Children's Books for Young Children in Military Families – eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care

Children’s books are such a great way to help children deal with change – and military life certainly has plenty of that! Here are some books that can help young children deal with different changes that may occur in their families. The books in bold have a specific military theme and include characters in military families. Others are recommended because of how well they deal with emotions from a child’s perspective. Even though the situation doesn’t involve a military element, children will relate to the emotions of the situation. Most of these will be appropriate for children aged 2 to 5 unless otherwise indicated.

Military Life

Love Spots by Karen Panier
My Mommy Wears Combat Boots by S. McBride
Captain Cat by Syd Hoff
H is for Honor: A Military Family Alphabet by Devin Scillian
Hero Dad by Melinda Hardin
My Sailor Dad by Ross Mackenzie
My Daddy is a Guardsman by Kirk Hilbrecht
My Mommy is a Guardsman by Kirk Hilbrecht
My Dad’s a Hero by Rebecca Christiansen & Jewel Armstrong
Don’t Forget, God Bless Our Troops by Dr. Jill Biden

Deployment/Separation

Lily Hates Goodbyes by Kerilyn Marler
Dear Baby, I’m Watching Over You by Carol Casey
Night Catch by Brenda Ehrmantraut
Boo Boo Bear’s Mission: The True Story of a Teddy Bear’s Adventures in Iraq by Mary Linda Sather
We Serve, Too! by Kathleen Edick
Sammy’s Soldier by Sarah White
A Paper Hug (age 4+) by Stephanie Skolmoski
Bearable Moments (age 4+) by Christopher Judd
Stars Above Us by Geoffrey Norman (age 4+)
Sometimes We Were Brave (age 5+) by Pat Brisson
When Daddy Goes Away (age 5+) by Kristie Algeo
A Year Without Dad (age 5+) by Judi Brunson
I Miss You: A Military Kid’s Book About Deployment (age 7+) by Beth Andrews
Love, Lizzie: Letters to a Military Mom (ages 7+) by Lisa Tucker McElroy
Pilot Mom (age 7+) by Kathleen Benner Duble
The Wishing Tree (age 7+) by Mary Redman
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
When I Miss You by Cornelia Spelman

Relocating: Preparing

Goodbye House by Frank Asch
Moving House by Anne Civardi
Mouse Moves House by Phil Roxbee Cox
Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen

Relocating: Adapting

Augustine by Melanie Watt
I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

Homecoming

Home Again by Dorinda Williams
When Daddy Comes Home (age 5+) by Kristie Algeo
Countdown ’til Daddy Comes Home by Kristin Ayyar

Strong Emotions

When I Feel Sad by Cornelia Spelman
No Matter What by Debi Gliori
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss
The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
When I Feel Angry by Cornelia Spelman

Injury of a Parent

Sparrow by Dorinda Silver Williams
Our Daddy is Invincible! (age 5+) by Shannon Maxwell
That’s My Hope (age 5+) by Marlene Lee and Lil Ingram

Death of a Parent

The Hero in My Pocket (age 5+) by Marlene Lee
Klinger: A Story of Honor and Hope (age 7+) by Betsy Beard
Love Never Stops: A Memory Book for Children (age 4+) by Emilio Parga
The Tenth Good Thing about Barney (age 5+) by Judith Viorst
I Miss You by Pat Thomas

Activity Books

My Dad’s Deployment: A Deployment and Reunion Activity Boook for Young Children (age 4+) by Julie LaBelle
My Mom’s Deployment: A Deployment and Reunion Activity Boook for Young Children (age 4+) by Julie LaBelle
Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies (age 4+) by Janis Silverman

For a PDF version of this list, including a link to a site where each book can be ordered, click here. (Links are included for convenience and do not reflect specific endorsement of the merchant.)

For More Information

More resources, information, and opportunities to learn and connect are available from the Military Families Learning Network. Visit our project page to find out more. http://blogs.extension.org/militaryfamilies/child-care/. To learn more about caring for young children in military families, check out the following articles:

Updated May 2, 2013