Topic 6: Knowing my feelings

In order for children to find appropriate ways to control and master their feelings, they must first feel comfortable with understanding and expressing them. The books we have selected for younger children aid in recognizing and labeling different feelings, while the books for older children explore a few feelings in depth: worry, anger, and bravery. Recognizing that feelings, even negative ones, are a natural part of life is an essential step toward mastery and self-control. For more books focused on other feelings, please see our extended list.

Clicking on the titles will direct you to the amazon.com page for each book listed below. Clicking on highlighted words or phrases in the descriptions will direct you to resources and information related to the topics.

For ages 0 - 3

Duck and Goose: How Are You Feeling? by Tad Hills

Children better understand and manage their feelings, communicate their needs and empathize with others when they understand what emotions they experience and what they are called.   Duck and Goose provide a simple introduction to the names and facial expressions reflecting common feelings, like anger and pride, which all children experience, and is especially attractive to infants and toddlers with its one word pages.

The Feelings Book by Todd Parr

Todd Parr’s The Feelings Book helps toddlers identify a range of feelings through basic descriptions of moods, sensations, and desires. The descriptions either identify direct feelings, such as fear and silliness, physical sensations, like tummy aches, or personal desires such as the feeling of wanting to try something new. Each described feeling is paired with a simple illustration, which helps the child associate their feelings with corresponding physical expressions. The Feelings Book promotes healthy development of individuality and expression by encouraging children to share their feelings with their loved ones, regardless of what kind of emotion it may be.

For ages 0 - 3 and ages 3 - 6

Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner

Lots of Feelings is filled with multi-cultural faces, large, colorful fonts and an abundance of photos of real children. Rotner introduces emotions such as excitement, anger, surprise and confusion and invites parents and teachers to discuss this with children of all ages. With this book, children will recognize what an array of emotions look like on the faces of others, and become more aware of their own feelings as they arise. Lots of Feelings will provide you plenty of opportunities for discussion with your child!

You Are Brave by Todd Snow

Emotional resiliency is needed when facing adversity and its development begins early in life as a child perseveres through disappointments and frustrations, and is supported by adults to keep trying. You are Brave illustrates to children the ways they foster their resiliency and helps them recognize their actions and feelings of bravery. This book is a helpful tool to begin conversations with a child about what they do that requires courage and bravery.

Feelings to Share by Todd and Peggy Snow

Feelings to Share is a simple rhyming book that introduces some basic, common emotions to young children. Emotions depicted in this book include happy, mad, scared, shy, yucky, and proud. This book is simple enough to read to very young children, but is also a good conversation starter for older children. What makes you feel happy? Scared? Yucky? Proud?

 

For ages 3 - 6

Angry Dragon by Thierry Robberecht

"The answer is NO!" says Mom." This first line of the book Angry Dragon begins an elequoent description of one child's experience of overwhelming rage and the return to calm. The writing is clear and the illustrations are engaging. When this child is mad, his anger feels so dangerous that he imagines a transformation from boy to dragon. Dragons destroy things, don't like to be touched, and don't understand "people language." This is a terrific book to read aloud and may spark important parent/child conversations about the healthy range and depth of feelings.

Sometimes I'm Bombaloo by Rachel Vail

Katie Honors knows herself to be a "really good kid" who is happy, brushes her teeth, uses the magic word, and gives great hugs. Sometimes when Katie's little brother knocks down her fabulous block castle, she says, "that's okay." But other times, Katie has big angry feelings and becomes BOMBALOO.  This brightly illustrated book explains how Katie, as BOMBALOO, has pushy and smashy feelings. This is a wonderful book in that it describes strong feelings of anger (i.e. the BOMBALOO state) and also explains that with a little help from mother and some quiet time Katie will feel herself again soon. Parents can help children understand their anger by reading this book aloud and explaining that everyone has angry feelings sometimes, even parents and "really good" kids.

 

Just In Case by Judith Viorst

Throughout this book, children hear, "Charlie likes to be ready, just in case." Charlie doesn't like surprises and he has many elaborate and innovative plans to feel prepared for nearly impossible events, such as rain leaking into and flooding the house or stores running out of food. Just In Case also serves as a springboard for discussions about the types of scenarios that can make children feel worried. This book is beautifully and colorfully illustrated, making looking at the illustrations as fun and interesting as reading the story.

 

 

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

At the start of a new school year, many children worry what their day will be like. As they enter this milestone, they are adjusting to separating from their parents, forming a bond with a new teacher, and opening themselves to creating new relationships with peers. Wemberly Worried is a story about a very thoughtful little mouse girl with plenty of worries, especially starting her first day at school. With the support of her parents and encouragement from her teacher, Wemberly discovers a new friend whose name is Jewel. Although Wemberly’s worries are still on her mind, suddenly being a schoolgirl isn’t so scary after all.

Bravery Soup by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Carlin Raccoon is afraid of everything. He is afraid of trying new things and being alone and even his own shadow!  One day his friend Zack brings Carlin to see the wise Big Bear to help him find a bit of courage. Big Bear gives Carlin a very important job that leads him on a long journey where Carlin discovers he actually is braver than he thought.

Parents' literature:

Raising Resilient Children: Fostering Strength, Hope, and Optimism in Your Child by Robert Brooks and Sam Goldstein

In Raising Resilient Children, Dr. Brooks and Dr. Goldstein offer clear guideposts that focus on helping children build a sense of inner fortitude while fostering such life skills as empathy, optimism, problem solving, and self-discipline. This is an insightful and easy-to-read book for parents, providing an understanding of the problems children of today are facing and many real-life examples of how the qualities of resilience can affect their lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Additional books on this topic, Knowing my feelings:

For children:

Molly Bang: When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry

Cherryl Kachenmeister: On Monday When It Rained

Amy Krouse Rosenthal: One of Those Days

Judith Viorst: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Janan Cain: The Way I Feel

Dr. Suess: My Many Colored Days

Linda Urban: Mouse Was Mad