If your toddler or preschooler is learning to share, you are going to want to read these 6 books we love about sharing.

Sharing is a complex skill for our toddlers and preschoolers because developmentally, they are incredibly egocentric. Plus it is a very grey topic as they are expected to share some things but not all things. Books are a great way for children to explore new topics as it is a way for them to learn about a character’s feelings and to find solutions to common problems.

With that said here are 6 books I love about sharing.

Groovy Joe Ice Cream and Dinosaurs by Eric Litwin is likely my favorite of all the sharing books.

• Quick and easy read and it reads just like a children’s song, making you want to literally dance and sing.
• Your preschooler will love learning about sharing and will likely be singing “Love my doggy ice cream” for the rest of the day!

Not Fair, Won’t Share by Sue Graves reminds me of a social story but with more flare and a plot.

• Clearly explains sharing and taking turns in a classroom environment.
• Discusses the emotions children (and adults) feel when sharing isn’t successful and how to overcome those negative emotions.
• Has an explanation in the back on how to use this book effectively and extension activities you can do. I recommend you read the explanation before reading the book to your preschooler.
• Perfect for kids who will be going to school this fall.

We love the How Do Dinosaurs series! How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends? is by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.

• I like that this book shows our preschoolers not only what they should do, but also what the negative behavior looks like
• Often we don’t explain in enough detail what the negative behavior looks like and how to avoid it. This book (series) solves that problem.

You Are Not My Friend, But I Miss You By Daniel Kirk is the story of a sock monkey who gets upset that a friend is playing with his ball and not giving it back. This leads to Monkey deciding that Dog is no longer his friend and instead he will play with his ball by himself, that is until he realizes that playing and sharing with friends is a lot more fun.

• Sweet book that is easy to read.
• Perfectly depicts how many 4-5 year olds react to sharing 
• Shows your preschooler the positive side of sharing toys ->  playing together is more fun than having a toy all to yourself.

One Big Pair of Underwear is by Laura Ghel is an adorable book.

• Explores numbers as it rhythmically explains a situation where they are always short one item for a group of friends.
• It is a longer book and it is not until almost the end that sharing is discussed
• Fun to read and can be a bit of a tongue twister with all of the rhyming.

 Llama Llama Time to Share By Anna Dewdny is about Llama sharing all his toys quite well (in my opinion) except for one toy which appears to be his lovie and Mama Llama takes his lovie until he can share it appropriately.

• Children shouldn’t have to share their lovies. 
• Mama llama did not require Llama Llama to share his lovie, instead she required him to put it away until he felt he could share it.
• PERFECT opportunity to show your toddler that if they have a special toy that they do not want to share, the toy stays put away while their friend is over.

Sharing Books

Let me know what you think of these books and if you have any book recommendations about sharing or taking turns, leave them in the comments.