A small selection of our collection that will help to develop empathy.
‘The Guardian’ recently published Lost for words? How reading can teach children empathy an article by Miranda McKearney and Sarah Mears. It highlights the importance of reading for children in relation to developing empathy. Reading stories allow young people to explore the feelings and emotions of others. This aids the development of empathy in an individual.
By developing empathy we all become more caring and sensitive humans and can become ‘men for others’ through a better understanding of people, their varying perspectives and the various struggles they encounter.
The library holds a large number of titles that allows one to walk in the shoes of another and get a sense of a different life or way of being. The following make for good start;
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Black & White by Paul Volpont
Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Boys Don’t Cry by Malorie Blackman
Trash by Andy Mulligan
Being Billy by Phil Earle
Blood Family by Anne Fine
A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson
The Terrrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brockett by John Boyne
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd)
We don’t always need to read a novel to enter a world that can stir emotions and heighten awareness of how others can experience life. A sophisticated picture book can also be powerful in this regard. We have a number worth looking at in our collection;
The Red Tree by Shaun Tan
Rose Blanche by Roberto Innocenti
Zoo by Anthony Browne
The Rabbits by John Marsden & Shaun Tan
The Arrival by Shaun Tan
The Island by Armin Greder
