Do you want to get Tribe Kids books for free? Here is an article that explains how to do that. Also, check your public library; many of these titles are on the shelves there too!
Q1 2023
January // GROW
In January, we are working on growing our hearts, minds, and muscles. Both of our books are about what you can do when faced with an enormous challenge. By reading these stories, you'll learn how to stand back up after falling down (literally and figuratively), and that even children, when driven to achieve something big, can encourage others to fight for what they believe in too. When we focus, all of us are capable of growing.
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // After the Fall by Dan Santat
- 8 & OLDER // The Last Panther by Todd Mitchell
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
February // COMMEMORATE
This February, we commemorate Black History in the United States. We do this by honoring, remembering, and teaching about our civil rights. We will read books about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first black aviators in the United States military and about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech 60 years ago, but the message is still important today.
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // I Have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- 8 & OLDER // You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen by Carole & Jeffery Boston Weatherford
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
March // BEFRIEND
In March we learn about friendship and love by reading a great book about a child who shows us what it means to be wonderfully unique. We challenge our Kids to work hard at being kind, realizing that we are all unique, and taking time to understand people who are different than they are.
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // We're All Wonders by RJ Palacio
- 8 & OLDER // Wonder by RJ Palacio
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
Q2 2023
April // CARE
Our focus in April is on ocean conservation. Scientific studies indicate that when someone shows enthusiasm for a subject and shares that information with others, their emotional connection to their cause is contagious. It is our goal this month to give our children the tools they need to understand the ocean and its role in our lives more in-depth, and to pass that knowledge along to others.
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // Shark Lady by Jess Keating & Marta Alvarez Miguens
- 8 & OLDER // Songs for a Whale by Lynn Kelly
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
May // HONOR
In the United States we observe Memorial Day in May in order to honor and remember those who lost their lives in service to our country. However, it doesn't matter where in the world you live; you can always remember those that have sacrificed their lives for your country.
BOOKS
- 11 & UNDER // Twenty One Steps by Jeff Gottesfeld and Matt Tavares
- 11 & OLDER // War Stories by Gordon Korman
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
June // DARE
This month the GORUCK Tribe Kids theme is DARE. In June, countries all over the world commemorate D-Day, the largest and most complex amphibious invasion in world history. We encourage families to examine this history, and acknowledge just how daring it was to plan such an important undertaking that changed the course of history.
BOOKS
- 10 & UNDER // The Spy Who Played Baseball by Carrie Young
- 10 & OLDER // Allies by Alan Grantz
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
Q3 2023
July // IMAGINE
This month we challenge our Tribe Kids to solve a problem that their family or community is facing. Ask your grown-ups for help thinking about some problems that need to be solved. Choose just one problem, but think of 5 different solutions. Talk through the solutions with your grown up and decide which one is the best idea. If it is appropriate, test one of your ideas and try to solve the problem! No problem is too small; get after it!
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty & David Roberts
- 8 & OLDER // Kaleidoscope by Brian Selznick
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF

August // CREATE
This month, we challenge our Tribe Kids to learn 5 facts about a country besides their home country, and create a story to tell a friend or family member about that country, including the facts you have learned. For younger children, they can do the research with an older sibling or grown-up and draw a picture of that country.
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken
- 8 & OLDER // The Imaginaries by Emily Winfield Martin
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
September // UNDERSTAND
This month the GORUCK Tribe Kids theme is UNDERSTAND. September 11, 2023, marks 22 years since 9/11. Though two decades have passed, we will never forget what occurred that day. We encourage families to share the history of 9/11 in an age-appropriate way with their children, and help the younger generation understand what happened and how it changed the world.
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // The Man in the Red Bandana by Honor Crowther Fagan & John Crowther
- 8 & OLDER // The Red Bandana by Tom Rinaldi
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
Q4 2023
October // LAUGH
This month the GORUCK Tribe Kids theme is LAUGH. Children are not born with a sense of humor, but with some practice they can develop it! Spend some time with your children talking about jokes and when/where/with whom it is appropriate to joke with. Go through the joke list provided and practice some of them with your children. Encourage your child to tell one of the jokes they have learned to another grown-up they are close with, or siblings or friend. Enjoy a good giggle, it'll release endorphins in your brain and make you feel amazing!
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // Steve the Dung Beetle on a Roll by Susan R. Stoltz and Melissa Bailey
- 8 & OLDER // The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
November // ADVOCATE
This month the GORUCK Tribe Kids theme is ADVOCATE. As we discuss the difficult topic of suicide with children, we encourage grown-ups to be patient and advocate for children and teens by helping them feel safe and heard. There are different ways that we can enter that conversation depending on the child's age, maturity, and life experience. For younger children, encouraging them to express their emotions, especially when feelings are intense, gives them a safe outlet and space to work through what they are feeling with an adult. Being clear, and answering questions directly without providing metaphors or unclear explanations helps children frame reality. For older children, taking the same path is just as useful; letting older children talk about where they are and what they feel, then creating an open environment in which to talk through their emotions is the best way we can advocate for their mental health.
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // All Because You Matter by Tami Charles and Bryan Collier
- 8 & OLDER // The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall
WORKSHEETS
- 8 & UNDER // DOWNLOAD PDF
- 8 & OLDER // DOWNLOAD PDF

December // INSPIRE
BOOKS
- 8 & UNDER // Maya and the Beast by Maya Gabeira and Ramona Kaulitzki
- 8 & OLDER // She Dared: Bethany Hamilton by Jenni L. Walsh