Children's Books About Feelings
Children's Books About Feelings
The concept of "emotional intelligence" is a big buzzword in the educational community these days, for very good reason. Identifying, expressing, and managing emotions in healthy ways is a critical piece of development that strengthens relationships, helps children develop self-regulation, and learn more effectively. When the emotional brain is active, we can’t think clearly, but naming emotions and learning how to feel, process, and cope is one of the most important skills we can foster.
The difficulty in teaching little ones emotional regulation and emotional intelligence is threefold:
1) Their brains are still developing! Learning these skills takes years of practice.
2) We must model these skills are caregivers - children learn primarily through imitation.
3) These concepts are so abstract, which makes them a challenge to introduce and discuss with little ones.
Books are the PERFECT way to provide concrete, visual representations and analogies that kids can access!
BABIES & TODDLERS
Each expression (happy, sad, angry, surprised, and silly) is introduced with a large image of a baby’s face. Readers are asked to mimic the face, then pick it out from a group of other babies. The very last spread includes all of the expressions from the previous pages, and a mirror so readers can watch themselves make any face they please!
A gentle, rhyming book about dealing with emotions and calming toddler tantrums (and the grownup dealing with them!) together with an introduction to counting. The perfect picture book for handling bad days and bad moods.
Today is baby’s birthday. Meet all baby’s friends: shy baby, strong baby, happy baby, friendly baby, etc. Toddlers will enjoy the repetition and seeing so many babies they can relate to!
PRESCHOOLERS
In My Heart explores a full range of emotions, describing how they feel physically, inside, with language that is lyrical but also direct to empower readers to practice articulating and identifying their own emotions. It includes a die-cut heart that extends through each page.
What should we do when things don't go to plan? We may feel mad, frustrated, or overwhelmed, but by talking it through, compromising, and seeing another point of view, we can start fresh, begin anew.
A busy and interactive reference book which answers all children's questions about all types of feelings. Learning what words to put on each feeling is important, as it will allow children to identify what they are feeling and why.
This award-winning board book helps young children understand different emotions like silly, scared, happy, sad, angry, excited, and proud.
First she has a sock problem, and then there’s a strange pea... Suddenly, Barbara’s Wobbler is out of control! A hilarious story of one big bad mood – and how to make it go away. Here’s a funny, sensitive, and helpful way to understand and deal with tantrums for both parents and children.
This little girl follows her daddy everywhere - upstairs, downstairs, and even to the bathroom! She doesn’t like being left ALONE - the world is so big and she’s so small! Can she and her daddy find a solution? A lovely story to show that maybe you’re never REALLY alone after all - it all depends on how you see it!
Also available in Spanish
4-8 YEAR OLDS
Angry words can ruin friendships, but a gesture as simple as a smile can cause kindness to bloom and friendships to mend. Die-cut pages feature a sapling that grows into a flowering tree with each turn of the page as kindness is spread.
Norman had always been perfectly normal . . . until one day, he grows a pair of wings! Afraid of what people will think, Norman covers them up with a big coat. But can he summon the courage to be himself? Perfectly Norman shows that there's nothing better than celebrating what makes you unique!
Ruby is a happy, curious, imaginative young girl, until one day she finds a worry. It starts small, but grows bigger every day and becomes all she can think about. When Ruby befriends a young boy, she discovers that everyone has worries, and not only that, there's a great way to get rid of them too . . . she just has to share her feelings.
This perceptive and poignant story is the perfect springboard for talking to children about fears and anxieties.
Ravi never minded being the smallest in his family, until one day everything goes wrong and Ravi is so mad that he can’t control his temper anymore . . . and he turns into a ferocious, roaring TIGER. While we all get angry sometimes, Ravi's Roar shows some good ways to channel those emotions to avoid hurting family and friends.
Meet a boy with feelings so big that they glow from his cheeks, spill out of his eyes, and jump up and down on his chest. When a loud truck drives by, he cries. When he hears a joke, he bursts with joy. When his loved ones are having a hard day, he feels their emotions as if they were his own. The boy tries to cope by stuffing down his feelings, but with a little help and artistic inspiration, the boy realizes his feelings are something to be celebrated. This book is relatable for any child, but especially for children experiencing anxiety, extreme emotions, or who have been diagnosed with autism. It’s a must for developing empathy in the classroom!
This hilarious, tongue-in-cheek exploration of metamorphosis will make you flutter with glee, while also providing real facts about how caterpillars transform into butterflies and highlighting the difficulty, yet importance of learning patience.
This reference book answers so many questions for kids as it dives into a plethora of emotions and experiences, helping kids understand them deeper and develop empathy for others.
ELEMENTARY
This book highlights the power of words and their effect on feelings and emotions! Discover a young prince who gathers seeds both green and dark from those he encounters, and then gifts them forward. He faithfully plants and waters all those seeds daily, but comes to realize that the dark trees harm the green ones. With the help of a kind friend he discovers he can cut down, uproot, and then replace those dark trees with green seeds, creating a beautiful vibrant garden.
BOOKS ABOUT GRIEF
A beautiful and gentle look at the circle of life, using animal characters to explore the emotions and facts around death, with questions such as: Is it ok to talk about dying? What happens when someone dies? Can I shout and cry and hide away? and How can I stop feeling sad?
Syd lives right next to Grandpa’s house and visits all the time. But one day when Syd comes to call, Grandad isn’t in any of the usual places. He’s in the attic, where he ushers Syd through a door, and the two of them journey to a wild, beautiful island awash in color where Grandad decides he will remain. So Syd hugs Grandad one last time and sets sail for home. Visiting Grandad’s house at the bottom of the garden again, he finds it just the same as it’s always been — except that Grandad isn’t there anymore. Sure to provide comfort to young children struggling to understand loss, this sensitive tale reminds us that our loved ones live on in our memories long after they’re gone.
When Alfie the dog dies, he sends his owner Izzy letters in the mail from his new address: The Nicest Cloud, Dog Heaven, The Sky. He wants her to know that he misses her – so much! – but his new home in heaven is great! Sensitively balancing humor and emotions, a book for children experiencing loss for the first time.