8 Books About Jealousy for Kids
Jealousy doesn't look like jealousy in young kids. It looks like a tantrum at a birthday party, a refusal to share, a sudden hatred of a best friend, or a quiet withdrawal when a sibling gets praised. Kids don't have the word for what they're feeling. They just know they want what someone else has, or they want to be what someone else is, and the gap between where they are and where they want to be feels enormous.
For the kid who wants to be the center of attention
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes is about a mouse who loves everything about school, especially her teacher Mr. Slinger, until the day he takes away her new purple plastic purse because she won't stop showing it off. Lilly's response is pure jealous rage. she draws a mean picture of Mr. Slinger and immediately regrets it. Kevin Henkes captures the speed at which a child's admiration can flip to resentment when they feel slighted, and more importantly, he shows the repair.
Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes is technically about teasing, but the engine underneath is jealousy. Victoria makes fun of Chrysanthemum's name because Chrysanthemum is confident and happy and Victoria can't stand it. The jealousy is on the bully's side, not the victim's, and that's an unusual and important perspective for kids to see. Sometimes the kid being mean to you is actually the one who's jealous.
For the kid who wants what someone else has
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is the most divisive picture book on this list. A beautiful fish with shimmering scales is lonely because no one will play with him, and he only finds friends when he gives his scales away. Some parents love the sharing message. Others think it teaches kids they have to give away what makes them special to be liked. Either way, the book nails the feeling of other fish looking at Rainbow Fish's scales and wanting them. Read it and let your kid tell you what they think.
Mine! by Jeff Mack is two words long. Two birds fight over a worm, saying nothing but "mine" and "yours" back and forth until a bigger problem arrives and they have to cooperate. It's funny, it's primal, and it's exactly how jealousy plays out between toddlers. For ages 2-5, this is all the story they need.
I Want Your Moo by Marcella Bakur Weiner and Jill Neimark is about a cow who wants a rooster's cock-a-doodle-doo, a dog who wants a cat's purr, and so on. everyone wants what someone else has. The twist is gentle: each animal discovers that what they already have is exactly right. It's a simple, warm book for the youngest kids who are just beginning to notice that other people have things they don't.
For the kid who feels left out because of who they are
Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev is about a boy whose pet is an elephant in a world where the pet club only allows conventional pets. He's excluded, so he starts his own club where everyone is welcome. The jealousy here is quiet. it's the ache of watching other kids belong to something you're shut out of. For kids who feel different and wish they weren't.
The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is about a Korean girl named Unhei who considers changing her name to something "easier" after moving to America. The jealousy is subtle. she envies the kids whose names everyone can pronounce, whose belonging is effortless. Unhei keeps her name in the end, but the book takes her desire to be like everyone else seriously instead of dismissing it.
For the kid who's jealous of a sibling
My Brother Charlie by Holly Robinson Peete and Ryan Elizabeth Peete is about a girl whose twin brother has autism. She loves Charlie, but she also notices that he gets more of their parents' attention, that the family's routines revolve around his needs, and that people treat him differently. The jealousy is never named directly, which is exactly how it works in real families. the sibling without the diagnosis feels guilty for even having the feeling. Written by the actress Holly Robinson Peete and her daughter about their real family.
More to explore
More options: The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster (Stan & Jan Berenstain), Pinky the Pinkest Fairy (Margaret McNamara), Dog vs. Cat (Chris Gall), It's Not Fair! (Amy Krouse Rosenthal), Jamaica and Brianna (Juanita Havill)
