As a therapist, I’ve seen firsthand how important it is for kids to understand and express their emotions. That’s why I love using books as a way to help kids explore feelings like anger, sadness, grief, and anxiety. They can be such powerful tools for sparking conversations, helping children make sense of what they’re going through, and teaching coping skills to kids.
In this blog post, I’m excited to share a list of children’s books that tackle many of these topics head-on. Whether you’re a parent looking to support your little one or a fellow therapist seeking resources for your practice, these stories are perfect for guiding kids in navigating their emotions and learning to manage them in a healthy way.
Please note that many of these books are affiliate links if you click on the title!
Kids Books About Anxiety
Worries and anxiety can be tough for kids to handle, but the good news is that there are some fantastic books out there to help them navigate these feelings! This list features stories and guides designed to support children ages 3 to 12 as they learn to manage their worries and understand their emotions. Each book offers relatable characters and situations that show kids they’re not alone in their feelings and provide practical tips for coping.
- “The Worrysaurus” by Rachel Bright
Age Range: 3-7 years
A story about a little dinosaur who learns to manage his worries by focusing on the present moment.
- “What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Anxiety” by Dawn Huebner
Age Range: 6-12 years
A workbook-style guide that helps children understand and work through their anxiety.
- “Ruby Finds a Worry” by Tom Percival
Age Range: 3-7 years
This book follows Ruby, a little girl who learns to talk about her worries and find ways to manage them.
- “Hey Warrior” by Karen Young
Age Range: 5-12 years
Explains anxiety to children in a simple way, encouraging them to see anxiety as something they can understand and manage.
- “Don’t Feed the WorryBug” by Andi Green
Age Range: 4-8 years
A story that helps children understand how feeding their worries can make them grow and how to manage them.
- “A Little Spot of Anxiety: A Story About Calming Your Worries” by Diane Alber
Age Range: 4-10 years
A book that introduces kids to the concept of anxiety and provides practical tips for managing it. Personally, this is my favorite book about anxiety for preschoolers and elementary aged kids and they have more books on more feelings!
- “The Invisible String” by Patrice Karst
Age Range: 3-8 years
Though not specifically about anxiety, this book is often used to help children deal with separation anxiety and other worries.
- “Scaredy Squirrel” by Mélanie Watt
Age Range: 4-8 years
A humorous story about a squirrel who learns to face his fears and discover new things outside his comfort zone.
- “Wilma Jean the Worry Machine” by Julia Cook
Age Range: 5-8 years
This book explains worry in a way that children can understand, offering solutions for managing it.
- “I’m Worried” by Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi
Age Range: 4-8 years
A lighthearted approach to worry, showing kids that it’s okay to feel anxious and that they can talk about it with friends. This book is also a part of a set with other feelings!
- “Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere” by Kira Willey
Age Range: 4-8 years
This is an awesome book to help with anxiety! It’s a collection of short, guided breathing and mindfulness exercises to help kids manage anxiety and stress.
Books About Emotions for Kids
Helping kids recognize and understand their emotions is super important as they grow up, and this list of books is here to make that journey a little easier and a lot more fun! Each of these titles dives into different feelings—whether it’s joy, silliness, sadness, or even anger—showing young readers that it’s completely normal to experience a whole range of emotions.
- “In My Heart: A Book of Feelings” by Jo Witek
Age Range: 2-6 years
A beautifully illustrated book that explores different emotions, helping children articulate how they feel in various situations.
- “A Little SPOT of Emotion Box Set” by Diane Alber
Age Range: 4-10 years
A set of books that personifies various emotions (anger, anxiety, happiness, etc.) to help children understand and manage their feelings.
- “Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day” by Jamie Lee Curtis
Age Range: 4-8 years
This book introduces kids to a range of emotions, from silly to sad, and helps them recognize their own feelings. Ps. I had this book when I was little and I now read it to my daughter!
- “The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings” by Anna Llenas
Age Range: 3-7 years
This book is great for when we’re feeling all jumbled up and we have a hard time articulating how we’re feeling.
- “The Way I Feel” by Janan Cain
Age Range: 3-7 years
A colorful book that explores different emotions, including anger, helping children recognize and express their feelings.
- “The Boy with Big, Big Feelings” by Britney Winn Lee
Age Range: 4-8 years
A book about a boy who feels emotions intensely, including anger, and learns to express and manage those feelings with the help of others. (Also really beautifully illustrated if you’re a fan of that sort of thing like me!)
- “Tough Guys Have Feelings Too” by Keith Negley
Age Range: 4-9 years
A funny book with illustrations of tough guys having feelings to normalize feeling all sorts of different ways.
Kids Books About Anger
Understanding and managing anger is a crucial skill for kids. This list of books offers a variety of engaging stories aimed at helping young readers recognize, express, and cope with their feelings of anger in healthy ways. From exploring the roots of their frustrations to learning techniques for calming down, these age-appropriate books provide valuable insights and strategies for kids of all ages.
- “When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry…” by Molly Bang
Age Range: 3-7 years
A story about a girl named Sophie who learns to calm down after feeling angry, highlighting healthy ways to process strong emotions.
- “Anh’s Anger” by Gail Silver
Age Range: 4-8 years
This book introduces mindfulness techniques to help children understand and manage their anger.
- “I Am Angry” by Michael Rosen
Age Range: 3-6 years
A simple yet expressive story that shows children how it feels to be angry and ways to manage those feelings.
- “The Red Beast: Helping Children Understand and Manage Anger“ by K.I. Al-Ghani
Age Range: 5-9 years
This book uses the metaphor of a red beast to represent anger, teaching children ways to calm the “beast” when it wakes up.
- “When I Feel Angry” by Cornelia Maude Spelman
Age Range: 3-6 years
This book explores what it feels like to be angry and offers young children simple ways to deal with their emotions.
- “Hands Are Not for Hitting” by Martine Agassi
Age Range: 3-6 years
This book teaches children alternatives to using their hands when they are angry, promoting positive ways to express their feelings.
Kids’ Books for Dealing with Change (New school, moving homes, separation etc.)
Change can be daunting for young children, whether it’s starting school, moving to a new home, or adjusting to new situations. This list of books provides gentle, engaging stories to help children understand and manage their feelings around transitions. From familiar first-day-of-school jitters to moving homes, these books offer relatable characters and reassuring messages that can empower kids to face new experiences with courage and resilience.
- “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn
Age Range: 3-8 years
A classic story about a young raccoon dealing with separation anxiety on the first day of school, with a comforting message about love and security. As an anxious child, I loved when my momread this book to me.
- “First Day Jitters” by Julie Danneberg
Age Range: 5-8 years
A fun twist on the nervous feelings of starting school, where the character experiencing the jitters turns out to be the teacher.
- “Wemberly Worried” by Kevin Henkes
Age Range: 4-8 years
A story about a little mouse who worries about everything, especially her first day of school, and how she learns to manage her anxiety.
- “Llama Llama Misses Mama” by Anna Dewdney
Age Range: 3-5 years
An easy-to-read book about a young llama’s first day at school and how he adjusts to being away from his mother. My preschooler LOVES all of these books!
- “The Invisible String” by Patrice Karst
Age Range: 3-8 years
Obviously I love this book, since it’s on this list a few times! Though often used for dealing with separation anxiety, this book is also great for kids facing changes like moving or starting school, emphasizing the connection with loved ones no matter where they are.
- “Moving Day!” by Jess Stockham
Age Range: 3-6 years
This book is targeted towards really young children and to help them understand and process the feelings associated with moving to a new home.
- “Alexander, Who’s Not (Do You Hear Me? I Mean It!) Going to Move” by Judith Viorst
Age Range: 5-8 years
A relatable story about a boy who is upset about moving and learns to cope with the change.
- “A House for Hermit Crab” by Eric Carle
Age Range: 4-8 years
This story follows a hermit crab who must find a new shell and learns to adapt to change, making it a great metaphor for moving or starting something new. This book is great for kids that are just learning how to read.
- “The Pigeon Has to Go to School!” by Mo Willems
Age Range: 3-6 years
A humorous book about a pigeon who doesn’t want to go to school, exploring feelings of apprehension and fear of the unknown.
- “My New Friend Is So Fun!” by Mo Willems
Age Range: 4-8 years
Part of the Elephant & Piggie series (also by the same author has the book above this one), this book is great for kids who are adjusting to new friendships, a common part of starting school or moving.
- “When You Are Brave” by Pat Zietlow Miller
Age Range: 4-8 years
This story encourages children to find courage when facing new situations, such as moving to a new place or starting school. This is one I use regularly with kids in my practice.
- “School’s First Day of School” by Adam Rex
Age Range: 4-8 years
A unique story told from the perspective of a new school building experiencing its first day, reflecting the feelings of children attending school for the first time.
- “Goodbye, Friend! Hello, Friend!” by Cori Doerrfeld
Age Range: 3-7 years
A gentle book that explores the idea that with every goodbye, there’s a new hello, helping children deal with transitions and change.
- “How to Get Your Octopus to School” by Cori Doerrfeld
Age Range: 3-9 years
A funny book about a child trying to get their anxious octopus out the door for their first day of school.
Books About Sadness, Grief, and Loss for Kids
From illustrated picture books to insightful guides for older readers, these book recommendations are crafted to gently guide children through their grief journey, fostering empathy, resilience, and hope along the way.
- “The Grief Rock: A Book to Understand Grief and Love” by Natasha Daniels
Age Range: 3-7 years
This gentle story uses the concept of a “grief rock” to help young children understand and carry feelings of grief.
- “I Miss You: A First Look at Death” by Pat Thomas and Lesley Harker
Age Range: 3-7 years
A straightforward guide that helps children process the loss of a loved one by explaining death in age-appropriate terms.
- “When Someone Dies: A Children’s Mindful How-To Guide on Grief and Loss” by Andrea Dorn
Age Range: 4-10 years
This book provides mindful practices and compassionate guidance for children working through feelings of loss and grief.
- “Lacie’s Moon: A Children’s Story About Grief” by Natcole Staskiewicz
Age Range: 6-18 years
A comforting tale about a child who finds solace in the moon, connecting it to memories of a loved one who has passed.
- “The Invisible String” by Patrice Karst
Age Range: 3-7 years
This book reassures children that love connects them to those they miss, no matter where they are.
- “The Invisible Leash: A Story Celebrating Love After the Loss of a Pet”
Age Range: 5-10 years
Specifically for pet loss, this story shows children that a pet’s love and connection remain even after they’re gone.
- “Old Coyote” by Nancy Wood
Age Range: 5-8 years
A heartfelt story about an old coyote who accepts the natural cycle of life, making it easier for children to understand loss.
- “How I Feel: Grief Journal for Kids: Guided Prompts to Explore Your Feelings and Find Peace” by Mia Roldan LCSW LCDC
Age Range: 8-13 years
A guided journal with prompts to help children navigate their feelings of grief and find emotional healing.
- “Tear Soup” by Pat Schwiebert
Age Range: 13+ years
This metaphorical book illustrates grief as “making soup,” where each ingredient represents a different stage and feeling in the healing process.
- “A Grieving Teen: A Guide for Teens and Friends” by Helen Fitzgerald
Age Range: 13+ years
A comprehensive guide for teens, addressing the complex feelings and challenges they face after a loss.
- “Chill & Spill” by Art With Heart
Age Range: 13+ years
An interactive art journal that allows teens to express and process their grief through creative exercises.
- “Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas” by Alan D Wolfelt
Age Range: 13+ years
A practical guide offering teens 100 ways to cope with grief and find comfort after losing a loved one.
Looking for more tips on helping your kids cope with loss? Check out this blog post with specific ideas and tools.
When to Find a Therapist for Your Child
While these books are invaluable resources for helping children navigate their emotions, it’s important to remember that therapy can provide additional support during challenging times. Working with a therapist can offer kids a safe space to explore their feelings and develop coping strategies tailored to their unique experiences. Whether they’re facing big changes like moving to a new home or grappling with feelings of anger or sadness, therapy can help them build resilience and emotional intelligence. By combining the power of storytelling with the guidance of a professional, you can empower your child to face life’s ups and downs with confidence and understanding.
