Bibliotherapy Resources
CHARACTER EDUCATION
10-Minute Life Lessons for Kids
by Jamie Miller
52 playful and easy to understand activities to help parents teach children moral lessons that they won't forget.
Chin Up, Charlie Be Brave
by Sarah Eason
Like all children, Charlie sometimes is just a bit scared. He has lots of choices to make—but which are the brave ones?
Come Clean, Carlos Tell the Truth
by Sarah Eason
Carlos sometimes does this things that are wrong, and doesn’t come clean. He has so many choices to make—but which are the truthful ones?
Do I Have To?
by Nancy Loewen
Uses an advice-column format to define responsibility as a character value and demonstrate how it can be used in daily situations.
Don’t Play Dirty, Gertie Be Fair
by Sarah Eason
This title explores the story of one child who faces dilemmas about different social situations, the choices he or she makes and the consequences of those choices.
Hand it Over Harry Don’t Steal
by Sarah Eason
At times, Harry might be faced with some sticky situations. What is the best way to get a present for his mom? Help Harry decide what choices to make—are they the honest ones?
Lying Up a Storm
by Julia Cook
This book is a great resource to help children understand not only the consequences of telling a lie, but also how one lie can often lead to telling several more. It will help parents and teachers understand that lying can be a normal and sometimes healthy response for a child and offers tools to help guide children toward truthfulness.
Oh, Bother! Someone’s Fibbing!
by Betty Birney
This is a picture book in the appealing Pooh series that addresses -- and resolves -- simple childhood problems. In this sweet Hundred- Acre tale, the problem is fibbing. Piglet has broken Pooh's honey pot, but he's afraid to tell Pooh the truth. Young Piglet blames a heffalump as the culprit, but he learns in the end that not telling the truth feels terrible and one fib only leads to another.
Ricky Sticky Fingers
by Julia Cook
Through a fun and whimsical story, children will learn the concept of ownership and how it feels when someone doesn't respect what is yours.
The Littlest Owl
by Caroline Pitcher & Tina Macnaughton
Deep inside a willow tree, three newly hatched owlets curiously examine the fourth, quiet egg. Is there an owl in there, they wonder. When at last the fourth owlet struggles free, he doesn't look much like the others. Dumpy, small, and downy white, he is left behind while his siblings learn to fly. No matter how hard he tries, he can't quite do it. "I will," he says. "Just you wait and see!" Will the littlest owl ever grow big and strong enough to fly from the tree? From the illustrator of five Book Sense Children's Picks comes the perfect story for any child who is a little nervous about venturing too far from home.
Wilma Unlimited
by Kathleen Krull
Before Wilma Rudolph was five years old, polio had paralyzed her left leg. Everyone said she would never walk again. But Wilma refused to believe it. Not only would she walk again, she vowed, she'd run. And she did run--all the way to the Olympics, where she became the first American woman to earn three gold medals in a single olympiad.
FEELINGS
A Boy and a Bear: The Children’s Relaxation Book
by Lori Lite
This book provides a much-needed way for parents and educators to introduce deep breathing to children as a simple and enjoyable way to relax the body/mind. It tells the story of a boy and a bear who climb opposite sides of a mountain, meet at the top and smile a greeting. The boy notices how nice the sun feels, how good it is to lie on the flat rock and how he likes to take deep breaths (counting 1-2-3-4). The bear playfully imitates the boy, with comforting repetitive text saying, "...so did the bear" after each of the boy's actions. They end up drifting off to sleep with the boy resting on the bear's belly, noticing how his belly goes up and down while he breathes. Simple, beautiful, brilliant.
Crankenstein
by Samantha Berger
He may look like any ordinary boy, but when faced with a rainy day, a melting popsicle, or an early bedtime, one little boy transforms into a mumbling, grumbling Crankenstein. When Crankenstein meets his match in a fellow Crankenstein, the results could be catastrophic--or they could be just what he needs to brighten his day!
David and the Worry Beast: Helping Children Cope with Anxiety
by Ann Marie Guanci
Learning to deal with anxiety is an important step in a child's healthy emotional growth. Conquering fears, and not avoiding them, is the lesson imparted in this story. David could not stop thinking about the basket he had missed at the end of the big game. He was worried that he might do it again. He was worried that his team mates would be angry with him. He was worried that his parents would not be proud of him. He was also worried about an upcoming math test. In fact, David was worried a lot. "Should I quit the team?" he asked himself. "Should I be sick tomorrow and miss the math test?" Luckily, David finally confided in his parents and school nurse, both of whom gave him support and techniques for controlling the "worry beast" within him.
Don’t Forget to Come Back!
by Robie H. Harris
Harris takes on separation anxiety and leavens it with lots of humor. The story is told by a girl whose parents are dressing up for a night on the town. First, she tries reasoning with them ("1. I am NOT a baby. 2. I'm a BIG kid. 3. So I do NOT need a stupid babysitter!"), and then threatening them ("…if you go out tonight, the biggest baddest moose will walk into the kitchen--and eat me all up!"). Her parents stay calm, the sitter arrives, Mom and Dad leave, and the resolution builds gradually (and happily) from there. Bliss's beautifully executed watercolor cartoons are a perfect foil for this comic tale; they are understated, friendly, and deceptively simple. Harris draws a fine line with the parents' attitude and succeeds admirably; they listen to their daughter without any impatience or anger, yet not even the youngest listeners will think there's a chance they'll stay home. This story reassures children that someone will always be there, that their parents will come back when they say they will, and that the adults--not their offspring--are ultimately in charge.
Don’t Panic Annika
by Juliet Clare Bell
Annika always panics. She panics when her coat zip gets stuck on the way to a party. She panics when she can't find her favourite toy at bedtime. Her mum, dad and brother try to help her learn how to stay calm and think her way through a problem.
Don’t Pop Your Cork on Mondays
by Adolph Moser
In this very informative and highly entertaining handbook for children, Dr. Adolph Moser offers practical approaches and effective techniques to help young people deal with stress.
Double Dip Feelings: Stories to Help Kids Understand Emotions
by Barbara Cain
This volume is designed to help children understand emotions, and shows that it is possible to experience two contrasting feelings at the same time, such as feeling both proud and scared on the first day of school. Questions are raised throughout the book to help them cope with the tugs and pulls of emotions that simultaneous and dissimilar feelings can produce.
Franklin’s Bad Day
by Paulette Burgeois & Brenda Clark
Franklin the turtle is having a horrible day. He usually loves winter, but today he is grumpy, cranky, and unhappy. Bear and Franklin go out to play together, but nothing they do is fun. They miss their good friend Otter, who has moved away. When the pouting turtle returns home, he is angry and sad until his father suggests that he write or call Otter. Franklin spends the rest of the day making a scrapbook to send to her, full of drawings and a dozen self-addressed envelopes. This is a well-told story about overcoming a difficult situation. In the colorful cartoon illustrations, Franklin's facial expressions help to convey his changing moods and emotions, from frustration and sadness to satisfaction.
Glad Monster Sad Monster
by Ed Emberley & Anne Miranda
Glad, sad, silly, mad - monsters have all kinds of different feelings! In this innovative die-cut book, featuring a snazzy foil cover, you'll try on funny masks as you walk through the wide range of moods all little monsters (and kids!) experience.
Happy
by Mies Van Hout
In Happy,Mies shows all the emotions a young child encounters. Each double page spread is devoted to one fish, showing a particular emotion with its name in lettering that expresses the same feeling. Swim into Happy where the dazzling fish sparkle against the dark background and let the images spark laughter and empathy.
How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad?
by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
Brimming with humor, this sparkling new book handles a timeless children's topic with wit and wisdom. Romp and stomp! Roar and slam! Almost everyone gets angry. But how can young dinosaurs also learn to calm down, take a time out, and behave? This is a fun, engaging book sure to help children handle anger and frustration. Readers will laugh at the antics of an Afrovenator's tantrum and a storming Pachyrhinosaurus.
How Do I Feel?
by Norma Simon
A young boy describes his feelings in different situations.
Is a Worry Worrying You?
by Ferida Wolff
Adults think of childhood as a carefree time, but the truth is that children worry, and worry a lot, especially in our highly pressurized era. This book addresses children's worries with humor and imagination, as hilarious scenarios teach kids the use of perspective and the art of creative problem-solving.
Let’s Talk About Feeling Afraid
by Joy Berry
"Let's Talk About Feeling Afraid" (Let's Talk About series) helps children understand and manage the difficult emotion of fear. Joy Berry's pragmatic approach shows children real ways to handle their fears in different situations that will lead to positive outcomes.
Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears
by Emily Gravett
Spiders: Little Mouse is afraid of them (arachnophobia).
Shadows: Little Mouse is afraid of those (sciaphobia).
In fact, Little Mouse is afraid of everything. Join her as she faces her fears and records them in her journal - and discovers that even the biggest people are afraid of some things.
Llama Llama Mad at Mama
by Anna Dewdney
Does any child like to go shopping? Not Llama Llama! But Mama can’t leave Llama at home, so off they go to Shop-O-Rama. Lots of aisles. Long lines. Mama is too busy to notice that Llama Llama is getting m-a-d! And before he knows it, he’s having a full-out tantrum! Mama quickly calms him down, but she also realizes that they need to make shopping more fun for both of them.
My Many Colored Days
by Dr. Seuss
Using a spectrum of vibrant colors and a menagerie of animals, this unique book does for the range of human moods and emotions what Oh, the Places You'll Go! does for the human life cycle. Here is a wonderful way for parents to talk with children about their feelings. This rare and beautiful book is bound to appeal to both the innocent young and the most sophisticated seniors.
Past Tense: Healthy Ways to Manage Stress (Slim Goodbody’s Life Skills 101)
by John Burstein
Slim Goodbody helps children develop skills to manage and release stress in ways that keep their minds and bodies healthy. Stress can be anything that happens that puts pressure on peoples minds and bodies and causes them to feel worried, uptight, or tense. Stress causes hearts to beat faster, breaths to be taken more quickly, sweating, and muscle tension.
Scaredy Squirrel
by Mélanie Watt
Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. It's way too dangerous out there. He could encounter tarantulas, green Martians or killer bees. But in his tree, every day is the same and if danger comes along, he's well-prepared. Scaredy Squirrel's emergency kit includes antibacterial soap, Band-Aids and a parachute.
Day after day he watches and waits, and waits and watches, until one day… his worst nightmare comes true! Scaredy suddenly finds himself out of his tree, where germs, poison ivy and sharks lurk.
But as Scaredy Squirrel leaps into the unknown, he discovers something really uplifting…
Sea Otter Cove: Introducing Relaxation Breathing to Lower Anxiety, Decrease Stress and Control Anger while Promoting Peaceful Sleep
by Lori Lite
Sea Otter Cove is a story that teaches children how to use diaphragmatic breathing to calm down, lower stress, and control anger. Children love to experience belly breathing with the playful sea otters and sea child. This self-calming breathing technique can help your child to self-soothe, relax, and manage anger.
Soda Pop Head
by Julia Cook
His real name is Lester, but everyone calls him Soda Pop Head. Most of the time he is pretty happy, but when things seem to be unfair his ears gets hot, his face turns red and he blows his top! Lester’s dad comes to his rescue by teaching him a few techniques to loosen the top and cool down before his fizz takes control. Soda Pop Head will help your child control his/her anger while helping them manage stress.
Stand in My Shoes
by Bob Sornson
When Emily asks her big sister what the word empathy means, Emily has no idea that knowing the answer will change how she looks at people. But does it really matter to others if Emily notices how they're feeling? Stand in My Shoes shows kids how easy it is to develop empathy toward those around them. Empathy is the ability to notice what other people feel. Empathy leads to the social skills and personal relationships which make our lives rich and beautiful, and it is something we can help our children learn. This book teaches young children the value of noticing how other people feel.
The Day Leo Said I Hate You!
by Robie H. Harris
Robie H. Harris and Molly Bang portray what happens when a little boy feels SO frustrated and SO mad at a parent who has said NO all day long. Together, Harris and Bang delicately navigate not only the momentary angry feelings and outbursts of young children, but also the most profound bonds between a parent and a child.
The Grouchies
by Debbie Wagenbach
What can you do when the grouchies take hold? How can you keep your bad mood at bay? With funny rhymes and a silly chant, 'The Grouchies' shows children simple and fun ways to turn around grouchy moods.
The Rainbow Book
by Kelly Ohrt
Emotions are as bright and unique as rainbows. The Rainbow Book explores the relationship between colors and sentiments they might inspire. Does yellow suggest happiness? Is blue peaceful? Set against a deep black background, each page reveals an intricate paper-cutting in a single color and the emotion it suggests: "When I feel RED, I am fiery and bold." Each turn of the page reveals another color, leading to a bright rainbow of feelings.
The Story of My Feelings
by Laurie Berkner
A girl is sad, so she cries and she feels better. As her tears dry, the rainy sky brightens and a rainbow stretches across it. Laughing when she's happy, yelling when she's angry, sighing gently in a hammock when she's feeling peaceful—all of these expressions of her feelings make her feel better. Throughout the story, a puppy is her constant companion. The deceptively simple illustrations provide a comforting cohesiveness-the same girl and her companionable dog, the same patchwork flowers blooming, the wide sky above changing colors but still the sky—all reflect the message that it is safe and OK to have and express different feelings.
The Way I Feel
by Janan Cain
Feelings are a normal part of life for children as well as adults, believes author Janan Cain, who wanted kids both to understand the concept of emotions and be able to express their feelings with words. Her delightful The Way I Feel has drawn praise from parents, educators and medical professionals across the country. It's used at bedtime, when parents want to talk about what happened that day; in classrooms, when teachers want to talk about pride and disappointment; and with sick children who are suffering from fear and confusion as well as pain.