Best Kids' Books on Sibling Rivalry: Children’s Books to Help Develop Stronger Relations Between Siblings

 Are you a mom who often feels caught between warring nations? Have kids who fight, bicker and squabble all day long? Sibling relations can be complicated and whether your kids are toddlers or tweens, you’ll often be made referee and mediator. So, how does one help kids be loving towards their siblings and ease sibling rivalry? Books for kids can be a great way to develop better sibling relations in an engaging and fun manner. Here are some of the best kids’ books on sibling rivalry for children aged 4-12.

Part of a popular series, Siblings: You’re Stuck with Each Other, So, Stick Together is from the Laugh and Learn series. Other books in this series include Dude, That’s Rude and How to Take the Grrrr out of Anger.  This book has information interspersed with humor and is perfect for kids aged 9-12. It opens with a discussion on birth order and the pros and cons of being the oldest, the middle child and the youngest and the following chapters are filled with tips on defusing common sibling rivalry situations – taking turns, teasing, bossiness and more. The  book also offers techniques and strategies to parents for communicating better and includes information for special situations – stepsiblings, siblings with special needs, and is interactive with plenty of checklists and quizzes.

 This book from the Elf-Help Books for Kids series is a delightfully illustrated book  for kids aged 4-8. Written and illustrated by R.W.Alley, the book will help your children understand the importance of being loving and kind in a fun and easy-to-understand manner. I love the Elf-Help series (see my mention of their books for anger management) and this book on sibling rivalry and relations is no different from its counterparts.

 Part of the Little Steps for Big Kids, these two books are again a pleasure to read with their cute illustrations and easy-to-read language. These books are perfect for little boys and girls getting ready to welcome a new baby into the family. The sweetly written story and the charming illustrations will help children aged 4-8 appreciate the joy that a new baby brings and understand that their place in the hearts of their moms and dads is still the same.

Another great book for children aged 4-8, Babies Don’t Eat Pizza is written by Diane Danzig who’s taught sibling preparation classes for over two decades. The book, itself, is a wonderful way of preparing a young child for the arrival of a new baby and not be jealous or angry about all the attention. The illustrations are charming and the language simple to understand but very meaningful. Throughout the book, Danzig refers to the baby as “your baby” giving young children a sense of belonging to the little brother or sister. While the book does not deal with sibling rivalry per se, it is a great one to have on the bookshelf to help forge a strong bond between an older child and a new baby, and in the process, nip sibling rivalry right in the bud!