Although early childhood is an incredibly joyful time, it is also very common for, babies and toddlers to struggle at times with difficult feelings and experiences. For example, they have to cope with the normal anger and fears that arise as they grow. They may also experience challenging situations such as: being separated from or losing a loved one, moving to a new home or child care, coping with having a new baby join the family, or other changes that cause confusion and sadness. Books can be powerful tools to help young children make sense of these feelings. To help parents and caregivers support children as they deal with challenging feelings and experiences, we have created this list of books on a variety of topics, including:
As you share these books with your child, it’s important to follow her lead. Children may have different responses to the stories on this list. You may find that your child resists finishing a particular story. This may mean that she is not yet ready for it or the story may be “hitting too close to home.” Put the book aside in a place where your child can explore it independently. If you wait, you may see that, over time, your child returns to the story when she is ready. You may also find that your child requests the same book over and over. Repetition is an important way that children make sense of new ideas. Hearing the same story again and again can also be very comforting to children. Not every book is for every child. Because some of the books listed below address sensitive topics, it is always a good idea to read them by yourself before reading them to your child. That way you can be sure they reflect your family’s values and are appropriate for your child’s temperament, age, and developmental stage.
Do you have a great book to add to our list? Let us know!
| Title | Author | Age Range |
| Baby Faces | Margaret Miller | birth to 2 |
| Oh, David!: A Diaper David Book | David Shannon | birth to 2 |
| Oops!: A Diaper David Book | David Shannon | birth to 2 |
| If You're Happy And You Know It: My First Taggies Book | Ken Geist, Ed. | birth to 2 |
| I Am Happy: A Touch and Feel Book of Feelings | Steve Light | birth to 3 |
| My Many Colored Days Board Book | Dr. Seuss | birth to 5 |
| The Feelings Book | Todd Parr | birth to 5 |
| Lots of Feelings | Shelly Rotner | 18 months to 3 |
| Grumpy Bird | Jeremy Tankard | 18 months to 3 |
| When I Am/Cuando Estoy | Gladys Rosa-Mendoza | 18 months to 3 |
| Taking a Bath With the Dog and Other Things That Make Me Happy | Scott Menchin | 18 months to 5 |
| The Way I Feel | Janan Cain | 2 to 6 |
| Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day | Jamie Lee Curtis | 2 to 6 |
| How Are You Peeling? Foods With Moods | Saxton Freymann | 3 to 6 |
| Feelings | Aliki | 3 to 8 |
| Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day | Judith Viorst | 4 to 8 |
| I Like Myself | Karen Beaumont | 3 to 6 |
| I'm Gonna Like Me: Letting Off a Little Self-Esteem | Jamie Lee Curtis | 3 to 8 |
| Title | Author | Age Range |
| Words Are Not For Hurting | Elizabeth Verdickem | 18 months to 5 |
| Hands Are Not For Hitting | Martine Agassi | 18 months to 5 |
| Teeth Are Not for Biting | Elizabeth Verdickem | 18 months to 5 |
| No Matter What | Debi Gliori | 2 to 5 |
| Finn Throws a Fit | David Elliott | 2 to 5 |
| Mouse Was Mad | Linda Urban | 2 to 5 |
| Llama Llama Mad at Mama | Anna Dewdney | 2 to 5 |
| When I Feel Angry | Cornelia Maude Spelman | 2 to 5 |
| Alicia Has a Bad Day | Lisa Jahn-Clough | 3 to 6 |
| Chocolate-Covered-Cookie Tantrum | Deborah Blumenthal | 3 to 6 |
| Mean Soup | Betsy Everitt | 3 to 6 |
| When Sophie Gets Angry – Really, Really Angry | Molly Bang | 3 to 6 |
| Sometimes I’m Bombaloo | Rachel Vail | 3 to 6 |
| Title | Author | Age Range |
| Separation | ||
| Owl Babies | Martin Waddell | 6 months to 18 months |
| Have You Seen My Duckling? | 12 months to 3 years | |
| When Mama Comes Home Tonight | Eileen Spinelli | 18 months to 3 |
| I Love You All Day Long | Francesca Rusackas | 18 months to 3 |
| Are You My Mother? | P. D. Eastman | 18 months to 4 |
| Oh My Baby, Little One | Kathi Appelt | 18 months to 4 |
| Whose Mouse Are You? | Robert Kraus | 2 to 4 |
| Don’t Go! | Jane Breskin Yolen | 3 to 5 |
| The Kissing Hand | Audrey Penn | 3 to 8 |
| Thunderstorms | ||
| Franklin and the Thunder Storm | Paulette Bourgeois | 18 months to 4 |
| The Storm Book | Charlotte Zolotow | 3 to 6 |
| Thunder Cake | Patricia Polacco | 4 to 6 |
| Thunder and Lightning: They’re Not So Frightening | 4 to 8 | |
| Dark | ||
| Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear | Martin Waddell | 2 to 5 |
| I Have a Little Problem, Said the Bear | Heinz Janisch | 3 to 6 |
| There’s a Nightmare in My Closet | Mercer Mayer | 3 to 6 |
| Medical Appointments | ||
| My Friend the Doctor | Joanna Cole | 18 months to 3 |
| Franklin Goes to the Hospital | Paulette Bourgeois | 2 to 5 |
| Next Please | Ernst Jandel | 2 to 5 |
Monsters |
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| Go Away, Big Green Monster! | Ed Emberley | 2 to 5 |
| My Monster Mama Loves Me So | Laura Leuck | 2 to 5 |
| I Need My Monster | Amanda Noll | 3 to 8 |
| Title | Author | Age Range |
| No No Yes Yes | Linda Patricellei | birth to 3 |
| Quiet Loud | Linda Patricellei | birth to 3 |
| No, David! | David Shannon | 18 months to 5 |
| Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus | Mo Willems | 18 months to 5 |
| Please, Baby, Please | Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee | 18 months to 3 |
| It's Hard to Be Five: Learning How to Work My Control Panel | Jamie Lee Curtis | 5 to 8 |
| Title | Author | Age Range |
| Gossie and Gertie | Olivier Dunrea | 12 months to 3 |
| Sheila Rae’s Peppermint Stick | Kevin Henkes | 18 months to 3 |
| My Friend and I | Lisa Jahn-Clough | 2 to 5 |
| Being Friends | Karen Beaumont | 2 to 5 |
| My Friend Rabbit | Eric Rohmann | birth to 3 |
| Chrysanthemum | Kevin Henkes | 3 to 6 |
| Chester’s Way | Kevin Henkes | 3 to 6 |
| Big Al | Andrew Clements | 3 to 6 |
| Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon | Patty Lovell | 3 to 6 |
| Wemberly Worried | Kevin Henkes | 3 to 6 |
| Shark Vs. Train | Chris Barton | 3 to 8 |
| William’s Doll | Charlotte Zolotow | 4 to 8 |
| Delores Meets Her Match | 4 to 8 | |
| Enemy Pie | Derek Munson | 4 to 8 |
| Title | Author | Age Range |
| Losing a Favorite Comfort Object | ||
| Dogger | Shirley Hughes | 3 to 6 |
| Explaining Death | ||
| When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death |
Laurie Krasny Brown and Marc Brown | 2 to 6 |
| I Miss You: A First Look at Death | Pat Thomas | 2 to 6 |
| Lifetimes | Bryan Mellonie | 3 to 8 |
| Water Bugs & Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children | Doris Stickney | 4 to 8 |
| The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life | 4 to adult | |
| Loss of a Pet | ||
| Goodbye Mousie | Robie Harris | 2 to 5 |
| I’ll Always Love You | Hans Wilhelm | 3 to 6 |
| Alfie and the Birthday Surprise | Shirley Hughes | 3 to 6 |
| Saying Goodbye to Lulu | Corinne Demas | 3 to 6 |
| The Tenth Good Thing About Barney | Judith Viorst | 2 to 6 |
| Jasper's Day | Marjorie Blain Parker | 3 to 6 |
| Loss of a Loved One | ||
| Where Are You? A Child’s Book About Loss | Laura Olivieri | 3 to 8 |
| Sad Isn't Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing With Loss | Michaelene Mundy | 4 to 8 |
| When Your Grandparent Dies: A Child’s Guide to Good Grief | Victoria Ryan | 3 to 6 |
| Nana Upstairs & Nana Downstairs | Tomie dePaola | 2 to 8 |
| Badger’s Parting Gifts | Susan Varley | 3 to 8 |
| Gentle Willow: A Story for Children About Dying | Joyce C. Mills | 4 to 8 |
| Grandma’s Purple Flowers | Adjoa J. Burrowes | 4 to 8 |
| Everett Anderson's Goodbye | Lucille Clifton | 4 to 8 |
| Saying Goodbye to Daddy | Judith Vigna | 4 to 8 |
| The Blue Roses | Linda Boyden | 4 to 8 |
| Tear Soup | Pat Schweibert | 4 to adult |
| Lifetimes | Warren Hanson | 4 to adult |
| Grief or Trauma | ||
| A Terrible Thing Happened* | Margaret M. Holmes | 2 to 8 |
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*The "terrible thing" mentioned in the title is not specified in the book which allows |
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| Title | Author | Age Range |
| Let’s Talk About It: Divorce | Fred Rogers |
2 to 5 |
| Mama and Daddy Bear’s Divorce |
Cornelia Maude Spelman | 2 to 5 |
| Two Homes | Claire Masurel | 2 to 5 |
| Was It the Chocolate Pudding: A Story for Little Kids About Divorce |
Bryan Langdo |
2 to 5 |
| Standing on My Own Two Feet: A Child's Affirmation of Love in the Midst of Divorce | Tamara Schmitz | 3 to 5 |
| Dinosaurs Divorce | Marc Brown | 3 to 5 |
| It’s Not Your Fault, Koko Bear | Vicki Lansky | 3 to 5 |
| My Family’s Changing: A First Look at Family Break-Up | Pat Thomas | 3 to 5 |
| I Have Two Homes | Marian DeSmet | 3 to 5 |
| Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? A Story of Divorce | Carol Gordon Ekster | 5+ |
