Learn how to talk to kids about war with honesty and care. Discover age-appropriate books about war for kids that offer comfort, empathy, and hope.
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It’s never easy to talk about war, especially with children. As parents, we instinctively want to protect them from things that feel too big, too frightening, or too dark. And yet, in this digital age, our kids hear things. They catch snippets from the radio, conversations between adults, or even discussions at school. Pretending those words don’t exist doesn’t make them go away. What does help is creating space to process them together.
I used to think I could shield my son from these kinds of topics. That childhood should be light and carefree, untouched by the heaviness of the world. But as kids grow older and begin asking more questions, we realize that silence leaves more room for fear than truth ever will. Kids notice tension. They sense when something feels off. And if we don’t talk about it, they’re left to fill in the blanks with their imaginations, which are often far scarier than reality.
So yes, it matters that we talk to them. But just as important is how we do it.
APPROACHING THE CONVERSATION WITH HONESTY AND HEART
Start with your child’s questions. Let them lead. You don’t need to explain the full history of a conflict or name every country involved. Instead, offer simple, truthful explanations based on what they’re asking.
Something like, “War happens when groups of people or countries can’t agree and decide to fight instead of talk,” can be enough to begin with.
Use words that match their emotional age, not just their academic level. A six-year-old may grasp the concept of people being hurt or displaced, but what they really want to know is, Am I safe? Are you safe? Reassure them with clarity and calm: “It’s far away from us, and we’re safe. But it’s okay to feel sad or confused about it.”
Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” when a question feels too complex. And make room for feelings like anger, fear, empathy, even guilt. All of them are normal responses.
THE RIGHT BOOKS CAN BUILD BRIDGES
Books can be powerful tools when talking about hard things. They offer stories that frame heavy topics in age-appropriate language, with visuals that give abstract ideas something real to hold on to. Through stories, children can meet characters who are afraid, brave, displaced, or hopeful. They begin to understand that war doesn’t define people – it challenges them, and sometimes, it brings out incredible acts of kindness and courage.
Look for books that center on themes of peace, resilience, family separation and reunification, kindness in hard times, and rebuilding after conflict. Wordless picture books are especially useful for inviting children to interpret the story themselves and open the door to conversation.
Books that show how children in other countries live during conflict or how they find comfort in family, play, or creativity help build empathy and connection. These stories don’t have to be graphic to be meaningful. In fact, the gentlest books often carry the greatest emotional truth.
WHY IT’S WORTH IT
When we talk to our children about war, we’re not making the world scarier we’re helping them feel more anchored in it. We’re showing them that their questions are welcome, that they’re not alone, and that hard things can be faced with honesty, care, and hope. These conversations can grow their empathy, their understanding of the world, and their sense of safety in your presence.
You don’t need to have the perfect words. You just need to show up with love, a listening ear, and a story that speaks a little truth in a way they can hold.
Because even in a world that sometimes feels upside down, our children can still grow up with open eyes and full hearts and that begins with conversations like these.
Here is the list of Books worth reading with your child:
Master storyteller Michael Foreman has created a timely and moving story of a child creating a garden of hope in the midst of poverty and war. A boy’s world is ruin and rubble, with a wire fence and soldiers separating him from the cool hills where his father used to take him as a small child. Can a tiny, green plant shoot give him hope in a bleak landscape?
Peace is making new friends.
Peace is helping your neighbor.
Peace is a growing a garden.
Peace is being who you are.
The Peace Book delivers positive and hopeful messages of peace in an accessible, child-friendly format featuring Todd Parr’s trademark bold, bright colors and silly scenes. Perfect for the youngest readers, this book delivers a timely and timeless message about the importance of friendship, caring, and acceptance.
In this new edition of a wordless modern classic, a frog picks a beautiful flower. When a mouse sees him with it, his jealousy overcomes him, and he grabs it for himself. Then Frog’s friends chase the mouse away. But before the frogs can celebrate, a counter-attack from Mouse’s friends surprises them—and the conflict soon escalates into a full-blown war. When the dust finally clears, all either side can ask is: Why? With an afterword by children’s literature expert Leonard S. Marcus, this seemingly simple book is an invaluable way to talk to young children about conflict and warfare.
An uplifting story about a courageous little boy growing up in a time of conflict, and the strength of family love.
Under the harsh summer sun, Mari’s art class has begun. But it’s hard to think of anything to draw in a place where nothing beautiful grows — especially a place like Topaz, the internment camp where Mari’s family and thousands of other Japanese Americans have been sent to live during World War II. Somehow, glimmers of hope begin to surface — in the eyes of a kindly art teacher, in the tender words of Mari’s parents, and in the smile of a new friend.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s iconic anti-war anthem “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” inspired an Academy Award–winning animated short. Now the team behind the film has created an unforgettable picture book to carry on this timeless message of peace.
In this classic cautionary tale about respecting differences, Dr. Seuss shows how a small—and in this case, very silly—disagreement can escalate into a big problem.
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
The Yooks and Zooks share a love of buttered bread, but animosity brews between the two groups because they enjoy the tasty treat differently. One prefers the butter side up, the other prefers the butter side down. How far will each side go to prove they’re right?
At the mountain’s base sits a cabin under an old hickory tree. And in that cabin lives a family — loving, weaving, cooking, and singing. The strength in their song sustains them through trials on the ground and in the sky, as they wait for their loved one, a pilot, to return from war.
With an author’s note that pays homage to the true history of Native American U.S. service members like WWII pilot Ola Mildred “Millie” Rexroat, this is a story that reveals the roots that ground us, the dreams that help us soar, and the people and traditions that hold us up.
SAMMY is a football crazy rescue puppy.
MOUSER is a fearless grey tabby.
Together they make an unlikely pair that won’t be parted, not even by the First World War.
As the war rages in Europe, Londoners are sending brave animals to help the soldiers – and Mouser and Sammy are soon on their way to the trenches.
The Caldecott Honor-winning true story of Mohammad Alaa Aljaleel, who in the midst of the Syrian Civil War courageously offered safe haven to Aleppo’s abandoned cats.
Skipping Stones Honor Award
One summer day, Luke and his friends decide to play their favorite game of war, using sticks for guns and pine cones for bombs. But Sameer, who is new to their neighborhood, doesn’t want to join in. When the kids learn that Sameer lost his family in a real war, they realize that war is not a game.
“A father and his young son have come to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to find the name of the grandfather the little boy never knew. They share the sadness as well as the pride of having Grandpa’s name there. This moving account is beautifully told from a young child’s point of view.” (The Horn Book, starred review).
The Commander has lost his mother and one of his legs in the Iran-Iraq war. Now he spends most of his time alone in his room where he recreates the conflict with an imaginary enemy and soldiers, trying to avenge his losses. His father urges him to take off his artificial leg when he is at home, to join his uncles and aunties who have arrived for dinner. But when he does, he finds out that they are all about to go off to meet his “new mother.” Back in his room the imaginary war continues, and he confronts an enemy soldier who is also missing a limb. A battle seems inevitable until The Commander offers the enemy his artificial leg.
FINAL THOUGHTS
These conversations aren’t easy but they are deeply important. When we talk to our children about war with honesty and gentleness, we’re not just explaining events – we’re shaping how they view humanity, empathy, and their role in the world. Books give us a shared language when our own words feel fragile. They open small, safe windows into big, complicated truths. And they remind our children, and us, that even in the hardest times, stories of hope, courage, and kindness still deserve to be told.
More to Read
If you’re looking to continue the conversation about empathy and emotional awareness, I’ve also created a guide to books that help children understand bullying and kindness. These stories gently teach kids how to stand up for others, recognize their own feelings, and build compassion in everyday situations. You can explore that post here: Books That Teach Kids About Bullying and Kindness.
