Picture Books That Encourage Cooperation

Are you looking for picture books that encourage cooperation in children? I thought it would be fun to find picture books that encourage cooperation and working with a partner. There are so many wonderful stories that model this for children.

Read the stories with your children. See what they notice about the story’s lesson. See what they might agree with or try in their own lives.

Children’s Books That Encourage Cooperation (and Teamwork)

Yoga Friends by Miriam Gates and Rolf Gates, illustrated by Sarah Jane Hinder
Introduce your children to playful partner poses that they can do with a friend, sibling, or parent. Read the simple text, look at the kids in the brightly-illustrated pictures, and copy the pose. The authors’ goal is to make yoga playful as well as focused. I think they succeed! You’ll also find the following partner poses: Lotus, Octopus, Owl, Boat, Drawbridge, Heart, Double Warrior, Tree, and Tree Variation.

Red & Yellow’s Noisy Night by Josh Selig
Red and Yellow live happily together in the Olive Tree. One night when Yellow wants to sleep, Red wants to be loud. What? It takes the two friends time to work out a solution but eventually Red plays quieter and Yellow likes it. In fact, he falls asleep to the music. This book is part of Little Light Foundation, a non-profit charity whose goal is to help children learn about conflict resolution and mutual respect.

Colors versus Shapes by Mike Boldt
The colors show the shapes how talented they are by mixing yellow and blue to make green. The shapes show the colors how two triangles combine make a square. They argue until . . . an octagon and the color red collide. Whoa! Maybe they are all better together. It’s silly fun about the power of cooperation!

A House in the Woods by Inga Moore
Little Pig’s den becomes filled with friends, but once Moose arrives, the den collapses. Oh, no! What will they do? Together the animals build a new house in the woods big enough to fit all the friends.

Prince and Pirate by Charlotte Gunnufson, illustrated by Mike Lowery
Prince and Pirate are two unique fish who live in their own fish bowls. Until one day they’re moved into a tank together. The two do not get along. AT ALL. They name-call and pester each other. UNTIL they work together to help the newest fish arrival, a small, scared dogfish. You’ll love the bright illustrations, hilarious dialogue, and (eventual) message of kindness.

Clairnet & Trumpet by Melanie Ellsworth, illustrated by John Herzog
This is a darling, punny story about friendship and…musical instruments! Trumpet and Clarinet are good friends who make harmonious music together. Until Obo arrives. Now, Trumpet feels left out so he and Trombone get loud and the woodwinds are annoyed. Soon, the two sides (brass and woodwind) collect more instruments for their side. When Saxophone arrives, the two sides see that they’ll sound better together. As you read, be sure to shake the book for some percussion noises!

The Perfect Plan by Lean Gilbert
Maya is determined to make her dream of a cozy fort for reading and playing a reality so she gets to work. But, she realizes that she needs help so she recruits the forest animals to use their special skills to help her with the fort. The beavers help cut the wood, the moose lifts the heavy pieces, the bears help create a frame, and the birds help with the roof. A gorgeous forest setting featuring a determined girl who isn’t afraid to ask for help.

When Pigs Fly by James Burke
One day, an exuberant pig declares that he will fly. His sister observes with disbelief and horror as one attempt after another fail. The brother pig is so disappointed, he decides to give up. Until his sister comes up with an idea — something he hasn’t tried before that will help her brother fly — a pretend airplane! The pigs’ expressive illustrations are absolutely perfect as is the message of failing and trying again with a twist.

Two Tough Trucks by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Rebecca J. Gomez, illustrated by Hilary Leung
Some trucks at school are better at things than others. Like Mack. He’s good at everything and faster than his friend Rig. Except for going backward. That’s where Rig shines and can help Mack who realizes he can help Rig, too. And the authors do a great job with the rhyming text– and I’m very picky about rhyming.

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
The humor isn’t in the story but in the illustrations. Kids get this right away; they go straight for the pictures and think it’s totally funny. Sam and Dave work together to dig a hole and dig and dig. But they find nothing. Except if you notice their dog, you’ll see that he’s sniffed out the world’s biggest diamond. All the while, Sam and Dave never notice. Maybe working together should include your dog?

Violet and Victor Write The Best-Ever Bookworm Book by Alice Kuipers, illustrated by Bethanie Deeney Murguia
When Violet Small wants to write the best-ever book, she hopes to get help from her twin brother Victor Small but he’d rather count his pet worms. Eventually, through brainstorming of the bickering kind and some cooperation, the two invent a suspenseful adventure about a book-eating bookworm. The illustrations are eye-catching — mixed media and pencil sketches. I love how the twins each have their own color ink and own color notebook paper for the story. This is a fantastic picture book about the creative process and collaboration.

Pencil: A Story with a Point by Ann Ingalls, illustrated by Dean Griffiths
What a great picture book that shows not only that technology isn’t everything but also incorporates punny humor and the success of a collaboration. Pencil and Jackson used to have a lot of fun together until Tablet came along. Pencil show Jackson all the other cool things he can do –but none of his ideas work. Not until the other office supplies help and find a clever way to get Jackson’s attention.

Claymates by Dev Petty, illustrated by Lauren Eldridge
Totally creative, playful, and fun! I LOVE this book. And I predict you’ll want to make your own clay story after reading this one. Two clay blobs, a gray and a brown, meet in an art room. A girl arrives to make the gray clay into a wolf and the brown clay into an owl. When she leaves, the two clays decide to play around. They transform themselves into many other creatures and objects (a peanut, an elephant, an alien, a narwhal) . . . Not only that, they use the objects they find lying around to help. They’re having a blast until they hear the artist return. Can they fix each other? YES! They quickly help each other back into creatures… You’ll love the results and the message of cooperation and creative play.

The Brownstone by Paula Scher, illustrated by Stan Mack
The Bear family is ready for hibernation but first, they need to figure out the huge noise problem. This silly book shows all the animals working together to shift apartments so that everyone finds the best apartment for their needs. You’ll love the message and illustrations!

Frankie by Mary Sullivan
Frankie is going home from the shelter. There, he wants to figure out what his things are. Is the bed Frankie’s? No. It’s Nico’s. In fact, it turns out that the blankie, bed, rope, and puppy all are Nico’s. Poor Frankie. Will these two cute doggies ever learn to share? Gorgeous illustrations and simple text about the power of sharing makes this a wonderful picture book to use with children.

Mine! by Jeff Mack
Two mice each want the large rock. But first, they must get rid of the other mouse. Told in hilarious illustrations with only the word “mine“, you’ll crack up at the story and surprise ending. Maybe “mine!” isn’t best.

Ella and Penguin Stick Together by Megan Maynor, illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet
This will make a fun gift book since it contains glow-in-the-dark stars! This is a sweet story about a little girl and her penguin friend who work together to explore and decorate.

After the Rain by Rebecca Koehn, illustrated by Simone Kruger
What can you do after the rain? Levi plays boats and splashes in puddles until he meets Polly who doesn’t want to share her river. A battle begins. But the water starts to leave so the two declare a truce and cooperate to build a dam and a lake to play in together. A delightful picture book with simple, playful text, perfect for the preschool set to learn about friendship.

That Fruit Is Mine! by Anuska Allepuz
This is a charming story about learning to share and the power of working together. You’ll crack up watching the elephants’ many failed attempts to get delicious-looking fruit off a tree while simultaneously watching a tiny group of mice work together to get the yummy fruit, too. Who do you think succeeds? The mice! When the elephants see what the mice have accomplished, they love the idea of teamwork and try again.

Three Cheers for Kid McGear! by Sherri Duskey Rinker and AG Ford
What a great addition to the wonderful Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site series! This story about a little Skid Steer machine shows that with teamwork, even the smallest truck can make a difference.