Many preschool and elementary classrooms read community helper books as part of themed units during the year. These stories about community helpers who work day and night to keep our towns safe and running smoothly are terrific additions to your home or classroom. Check them out!
Community Helper Books for Preschool and Big Kids too
Community helper books are essential components of preschool and elementary classrooms! Young children, whether they are in nursery or first grade, learn about these important professionals and why they are integral parts of our neighborhoods and cities.
When children learn about community helpers, they begin to understand that they are a part of a larger community. Not only does this help foster a sense of belonging, but it also conveys important lessons about teamwork. There are so many vital careers out there, each of which is essential to making our communities great places to live. Our children love learning about all of these professionals and what they do!
Books about community helpers teach kids about safety
Additionally, community helper books for preschool and big kids teach children important lessons about keeping themselves safe. Learning, for instance, what firefighters do and wear, helps kids recognize those people in the community who are there to protect them. While we all teach our children not to talk to strangers, there are some cases where we must rely on strangers for help. Thus, reading community helper books is vital to help little ones understand who to trust in the event of an emergency.
So what are you waiting for? Grab these community helper books, and get ready for storytime!
RELATED: We’ve got more than 100 children’s book lists on Happily Ever Elephants. Be sure to check out this link!
Frequently asked questions
Not only do books about community helpers teach kids about the essential workers who keep our cities functioning daily, but they also help kids learn to recognize the people who keep us safe. Children, whether in preschool or early elementary school, love learning about the men and women responsible for making our communities great places to live each day!
Model it, of course! Use your manners, treat all community helpers with respect, and help your children understand the tremendous value these men and women add to our neighborhoods. Second to modeling courtesy, read great books! Books help children learn the importance of community helpers and how we can show our gratitude for the things they do to better our communities each day.
For a sweet book on the community heroes that don’t get much airtime, I absolutely love They’re Heroes Too: A Celebration of Community. It highlights people like mail carriers, teachers and nurses. For a more traditional book about community helpers, we love Whose Hands are These, which is a terrific rhyming book about different careers in our communities that also encourages children to get involved in the story. We love interactive books, so this one rocks! Both of these books are featured below.
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We love these community helper books for preschoolers and big kids, too!
We all know the “common” community helpers – the firepersons, police officers, doctors, and nurses. But many other people are integral to our neighborhoods, and this rhyming community helper book celebrates them, too! From the postal worker to the teacher to the grocery clerk, this story recognizes all the lesser talked about heroes of our communities – even the brave, kind children!
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We love this community helper book that encourages children to guess what kind of helper is behind the hands depicted on each page. Some hands reach and others yank, some hands clap, and some hands crank! Can you guess what jobs are behind these busy and essential hands? We love a good interactive book for kids!
This adorable indestructible book for our youngest readers is a perfect introduction to community helpers. Walk through the neighborhood, and children will learn important lessons about keeping themselves safe. They will also see the people in the community who are there to protect them and the vital workers who keep our towns running smoothly and safely each day. A gem!
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Did you know that when you go to sleep at night, others are just waking up to go to work? This beautiful community helper book celebrates the men and women that work all through the night, from the bus drivers to the bakers to the cleaners and delivery workers. This is an important addition to community helper books, normalizing for children that so many men and women work while we sleep!
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This darling board book reminds our youngest readers that when accidents or emergencies happen, they must look for the helpers! Helpers are all around us. The pages highlight the different types of emergency vehicles and workers who always work to keep us safe. It also teaches kids about fire trucks, police cars, ambulances, and the like. An adorable community helper book for preschool!
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In this guess-and-reveal community helper book, readers will learn about all sorts of careers and the uniforms different professionals wear to work! From the mail carrier to the chef to the astronaut, kids will learn about the gear and tools each of these community helpers use in their jobs each day.
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As part of a broader series of community helper books, this simple book gives children a look at the types of tools professionals use while they work, from big to small, from sharp to smooth. We love how this community helper book for preschool also acts as an interactive guessing game!
Are you ready to check out all the different types of careers in Busytown? Come on in! Full of fun and terrific details, young readers will pore over the pages of this darling community helper book. Each page teaches children about the essential workers – from the construction workers to the farmers to the doctors – who keep our towns functioning safely and smoothly every day. You can never go wrong with Richard Scarry!
We love this first book in the Big Jobs, Bold Women series! These stories showcase women as leaders in important jobs with big teams relying on them. Here, Firefighter Flo and her team get a call to put out a fire during the night. Only a pro like Flo can help! From putting on their suits to rushing to the scene in their fire engine to dousing the fire and rescuing pets, this book is a gem for young readers! We also love the fun onomatopoeia that makes this great story read-aloud gold.
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Have you ever wondered about all the steps involved in building houses in your neighborhood? Beginning with a big hole, then pouring cement and putting up walls, there are so many workers to ensure that our houses are built safely. From construction workers to engineers to electricians and plumbers, did you know how many people are involved in building a house? Through simple text and vibrant illustrations, young readers will delight in watching a home being built before their eyes!
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A young boy packs his dad’s lunch, and as the sun sets, the two jump on dad’s bike and head to the middle school where Dad cleans the facilities during the night. In the gym, the boy shoots baskets. In the theater, they listen to the big game. And in the library, the boy lays down on the couch and reads aloud to his father until he falls sound asleep. When they eventually return home, the sun comes up and dad snuggles into a big armchair — and then the boy snuggles up to dad until sleep overtakes them both. I simply love this sensitive story about a community helper who works through the night! For our full review of Night Job, click here!
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In New Orleans, one man cleaned streets with joy. He believed his job as a garbage man was his calling, and he would dance up one avenue and down another, always to neighborhood cheers. But then Hurricane Katrina came, and with it, the rising Mississippi River. Though Marvelous Cornelius is overwhelmed by the destruction and cleanup, he eventually finds his New Orleans spirit and begins cleaning again, making a difference to the people around him and inspiring an entire community. A beautiful, remarkable true story.
Officer Buckle is sent off to schools to share safety tips with students, and he usually bores his audience to tears. Enter Gloria, the police department’s adorable and hilarious new dog, who begins to accompany Officer Buckle to his presentations. Suddenly, the audience comes alive! While Officer Buckle grows increasingly proud of his public speaking abilities, the reader quickly recognizes that maybe Officer Buckle’s presentations are getting a little help from his new companion. The result? Squeals and giggles from your kids as they realize that Gloria has her own agenda. For our full review of Officer Buckle and Gloria, click here!
This is the gorgeous story of a young boy named Daniel whose parents work in an office building as night janitors. One night Daniel must go with them to work because his babysitter cannot come. Daniel is frustrated when he arrives, sneezing, confused, and bothered by the mess his parents have to clean up. But when his parents take him on an adventure through the “Paper Kingdom,” complete with dragons and kings and thrones, Daniel’s imagination runs wild right along with that of his mom and dad. One day, Daniel decides, he may become the ruler of the Paper Kingdom himself so he can make sure his parents don’t have to clean up more messes. A tender and touching story of family, resilience, and hope, this is a wonderful peek into community helpers working during the night. Phenomenal for your elementary school kids.
Written by our first female Vice President, this empowering story celebrates all kinds of community helpers and heroes – those in your family, among your friends, and even down the street. The most important part of being a superhero? Being the best you can be. While not a traditional community helper book, it’s a lovely story about the special people all around us who make our neighborhoods great! This one has a Iot of text so it is definitely for your older readers!
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RELATED: We’ve got a fabulous list of kindergarten read-alouds for you on Happily Ever Elephants, all of which make for great bedtime stories. Be sure to check them out!
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