I love using books to introduce life skills and help my children through their difficulties….especially if the books are beautifully illustrated! Here are some of my favourites.
books about:
Emotional Intelligence: Introducing Feelings and Happiness
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids
By Carol McCloud
Illustrated by David Messing
For Ages 4-9
Paperback: 32 pages
Published: May 16, 2006
Language: English
ISBN: 978-0978507510
Description:
This best-selling, award-winning, 32-page picture book has become a basic teaching tool that encourages positive behavior as children see how very easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation, and love on a daily basis. Through sweet, simple prose and vivid illustrations, children learn the meaning of the terms, bucket filling and bucket dipping and discover that when they fill someone's bucket, they fill their own.
Winner of Fifteen Awards.
When I Feel Good about Myself
By Cornelia Maude Spelman
Illustrated by Kathy Parkinson
Ages 3-6
Description:
“I feel good about myself. Somebody loves me just as I am. I don’t have to look like anyone else, be the same size, or do the same things. It’s fine to be me.” When I Feel Good About Myself offers children positive and upbeat examples about the value of being themselves. A young guinea pig and friends show how they feel good about themselves in common situations that will be easy for readers to relate to. The text and art aim to foster self-esteem and independence.
In Spelman’s note for parents and teachers, she writes: “While it’s nice to have a special talent, those children who don’t have one need to know that they are just as valuable as those who do. We don’t want our children to feel that in order to be loved they must be something they are not. And competition over things one cannot control, like one’s physical attributes, only causes anxiety.”
What is a Feeling?
By David W. Krueger, M.D.
Illustrated by Jean Whitney
Juvenile/Children
Parenting Press
Description:
When children can declare their feelings, they begin to embrace a whole new world. Dr. Krueger uses familiar situations to help children put words to their wide range of feelings. Includes a game circle for Fun with Feelings.
What am I Feeling?
An Introductory Guide to Emotion Coaching Your Kids
By by Dr. John Gottman and Talaris Research Institute
Description:
How we feel about our own emotions – whether we value them and how we cope with them – deeply influences how we nurture children. Help your child understand and express emotions and learn to behave appropriately at the same time, using this introductory guide to emotion coaching. Adapted from Dr. Gottman’s Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child, this book helps adults identify their parenting and caregiving style, and explains the five important steps in “emotion coaching” children, to ensure that children are guided to healthy emotional growth.
Kids who can accept and share their emotions do better in many ways, Dr. Gottman’s research shows they form stronger friendships, achieve more in school, bounce back from emotional crises more quickly and they are physically healthier.
48 pages; beautifully illustrated with color photographs of parents and children.
The Way I Feel
Written & Illustrated by Janan Cain
Juvenile/Children
Parenting Press
Description:
Inspired when Janan Cain couldn't find a picture book to explain emotions to her young daughters, The Way I Feel uses every element of every page—illustration, text, color and type font—to describe "happy," "disappointed," "angry," "jealous" and other feelings that kids experience. Praised by parents and professionals, this best-selling award-winner is widely used in school character education programs, and with children who are sick, abused, emotionally troubled or have such special needs as autism.
Manners, Social Skills & Answers to WHY?
Why Should I Listen? (Why Should I? Books)
By Claire Llewellyn
Illustrated by Mike Gordon
Description:
When children are caught up by the excitement of the moment, they sometimes forget to listen—and the result might be an accident or an avoidable mistake. This book helps them understand the importance of listening to parents and teachers. Titles in the enlightening and entertaining Why Should I? series of picture storybooks answer questions that younger boys and girls are likely to ask about a wide range of topics. Part of every child's development consists of asking questions about themselves, their friends and neighbors, and their surroundings. Why Should I? books help them discover good answers. Kids will be attracted by the amusing color illustrations on every page, and parents and teachers will appreciate the note at the back of each book offering further suggestions on answering children's questions.
D.W. the Picky Eater
By Marc Brown
Description:
D.W. is very picky about what she eats. She doesn't seem to like anything. Her dining out days with her family are cut short when she refuses to eat her salad and flings it to the floor. Will her table manners improve in time for her Grandma Thora's special dinner out?
The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers
By Stan & Jan Berenstain
Description:
When Papa Bear tells the cubs why they should never talk to strangers, Sister begins to view all strangers as evil until Mama brings some common sense to the problem. "The Bears' rules for safe conduct among strangers are listed on the last pages, including a rule about the privacy of a bear's body. A good book to start awareness in young children."--School Library Journal.
By Stan & Jan Berenstain
Description:
When Papa Bear tells the cubs why they should never talk to strangers, Sister begins to view all strangers as evil until Mama brings some common sense to the problem. "The Bears' rules for safe conduct among strangers are listed on the last pages, including a rule about the privacy of a bear's body. A good book to start awareness in young children."--School Library Journal.
Routines
My Day (We Both Read - Level K (Quality))
By Sindy McKay
Illustrated by Meredith Johnson
Description:
We Both Read BIG BOOKS are the perfect choice for teachers to use in a group setting to encourage early readers, and even pre-readers, to participate in the shared-reading and discussion of a story. The students can participate in the reading of the story with their own pages and appropriately leveled text!
But I used this book to help my son transition to the new routine of going to kindergarten every day….
Anxiety and Fears
Scaredy Squirrel
ages 4-8
KIDS CAN PRESS
Description:
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…
Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears
Written and Illustrated by Emily Gravett
Description:
Everyone's afraid of something . . .
Young children will identify with the little mouse who uses the pages of this book to document his fears – from loud noises and the dark, to being sucked down the plughole. Packed with details and novelty elements including flaps, die-cuts and even a hilarious fold-out map, this is an extraordinary picture book.
Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal 2008 .
and more to come…..
Description:
Everyone's afraid of something . . .
Young children will identify with the little mouse who uses the pages of this book to document his fears – from loud noises and the dark, to being sucked down the plughole. Packed with details and novelty elements including flaps, die-cuts and even a hilarious fold-out map, this is an extraordinary picture book.
Winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal 2008 .
and more to come…..
