My son has always loved books and over the years we've read so many childrens books together. It’s always been one of our favourite times of day, when we cuddle up in bed with a book. These days he reads a lot by himself and when we read together it's longer chapter books, he’s nine now, but in this blog post I've listed some of the best childrens picture books with a great message that I found we both loved when he was younger.

As someone who's commited to concsious parenting I always looked for childrens books with a positive message, so that each night when we read not only were we having calm, quiet time together but he’d learn about things that matter – such as kindness, cooperation and self belief etc.

I highly recommend these books for your little ones. If you have any other conscious books for kids that you love then feel free to add them in the comments. 

1. The Lion Inside By Rachel Bright – This book is about a mouse who looks up to a lion and thinks he has everything because he’s big with a powerful roar, but when they finally meet the lion is scared of the mouse. It teaches kids that anyone can find their roar, what you see on the outside is not the same as what’s on the inside and that no one is ‘better’ than anyone else, just different.

2. The Koala Who Could By Rachel Bright – From the same author as ‘The Lion Inside’ above, this book encourages kids to overcome worries and teaches that they don’t have to be scared of the unknown. Sometimes trying new things can be fun. We have several others from this same author too.

3. An Awesome Book Of Thanks By Dallas Clayton – I LOVE all the books in this range, we also have one called ‘An awesome book of love’. They are quirky, fun and this one in particular encourages children to be grateful for life and all that’s in it. It could also encourage your child to get naming what they’re grateful for every night which is a wonderful practice to begin.

4. Hug Time By Patrick Mc Donnell – This has always been my personal favourite just because of how cute it is! It’s pretty short but is about a little kitten who decides to go around the world and hug everything on earth. I love the message of giving and receiving love, it’s illustrated beautifully and always encourages big hugs 🙂

5. I Am Yoga By Susan Verde – Another short book, that is also beautifully illustrated. Each page is a different affirmation which helps to build self belief and resilience in your children. I bought this book for my son when he was tiny and I’ll always remember one day at the park, he was climbing up something pretty high. I could tell he was starting to doubt whether he could continue but I heard him say ‘I can do anything, I am yoga’ (one of the affirmations from the book) under his breath and carry on climbing. So I know it works! This author has several other books too which we also love.

6. The Secret Of Black Rock By Joe Todd Stanton – This is a great book that encourages children to stand up for what they believe in even when others disagree, and how one person can make a big difference. The little girl in the book looks after a rock in the ocean so it also encourages kids to care about the environment. We both really enjoyed reading this book. 

7. Dave The Lonely Monster By Anna Kemp – This book is about a little boy who makes an unlikely friendship with a monster. It has a lovely message that encourages children to be kind, empathic, inclusive and stand up for others. 

8. The Knight Who Wouldn’t Fight By Helen Docherty- I had to also include this book as it’s another with a lovely message. The main character is a knight who prefers to spend his time reading rather than fighting, much to his parents dismay. It encourages children to be their own person and shows that things work out for good when you stay true to who you are. Any book that encourages reading over violence is a winner for me.

I could probably continue with this list as we have so many books but these are some of our favourites. Like I say, we’ve moved on to reading chapter books now so at some point I’ll come back with an updated list of books for older children. I must say I’m finding it way more difficult to find chapter books with positive messages, so if you have any suggestions then please do let me know.

I hope that you enjoy reading these suggestions as much as we have. Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear from you. Or add your own suggestions in the comments.

Happy reading 🙂