robinson & Emily Hamilton
A Year Full of Celebrations and Festivals by Christopher Corr
100 Things That Make me Happy by Amy Schartz
The Happy Owls by Celestino Piatti
My Heart Fills with Happiness by Monique Gray Smith & Julie Flett
The Jar of Happiness by Ailsa Burrows
Anna Hibiscus’ Song by Atinuke & Lauren Tobia
Perfect Square by Michael Hall
Every Little Thing by Bob Marley, Cedella Marley & Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Festivals and Celebrations by Sandra Lawrence & Jane Newland
You Are Light by Aaron Becker
JOY
LETTING YOUR LIGHT SHINE
Chandra’s Magic Light by Theresa Heine & Judith Gueyfier
You Are Light by Aaron Becker
My Favorite Color by Aaron Becker
When God Made Light by Matthew Paul Turner & David Catrow
Light the Candles by Joan Holub & Lynne Cravath
Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights by Bonnie Baker & Joanie Stone
The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi & Lorena Alvarez
Let There Be Light by Archbishop Desmond Tutu & Nancy Tillman
Nature’s Light Spectacular by Katy Flint & Cornelia Li
The Light in the Night by Marie Voigt
She Caught the Light: Williamina Stevens Fleming – Astronomer by Kathryn Lasky & Julianna Swaney
Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? By Martin Waddell & Barbara Firth
Rain Before Rainbows by Smriti Halls & David Litchfield
You Are Special by Sergio Martinez & Max Lucado
Shine by Sarah Asuquo
Born to Ride: A Story about Bicycle Face by Larissa Theule & Kelsey Garrity-Riley
Wilma Unlimited by Katherine Krull & David Diaz
Kenya’s Art by Linda Trice & Hazel Mitchell
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterley & Laura Freeman
Marie Curie and her Daughters by Imogen & Isabel Greenberg
Mama Miti by Donna Jo Napoli & Kadir Nelson
A Shelter for Sadness by Anne Booth & David Litchfield
The Garden of Hope by Isabel Otter & Katie Rewse
The Tide by Clare Helen Walsh & Ashling Lindsay
The House of Lost and Found by Martin Widmark & Emilia Dziubak
Finn’s Feather by Rachel Noble & Zoey Abbott
The Immortal Jellyfish by Sang Miao
A Last Goodbye by Elin Kelsey & Soyeon Kim
A Storm Called Katrina by Myron Uhlberg & Colin Bootman
Tree: A Little Story about Big Things by Danny Parker & Matt Ottley
The Colour Thief by Andrew Fusek Peters, Polly Peters & Karin Littlewood
If All the World Were… by Joseph Coelho & Allison Colpojs
The Scar by Charlotte Moundlic & Olivier Tallec
The Boy and the Gorilla by Jackie Azua Kramer & Cindy Derby
One Wave at a Time by Holly Thompson & Ashley Crowley
A Map into the World by Kao Kalia Yang & Seo Kim
The Lonely Tree by Nicholas Halliday
The Visitor by Antje Damm
Michael Rosen’s Sad Book by Michael Rosen
Footpath of Flowers by Jon Arne Lawson and Sydney Smith
Grandpa’s Island by Benji Davies
Where the Poppies Now Grow by Hilary Robinson and Martin Impey
Big Cat Little Cat by Elisha Cooper
Tibble and Grandpa by Wendy Meddour & Daniel Egneus
LOSS, GRIEF &
SADNESS
The Day War Came by Nicola Davies and Rebecca Cobb
The Sea Saw by Tom Percival
The Dam by David Almond & Levi Pinfold
The Heart in the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers
The Tear Thief by Carol Ann Duffy & Nicoletta Ciccoli
Small in the City by Sydney Smith
The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
Erika’s Story by Ruth Vander-Zee & Roberto Innocenti
Up the Mountain by Marianne Dubuc
Ocean Meets the Sky by The Fan Brothers
The Copper Tree by Hilary Robinson & Mandy Stanley
Snook Alone by Marilyn Nelson & Timothy Basil Ering
Duck, Death and the Tulip by Wolf Erlbruch
Cry Heart but Never Break by Glenn Ringtved & Charlotte Pardi
The Flat Rabbit by Bardur Oskarsson
Fox and the Goldfish by Nils Pieters
Life and I: A Story about Death by Elisabeth Helland Larsen & Marine Schneider
Maia and What Matters by Tine Mortier & Kantje Vermeire
Mum’s Jumper by Jayde Perkin
My Father’s Arms are a Boat by Stein Erik Lunde & Oyvjnd Torseter
A Grandfather’s Heart by Irena Trevisan
Tom’s Magnificent Machines by Linda Sarah & Ben Mantle
The Memory Tree by Breta Teckentrup
LOSS, GRIEF &
SADNESS
The Rough Patch by Brian Lies
Rabbityness by Jo Empson
Grandpa’s Angel by Jutta Bauer
What Happens Next? By Shinsuke Yositake
The Dead Bird by Margaret Wise Brown & Christian Robinson
No Matter What by Debi Gliori
Funeral by Matt James
Badger’s Parting Gifts by Susan Varley
Watercress by Andrea Wang & Jason Chin
Faraway Things by Dave Eggers & Kelly Murphy
Lost in the Clouds by Tom Tinn-Disbury
Bug in a Vacuum by Melanie Watt
Rabbit and the Motorbike by Kate Hoefler & Sarah Jocoby
Grandpa by John Burningham
Missing Mummy by Rebecca Cobb
Waiting for Wolf by Sandra Dieckmann
The Gift by Carol Ann Duffy and Rob Ryan
The End of Something Wonderful by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic & George Ermos
Grandpa’s Angel by Jutta Bauer
Fox: A Circle of Life Story by Isabel Thomas & Daniel Egneus
The Survivor Tree by Cheryl Somers Aubin & Sheila Harrington
Girl from the Sea by Margaret Wild & Jane Tanner
Skyfishing by Gideon Sterer & Poly Bernatene
LOSS, GRIEF &
SADNESS