No matter our age in years, we have all experienced behavior in others that puts our patience to the test. (If we are honest, sometimes WE are the ones who are testing others!) Just as we adults read fiction to help us understand the nuances of human behavior, children can use stories to help decipher both new and familiar situations, and explore why people “do what they do.” These new children’s books focus on children’s challenging moments and offer some clever perspectives for readers of all ages.

Dot is Not Little, even though her stature is short, and she is the smallest member of her family. Her constant need to prove herself older, stronger, and smarter can get, well, rather obnoxious. When an even smaller and shyer boy named Sam arrives in her classroom, she sees an opportunity to feel bigger than someone else, but when Sam is targeted by the school bully, it is up to Dot to come to Sam’s defense—in a voice that is not little at all.
Not Little by Maya Myers, illustrated by Hyewon Yum (Holiday House, 2021) Ages 3 – 6. 

What little kids are not fascinated by trucks and trains? Trucker, in Trucker and Train by Hannah Stark, is King of the Road—until he meets Train, who is louder and faster and stronger than he is. Trucker’s boisterous attempts to get attention come to naught, until he seizes on a sudden opportunity to save Train and all the vehicles on the road from certain disaster. Trucker and Train is a sturdy board book whose characters, illustrated by Bob Kolar, are vehicles of all kinds, loaded with personality.
Trucker and Train by Hannah Stark, illustrated by Bob Kolar (Clarion Books, 2021) Ages 1 – 4.

Sharky McShark is a bully, the meanest creature that ever swam in the watery depths. Every creature in the ocean is afraid of her. But in a brightly illustrated variation on Aesop’s fable of the Lion and the Mouse, she meets a teensy-wee crab, who promises to save Sharky’s life if hers is spared. You know the story: there is a net and a fall and suddenly, a lonely and scared shark who only wants a friend to help him. Teensy-wee crab to the rescue, and Sharky becomes the friendliest creature in the sea. “Even big bad bullies deserve a second chance,” observes the crab.
Sharky McShark by Alison Murray (Little Brown and Company, 2020) Ages 2 – 5.

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I Love You All the Time gets to the very heart of parenthood. Dad, Mom, and Grandma support an irrepressible toddler whose path through everyday life—running late for preschool, making messes, losing sneakers—can be exasperating, but is always outweighed by the joys of spending time together, playing and snuggling and trying new things. The comforting chorus, “I love you all the time,” reminds readers that, no matter what their behavior, they are loved unconditionally. Jennifer Zivoin’s soft illustrations are the perfect accompaniment.
I Love You All the Time by Deborah Farmer Kris, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin (Free Spirit, 2022) Ages 2 – 6. 

Lunch Every Day, based on a true story, is a good book for older children and their caregivers to read together and discuss. Jimmy, bullied at home by his siblings, in turn bullies a boy in his class by taking his brown-bag lunch every day. But at a birthday party that Jimmy reluctantly attends, he discovers that the “skinny kid” has his own family sorrows, and the boy’s mother engages him with unexpected compassion and understanding. Her act of kindness changes everything.
Lunch Every Day by Kathryn Otoshi (KO Kids Books, 2021) Ages 6 – 10.

Kalli Dakos writes perceptive poetry for children, and They Only See the Outside is a collection of poems about feelings, not always seen by others, that contribute to challenging behavior. There’s another shark bully on the playground, a dear friend and a dog who have died, a sympathetic teacher who shares her body-shaming past with a troubled student. There are poems about refugees, saying goodbye, and a boy in a wheelchair. Dakos manages to put her finger on many of the ways that children might feel sad or insecure; these are wonderful poems to read aloud at home or in the classroom.
They Only See the Outside by Kalli Dakos, illustrated by Jimothy Oliver (Magination Press, 2021) Ages 6 – 10.