Just Ask!: Be Different, Be Brave, Be You


Sonia Sotomayor - 2019
    But in the same way that different types of plants and flowers make a garden more beautiful and enjoyable, different types of people make our world more vibrant and wonderful.In Just Ask, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor celebrates the different abilities kids (and people of all ages) have. Using her own experience as a child who was diagnosed with diabetes, Justice Sotomayor writes about children with all sorts of challenges—and looks at the special powers those kids have as well. As the kids work together to build a community garden, asking questions of each other along the way, this book encourages readers to do the same: When we come across someone who is different from us but we're not sure why, all we have to do is Just Ask.

What are You So Grumpy About?


Tom Lichtenheld - 2003
    But in this book, the things that make you grumpy can actually be funny. So be careful, or you'll end up laughing at your own grumpiness. And, as you'll soon find out, it's hard to be giggly and grumpy at the same time.

Sweep


Louise Greig - 2018
    Ed's bad mood begins as something really small, hardly a thing at all. But before long it grows, gathers pace, and spreads through the whole town. Can Ed sweep his troubles away? A wonderful bedtime story for children aged 3 years and up, perfect for helping children learn to recognise and deal with big emotions. Louise Greig is an award-winning poet and a children's picture book author with a unique, lyrical voice. Julia Sarda is an illustrator from Barcelona.

Right Now, I Am Fine


Daniela Owen - 2020
    Follow along as you learn how to take care of your emotions and mental health in fun and easy ways.

I Can Handle It


Laurie Wright - 2017
    Your children will incorporate the mindful mantra I Can Handle It almost immediately after reading this book! In a tough situation, they will think 'I can handle it', and when they are dealing with tough emotions, they will think 'I can handle it!' Even if they aren't saying the words out loud, if they learn and practice this mantra it will become a part of their self-talk.Positive self-talk is incredibly important for improving and maintaining mental health and the mindful mantra books are a way to plant that positivity right into a child's head!Help your child learn to handle difficult emotions along with Sebastien, and provide a tool for lifelong confidence.Depression and anxiety don't discriminate and our kids need help. I Can Handle It equips children with a necessary skill to alleviate everyday anxieties that arise in their lives.

Zen Shorts


Jon J. Muth - 2005
    "There's a really big bear in the backyard." This is how three children meet Stillwater, a giant panda who moves into the neighborhood and tells amazing tales. To Addy he tells a story about the value of material goods. To Michael he pushes the boundaries of good and bad. And to Karl he demonstrates what it means to hold on to frustration. With graceful art and simple stories that are filled with love and enlightenment, Jon Muth -- and Stillwater the bear -- present three ancient Zen tales that are sure to strike a chord in everyone they touch.

A Shelter for Sadness


Anne Booth - 2021
    The boy can visit the shelter whenever he needs to, every day, sometimes every hour, and the two of them will cry and talk or just sit, saying nothing.And the boy knows that one day Sadness may come out of the shelter, and together they will look out at the world, and see how beautiful it is.A poignant and heart-warming picture book exploring the importance of making space and time for our own griefs, small or large, sensitively visualized with David Litchfield's stunning illustration.Anne Booth was inspired to write this book by the words of Etty Hillesum, a Holocaust victim who wrote: 'Give your sorrow all the space and shelter in yourself that is its due, for if everyone bears grief honestly and courageously, the sorrow that now fills the world will abate. But if you do instead reserve most of the space inside you for hatred and thoughts of revenge-from which new sorrows will be born for others-then sorrow will never cease in this world. And if you have given sorrow the space it demands, then you may truly say: life is beautiful and so rich.' (Esther 'Etty' Hillesum (15 Jan 1914 - 30 Nov 1943)

Miss Nelson Is Missing!


Harry Allard - 1977
    Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.So begins this quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today as a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value. The students don’t proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways. James Marshall’s scritchy, cartoonish full-color ink and wash illustrations are hilarious. A back-to-school perennial!

Islandborn


Junot Díaz - 2018
    Hers was a school of faraway places. So when Lola's teacher asks the students to draw a picture of where their families immigrated from, all the kids are excited. Except Lola. She can't remember The Island—she left when she was just a baby. But with the help of her family and friends, and their memories—joyous, fantastical, heartbreaking, and frightening—Lola's imagination takes her on an extraordinary journey back to The Island. As she draws closer to the heart of her family's story, Lola comes to understand the truth of her abuela's words: “Just because you don't remember a place doesn't mean it's not in you.”

A Little SPOT of Anxiety: A Story About Calming Your Worries


Diane Alber - 2019
    And although these feelings are quite common and sometimes they can help protect us, they can also get TOO BIG and overwhelming! When these feelings become anxiety and it can prevent a child from doing what he/she wants and and/or needs to do, which can make anxiety a disability. This story addresses how anxiety can affect all ages and can show up in all different situations. The Anxiety SPOT (Gray SPOT) creates a visual representation so that a child can see when it's gets too big, and how to shrink it back to a PEACEFUL SPOT. It offers creative strategies for children to help cope with anxiety as well.From the tip of my finger, to the center of my palm,I can do this! I can be calm!This worry grew too big, and cannot stay,take a deep breath, and blow it away!The goal of this book is to give children the tools needed to identity what emotion they are feeling and how to properly manage that emotion.

Peace Is an Offering


Annette LeBox - 2015
    With rhyming verse and soft illustrations, this book will help families and teachers look for the light moments when tragedy strikes and remind readers of the calm and happiness they find in their own community every day.

Your Name Is a Song


Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow - 2020
    In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names.

Our Shed: A Father-Daughter Building Story


Robert Broder - 2021
    For each practical element the dad brings to the project, his daughter adds her own imaginative creative spin. In the end, they are both happy with their collaboration.And, just as dad passes building skills on to his daughter, so does his daughter eventually pass those skills on to her own son when they fix up the peeling shed at the end of the story.Kids love tools, building things, and spending time with parents. This story hits all those points with love and humor.

Michael Rosen's Sad Book


Michael Rosen - 2004
    What makes Michael Rosen sad is thinking about his son, Eddie, who died suddenly at the age of eighteen. In this book the author writes about his sadness, how it affects him, and some of the things he does to cope with it—like telling himself that everyone has sad stuff (not just him) and trying every day to do something he can be proud of. Expressively illustrated by the extraordinary Quentin Blake, this is a very personal story that speaks to everyone, from children to parents to grandparents, teachers to grief counselors. Whether or not you have known what it's like to feel deeply sad, the truth of this book will surely touch you.

A Boy Like You


Frank Murphy - 2019
    A Boy Like You encourages every boy to embrace all the things that make him unique, to be brave and ask for help, to tell his own story and listen to the stories of those around him. In an age when boys are expected to fit into a particular mold, this book celebrates all the wonderful ways to be a boy.