Being a kid can be so hard! One of the hardest parts is learning to match how your body feels to what emotion you’re experiencing and giving that emotion a name. Harder still is learning to deal with that feeling once you’ve figured out what it is. These are tough but important parts of emotional wellness that we are always working on – even as adults! The books in this stack will help the kids in your life have language and strategies to name their emotions. I like to incorporate them into our reading stacks often- at least every couple of weeks- so that the language stays fresh for my kids.
Feelings by Xavier Deneux is one of the many in his Touch, Think, Learn series. The bright images on each page spread show one common emotion. Pieces of each image are raised, which young kids will love. Each page includes the name of the emotion as well as a glossary of synonyms and words to describe the image, making this book incredible for teaching both emotion and every day words.
There are several books in the series- we are eager to check them all out!
Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman are the duo who brought us All Are Welcome and we are just as thrilled with this book. Big Feelings follows a group of kids who plan to spend the day playing in the park. When they face obstacles that day (discarded items in the way of their play area, an unexpected rainstorm), they learn to accept and manage their various feelings.
This is such a great read- the text’s lyrical quality makes it really fun, and the kids all experience different emotions, sometimes in response to the same event! I have found this really helpful with my kids to talk both both our own feelings and validating those of others as well.
Jo Witek and Christine Roussey lead with genius when creating In My Heart: A Book of Feelings. First of all, every page has a heart-shaped cut out. Automatically my 5 year old things this is the greatest book. Each page spread shows a kid experiencing a different emotion, and they describe how that feels in their body, what the name of the feeling is, and what they do with that feeling. The language used clearly describes the emotions in ways that kids can relate to, making it a great tool for teaching connection between our bodies and emotions.
This is one of Manny of the Growing Hearts series- including books about welcoming a new sibling, courage, joy, creativity, family, sharing, and seasons. Check them all out!
Big Boys Cry by Jonty Howley is a gift to us all. Levi is the main character, and he is feeling nervous about going to a new school. Without knowing how to respond, Levi’s dad tells him, “Big boys don’t cry.” Levi repeats this on his way to school, but as he walks, he sees many different men crying. He allows himself to cry a little when he arrives at school, and despite his nerves he has a pretty good day. On his way home he sees many of the same men now experiencing happiness, and when he arrives at home he sees his father crying! His father tells Levi that he was nervous for Levi’s first day, and that he cried about that. Levi consoles his father saying, ‘Big boys do cry. And that’s ok.” SWOON. APPLAUSE. Can we just buy all the copies of this book and bring them to all our schools and daycares and libraries?
I’m so grateful to have a book to normalize boys expressing emotions and to read it with my kids to normalize that for them as well.
As always, the links in the post are affiliate links that will take you to my Bookshop.org store. There you can where you can purchase any of these books and others that I’ve recommended in previous posts! Enjoy and thank you!