12 Best Books about Community Helpers

These 12 books about community helpers are just right for preschoolers, kindergarteners, and first graders who are learning about the world around them! The options below cover a wide array of different jobs and roles while highlighting why they are so essential. Plus, many of them will take your students behind the scenes to help them look at familiar roles in new ways.

I love teaching about community helpers and there are so many wonderful children’s books that cover this theme really well. Instead of just rattling off all the titles I could, I’ve intentionally selected books that cover this topic in a meaningful way.

This looks like story-driven books that take the reader behind the scenes or ones that focus on why these community roles are so important. They cover more than just the who and what—they dig into the how and the why.

The right titles will make your Community Helpers unit more engaging and really bring it to life! I’m sure you’ll find at least a few you’ll want to read year after year.

Best Kids’ Books about Community Helpers for Preschoolers

I often find that books about community helpers tend to be narrow in focus. They only really cover a handful of jobs and positions in the community, like police officers, teachers, doctors, etc. Of course, these are all crucial jobs, but I’ve tried to use a broad lens to help students really see all the different types of work out there.

Whose Hands Are These? – Miranda Paul

Before you dive into your unit, use this book to see how much your students already know about the different helpers and workers in their community. I love how the clues introduce language around the jobs to get students thinking. Plus, the rhyming makes it fun and sing-songy to read!

They’re Heroes Too – Pat Brisson

One of the most important parts of any Community Helpers unit is helping students understand how everyone works together to support each other. This book includes a range of different roles and even highlights how kids fit into their communities, which is surprisingly uncommon. It’s a must-have!

A Teacher Like You – Frank Murphy and Barbara Dan

There’s a reason so many kids want to become teachers at a young age. Not only is it one of the few jobs they really know, but they also get to see teachers in action. They can understand how important teachers really are because they interact with them every day. This title is a beautiful reflection of how teachers affect the lives of their students in many different ways, and it’ll warm your heart, too!

Make Way for Ducklings – Robert McCloskey

This classic is over 80 years old and is just as enjoyable today as it was almost a century ago! It’s also a touching way to demonstrate how police officers help in their communities. The officer stops traffic to help the ducklings travel safely to the Public Garden to be reunited with their father. Kids are always so invested in reuniting the ducks safely that they listen to every word!

Big Frank’s Fire Truck – Leslie McGuire

I love how this book allows students to shadow Frank during his 24-hour shift at the firehouse. They get a behind-the-scenes look at the work he does, like comforting injured people, training kids how to stop, drop, and roll, and more. I love that it also features Frank going home to his kids, which really highlights that firefighters are regular people. That can be confusing for them early on!

Healthcare Heroes ABCs – Courtney Booth

There are so many different, important jobs in healthcare, and it’s easy to focus on doctors and nurses. They’re absolutely essential, but I love how this alphabet book covers less commonly discussed positions, like anesthesiologists, occupational therapists, and more. This would would be a fantastic book to introduce healthcare workers in general and pairs nicely with other titles that focus more on specific roles.

Daniel Goes to the Dentist – Alexandra Cassel Schwartz

Although I don’t always recommend books based on TV shows, this one is such a gentle introduction to the dentist that it really stands out from other titles. It walks kids through what it’s like going to the dentist so they know what to expect and shows them how nice the dentist will be to them. Since many kids are afraid of the dentist, it’s a lovely way to minimize that fear while also highlighting why dentists are so important!

The Jolly Postman – Allan Ahlberg

Most of our students will be more familiar with delivery drivers than previous generations as they most likely get clothes, toys, and even groceries delivered to their homes. This throwback title is a nice reminder of why old-fashioned mail delivery is so important. As you follow the postman around, you get to see (and read) the different types of mail they deliver, including advertisements, business letters, personal letters, and more.

Could I Be a Pilot? – Lauren Dalzell Settles

What I love most about this book is that it still teaches students all about what pilots do and why they are important, but it does so from a child’s perspective. It follows Evie as she learns what it takes to become a pilot while also learning about how few women there are in the field. It’s informational, inspiring, and a fun way to look at such an important job!

Not Just the Driver! – Sara Holly Ackerman

Most of our school-age students are familiar with bus drivers, but this title takes them behind the scenes to show all the people who keep the buses on the road. From mechanics to warehouse workers to signal maintainers, students will see a much better picture of the work required to run trains, buses, ships, and more.

Trashy Town – Andrea Zimmerman & David Clemesha

This list wouldn’t be complete without at least one book about garbage collectors! Many kids look forward to trash or recycling day when they get to see those bins lifted and dumped, and they’ll love following Mr. Gilly around town as he collects trash around the town. This simple board book is wonderful for pre-K to primary students and will fit perfectly into your community helper unit.

Let’s Meet a Construction Worker – Bridget Heos

This title comes from Cloverleaf Books and is one of many that introduce and explain the roles of different community helpers with lots of colorful visuals and interesting details. They’re ideal for an informational deep dive into specific jobs to bring them to life. If you want to have students do a little research about different jobs, they’d be a wonderful resource!

You can also check out my separate blog post for even more books about construction and construction workers.