When it comes to the best no biting books for kids, you're going to look at something a little different for toddlers, preschoolers, or kindergarteners. I've rounded up the top picks, explaining why each is best for a specific age range, plus sharing how to get a FREE PDF printable download to help kids stop biting. Plus I share why I don't like some of the popular biting books out there.
Best No Biting Book For Kids: The Day The Biting Stopped by Rachel Robbins M.Ed
The Day The Biting Stopped is the best no biting book for preschoolers, kindergarteners and young kids!
Unlike most of the biting books out there, this does not talk down to kids (most kids know they shouldn't bite, so drilling them with “biting hurts” and “no biting” isn't actually resolving problem). Instead, this fiction biting book for kids playfully encourages empathy, critical thinking, and building the skills necessary to stop biting once and for all.
It's illustrations are GORGEOUS! And there's a hidden storyline in the pictures that is sure to keep children engaged and inquisitive. Plus there are discussion questions at the end to help further integrate the story and connection with the child.
Lastly, it's one of the only no biting books that includes free PDF printable's for download!
Biting Books For Kids PDF Free Download Printables Included:
- Feelings chart
- Feelings activity (connecting the lessons from the book that also includes scripts for talking about each emotion in the answer key for adults)
- Coloring pages
- No Biting Rewards Chart
- Parent Guide (expert tips for stopping unwanted behavior and considerations for different ages)
The story itself is fantastic. It opens with a boy biting his sister, but could easily be a playroom in a school setting. Then a series of unfortunate (and silly) events unfold that encourage our main character to stop biting once and for all!
Kid are invited to discover how biting can hurt, even if you don't break skin/cause someone to bleed. It teaches about cause and effect, emotional regulation, self esteem and self control, personal accountability and responsibility, empathy, and coping skills to support more positive behaviors. As one teacher and mom said:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“As a teacher and a parent, I can honestly say this belongs on every classroom and home bookshelf. It helps kids slow down, empathize, and repair when they make mistakes—skills we ALL need.
– Melissa T., kindergarten teacher + mom
While the story is a little longer than some of the short board books out there, the words are big and it's well paced to hold children's attention. It also can be referred back to well beyond the biting stage as a moral lesson in “treating others how you want to be treated” or “what goes around comes around.”
The only downside to this book is that it does not come in a board book version for toddlers so it's not a book to just leave out in their playroom if you have a child who likes to chew on books.
Best No Biting Book for Toddlers: Teeth Are Not For Biting by Elizabeth Verdick
This board book is incredibly simple for toddlers. It focuses on repetitive words to keep them engaged and explains what teeth are for and not for. It also includes some teething tips and tooh care advice for parents or caregivers.
With that said, this book is best suited for babies and toddlers up to about 2.5 years old.
Once kids turn about 3 years old, it's going to feel a little boring, patronizing, or unhelpful. For instance, most behavioral research for toddlers (2 t o4 years old) concludes that kids remember the LAST thing you said. So if you say “teeth are not for biting” they'll just hear “teeth…biting” So it may not fully land. I suspect the uathor know this and that's why they encourage teaching kids “Teeth are for brushing” in their tips section, but it doesn't undo the earlier statements of the book.
No Biting Books I do NOT like {and why}:
No Biting! by Karen Katz
While I am a big fan of Katz's potty training book, I do not love her biting book for toddlers. In fact, it's an immediate return! The book format essentially focuses on naming an inappropriate behavior (spitting, kicking, etc.) then asking the child “what can you do instead?”
While the conversational aspect is great, the truth is, your likely just teaching your child more unwanted behaviors to try out. It also lacks the sing-songy rhythm of her toilet learning book.
If this is the style book you're looking for, then I would suggest “What To Do When You Feel Like Biting: A No Biting Book For Toddlers)” instead, which is written by a PhD and focuses more on explaining feelings, but still has that sort of authority talking down to children vibe.
Little Dinos Don't Bite by Michael Dahl
I don't love this book because the first half talks about what you shouldn't bite (gives the child ideas of what to test out).
Overall though, it's incredibly simple, the graphics are cute, and if you didn't want to get Teeth Are Not For Biting for whatever reason, it would be my runner up for toddlers. It's a short biting book for kids that's easy to read, and explains the rules of teeth.
I Count To Four. I Do Not Bite!: An Affirmation-Themed Toddler Book About Not Biting
Pretty similar to the others: a simple, short board book with clean graphics. But it's misleading in that there's no counting or teaching emotional regulating coping skills really. It just repeats the word “bite” over and over again; which for most kids will subconciously encourage more biting.
Final thoughts
While biting can start during the late baby, early toddler years, the truth is, that biting is often more related to teething than emotional regulation. They use outdated techniques of talking down to children and repeating “no' which leaves most kids feel like they are listening to Charlie Brown's teacher “whomp whomp whomp.”
Many of the current biting books for toddlers focus on that age range and completely neglect the preschool and kindergarten years. Or they don't give children enough credit at 2-3 years old as they begin exploring body autonomy and cause and effect. The Day The Biting Stopped is one of the only biting books for kids that actually provides a story kids will want to read AND learn lessons that will stretch far beyond biting.