21 books to help kids deal with their big feelings

Written and illustrated by Madalena Moniz, Abrams Appleseed (Ages 3-5)

It can be hard to process your feelings when you don’t have a name for them. This book presents a new feeling for each letter of the alphabet and can help kids develop a vocabulary to properly express what they’re feeling. $19, indigo.ca

Written by Rachel Vail and illustrated by Yumi Heo, Scholastic Inc. (Ages 4-8)

Most of the time Katie is happy and kind, but when she gets mad, she sometimes forgets to use her words and instead turns into Bombaloo. Bombaloo is destructive, mean, loud, and doesn’t even want to think about being sorry. But, with a bit of time and love, Katie is able to return back to herself. $10, indigo.ca

Written by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Laura Cornell, HarperCollins (Ages 4-8)

This little girl is very honest about what she’s feeling each day. Some days she’s happy and excited, others she’s upset and cranky. She knows that it’s OK to feel however she feels and that it’s important to identify and express those feelings. $21, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Eva Eland, Random House Children’s Books (Ages 3-7)

Sadness can feel really scary and all-consuming. By viewing sadness as a visitor, kids can learn to separate the emotion from themselves and not let it in the door. This book offers ways to deal with sadness as well as acknowledge and validate its presence. $24, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Jane Manning, Penguin Young Readers Group (Ages 3-7)

When Millie starts feeling like she’s invisible to others, she decides to become Millie Fierce. She starts acting wild, loud and silly so that people will notice her, but still no one seems to care. When her actions make a classmate cry, she quickly realizes that being Millie Fierce isn't the best way to get attention. Millie decides it's way better to be noticed for being nice. $24, indigo.ca

Written by Patrice Karst and illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (Ages 4-8)

Being away from your parents can be a hard thing, especially when you’re scared! This mom comforts her kids by telling them that people who love each other are always connected by an invisible string, and because of this string, no one is ever really alone. Nothing can break the string—just tug on it when you’re missing someone and they will feel it in their heart. $13, indigo.ca

Written by Elizabeth Verdick and illustrated by Marika Heinlen, Free Spirit Publishing (Ages 1-3)

When feelings get too big, it can be hard to know what to do with them. This book teaches kids how to calm themselves down after letting go of their feelings. Some may need to cry, some may need a hug and some may even just need to take a big deep breath. $14, indigo.ca

Written by Julia Cook and illustrated by Anita Dufalla, National Center for Pelvic Pain (Ages 4-11)

Wilma Jean worries about everything! Her days are filled with an endless stream of wondering “What if…” As Wilma Jean goes throughout her day, the things she was worried about usually end up turning out to be better than she thought. But when she still continues to fret the next day, her teacher gives her a trick to help her be more in control of her concerns. $13, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Francesca Sanna, Nobrow Ltd. (Ages 5-7)

This little girl is used to having a little bit of fear with her when trying new things, but when she moves to a new country, it starts to grow bigger than ever before. Her fear gets so big that she isn’t able to enjoy her life, make new friends or even fall asleep. Then she starts noticing that her classmates all have little fears too, and she’s able to make her fears shrink. $24, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Molly Bang, Scholastic Inc. (Ages 2-7)

When Sophie gets angry, she explodes! She throws things and yells and even decides to run away. She runs until she finds stillness in nature and is able to calm herself down. When she arrives back home, she’s in a much better mood and “Everything’s back together again.” $10, indigo.ca

Written by Lory Britain and illustrated by Matthew Rivera, Free Spirit Publishing (Ages 4-7)

Having one big feeling can be confusing enough, but what about when you have many big feelings at the same time? This little girl shows that all “feelings are okay at the same time” and that it’s OK to talk to people about what you’re experiencing.  Little readers will love the fun new names that she gives her mixed feelings like “smad” and “braverous.” $24, indigo.ca

Written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by Mark Teague, Scholastic Inc. (Ages 3-5)

A big dinosaur would look pretty silly throwing a big fit when they got angry, wouldn’t they? This book shows several bad ways a dinosaur could react when they get mad, and concludes by showing more productive ways to deal with feelings of anger. $24, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton, Little Simon (Ages 1-4)

Sandra Boynton uses her iconic animals to show the wide range of feelings that little ones can relate to. This book shows kids that no matter how you’re feeling, it’s OK, and your friends will be there for you! $7, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Tom Percival, Bloomsbury USA (Ages 4-7)

Ruby is a fun and adventurous girl, but one day she finds a worry. The worry starts off pretty small but eventually it begins to grow. While nobody can see her worry, Ruby knows it's always there and starts to think it will never go away. Then she sees a little boy who also has a worry! Together, they talk about their feelings, causing both their worries to shrink. $24, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Andi Cann, MindView Press (Ages 3-7)

Kappy loves being happy, but sometimes she’s sad and doesn’t know what to do. Her parents tell her that it’s OK to be sad sometimes, even if there is no reason for it. They also tell her that there are many things she can do to feel happy again. $16, amazon.ca

Written and illustrated by Diane Alber, Diane Alber Art LLC (Ages 3-7)

Scribble Spot is here to help kids spot and name their feelings! This emotion detective goes through how several emotions can look, sound and feel so that kids are better able to understand what they’re feeling, why they may be feeling it and how to work through the feeling. The book includes a feelings chart with a wide range of emotions and the facial expressions that may be associated with them to get your kids on their way to becoming emotion detectives themselves! $16, amazon.ca

Written and illustrated by Melanie Hawkins, Inspire Joy Publishing, LLC (Ages 4-9)

Anxiety is a very intense feeling that can present itself in various ways. This can make it difficult to identify and confusing to deal with! This book reassures little ones that their feelings are normal and gives them tricks to deal with their anxiety monster. $17, amazon.ca

Written by Britney Winn Lee and illustrated by Jacob Souva, Beaming Books (Ages 4-8)

This little boy has such big feelings that creep up everywhere in his life. He feels like no one's feelings are as big as his, so he tries to “stuff all his feelings deep down” so that no one makes fun of him. When he notices another kid who also has really big feelings, the pair are able to recognize and accept their emotions. $21, amazon.ca

Written by Cornelia Maude Spelman and illustrated by Kathy Parkinson, Albert Whitman & Company (Ages 2-9)

From the “When I Feel…” series, this book goes through the many things that make the main character, a young guinea pig, feel sad. The guinea pig learns that, even though it doesn’t feel good in the moment, sadness doesn’t last forever. $10, indigo.ca

Written and illustrated by Ann Dewdney, Penguin Young Readers Group (Ages 2-5)

When grocery shopping with Mama, Llama starts throwing a tantrum by tossing things from the cart and yelling. Mama puts a stop to the “llama drama” by reminding Llama that even though shopping isn’t always the most fun, at least they’re doing it together. $25, indigo.ca

Written by Suzanne Land and illustrated by Max Lang, Random House Children’s Books (Ages 3-7)

Jim Panzee was having one of those days where nothing seemed to be right. His friends keep telling him that he shouldn’t be grumpy—it’s such a wonderful day! But Jim gets tired of hearing their advice on how to feel better and has a meltdown, teaching readers that it’s important to feel our feelings—some days you’re just grumpy and that’s OK! $12, indigo.ca