Kids Books About Humility

When I was a kid, I thought humility was the same thing as humiliation. It is not. They both come from the latin word humilis, which means low. Humility means to be humble, or be low. Whereas humiliate means to make low, or make someone humble. To humiliate someone means to make them feel low and yourself superior. Humiliation means being embarrassed. Humility means not thinking you are better than anyone else. When you are humble, you know that there is always more to learn and you don’t know everything. You believe that you can learn from anyone and everyone has something to teach you. When you are humble, you ask for help when you need help and you try again when you make a mistake. Humility is not drawing attention to yourself. For example, when you are generous, or kind, or helpful to others, you do not tell everyone about how generous, kind, or helpful you are. You let your actions speak for you.

I think that learning humility comes in stages in life. As a young kid, learning to ask for help and trying again when you make a mistake is humility. Learning to share and learning you are not the centre of the universe is also key in childhood development. In normal teenage/young adulthood – there is a differentiation from parents, a normal carving out of one’s own life. I think it’s pretty normal for teens and young adults to believe they already know everything and that anyone older than them is behind the times. It is harder to be humble when you are free, healthy, young, and full of potential. For many (myself included), life hasn’t knocked you down yet at 19. You feel invincible.

Then as the years go on and the 30s and 40s are upon you, you start to realize you thought you knew about life and how to live, but it turns out you know nothing. You are humbled to the complexity of the earth and humanity. There is so much to know! There are so many different people on this earth with different life experiences that inform their values and their opinions.

I used to think there was a “right” way to think, to vote, to live. I used to have big, strong opinions. But now, I find when I listen to people and what they think, even if I disagree with them – I can understand and respect how they got there.

In my 30s I see the grey. I don’t think as much in black and white.

In my 30s I appreciate poetry precisely because it dwells in the grey.

In my 30s I have learned that I can learn from anyone because everyone has something to say that I don’t know.

I’m only 37 (….or am I 38? *does quick calculation*…okay yes, I’m still 37)… and I don’t yet know what it’s like to be in my 50s or 60s or 90s. I know I still have a lot to learn. Perhaps someday I’ll look back on this blog from my 30s and be mortified at how much I didn’t know. How much I didn’t understand about humility. How much I didn’t understand about parenting, about life, about marriage, about sickness, about death. For my future self raking her past-self over the coals: It’s okay – give your past-self grace – you only knew what you knew and you tried your best to make good decisions for yourself and your family with what you knew at the time.

When talking about humility with my kids, I don’t think it’s age-appropriate to expect them to understand things about humility and life that I am just starting to grasp in my 30s. My goals with my kids are: 1) make sure they know the world doesn’t revolve around them; 2) learn to consider another’s perspective and feelings; 3) think of how they can make the world a better place.

Here are some books that I think feature humble characters for kids to emulate.

The Biggest Pumpkin Ever by Steven Kroll

This story is super cute – it is about two mice who both tend to the same pumpkin without knowing the other one is tending to it. One mouse wants to grow a big pumpkin for a county fair prize. The other mouse wants to carve the pumpkin into a jack O’ lantern. Instead of getting all upset and territorial over the pumpkin when they realize they’ve both been caring for the pumpkin (which honestly, is the more likely way people react, especially in North America where what’s “mine” is culturally foundational ), they celebrate the pumpkin being “ours” and they both achieve their pumpkin growing goals by working together and sharing.

Babushka’s Doll by Patricia Polacco

This book is a staple in our home. I read it whenever my kids get an especially whiny demanding tone with me. I love reading this book out loud because I can do the best voices for the bossy little doll. It is cathartic and my kids are taken aback whenever I do this and they laugh. It usually helps change the whiney tone in our home.

The Dream in the Frog and Toad Treasury by Arnold Lobel

In this Frog and Toad story, Toad is having a dream that he is performing onstage and the better he does, the bigger he gets and his best friend Frog, in the audience, gets smaller and smaller until he disappears completely. It’s a good introduction to the idea that bragging and having a big head about things makes other people feel smaller.

Watercress by Andrea Wang

This is a story about a girl who is embarrassed by her family because they pick watercress out of the ditches in the roadsides to eat, even though they don’t have to anymore. However her parents want their kids to remember that they lived through times of starvation before they immigrated to America and that they are never too good to eat whatever the earth provides.

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

I love this story because the boy asks all the sorts of awkward/judgmental questions that kids ask in public. The grandma has great answers that show she believes the best in people and that even though they themselves don’t have a lot of wealth – they are rich in their experiences and their community and they give back to help others less fortunate than them.

Of course, the stories I recommend aren’t just about humility. They are great stories and they are about a lot of different ideas. I hope you enjoy them!

What are some things you’ve learned about humility on your life’s journey? How has your mindset changed over the decades? What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were 37?

Warmly,

-Heather

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