10 Best Books About Emotion for Kids

Young children may experience a wide range of feelings but not have the words to express them. Learning to discuss feelings is part of emotional regulation. Books about emotions for kids can help them better understand feelings like anger, sadness, or happiness and find ways to communicate them in a healthy manner.

10 Best Books About Emotion for Kids

Through literature, children can develop social-emotional skills that will empower them in the future. The key to teaching children about emotions is to keep them engaged and entertained. We’ve compiled these ten best children’s books about emotion to add to your home library.

1. Big Feelings by Alexandra Penfold

Children don’t always know what to do with big feelings. They can quickly become overwhelmed and experience emotional challenges in their daily lives. In Suzanne Kaufman's Big Feelings, each character explores these “big feelings” by working together and being open to different outcomes.

$11.66 on Amazon, $18.99 on Barnes and Noble

2. Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang

Grumpy Monkey woke up on the wrong side of the bed. His friends try to cheer him up to no avail until one of them reassures Grumpy Monkey that it’s okay to have negative feelings occasionally. Grumpy Monkey validates children’s complex thoughts while encouraging them to be more positive.

$9.98 on Amazon, $17.99 on Barnes and Noble

3. Tough Guys Have Feelings Too by Keith Negley

Some boys grow up thinking they shouldn’t be emotional because it falsely demonstrates weakness. In Tough Guys Have Feelings Too, author Keith Negley reminds young boys that being emotional is valid, whether you’re a ninja, superhero, knight, or dad.

The book aims to introduce young boys to the consequences of toxic masculinity and encourage them to understand their feelings instead of suppressing them.

$15.71 on Amazon, $17.99 on Barnes and Noble

4. A Little Bit Brave by Nicola Kinnear

The world can feel humongous, especially for young children, and exploring can be intimidating. Logan, the stay-at-home bunny, feels precisely this way—a little nervous about exploring the world outside his home. However, with some encouragement, he ventures into the woods and meets interesting new friends. Suddenly, feeling brave and mighty, he realizes that the world can be fun to explore.

$15.74 on Amazon, $18.99 on Barnes and Noble

5. What to Do When You Feel Like Hitting by Cara Goodwin

When toddlers struggle to express themselves verbally, they can resort to hitting or acting out physically. While toddlers should know their feelings are valid, they should also understand the consequences of hitting.

This adorably illustrated picture book teaches kids about “gentle hands” and alternative ways to express themselves when frustrated. It encourages them to take deep breaths, express their feelings through drawing, and squeeze a toy when frustrated.

$4.59 on Amazon, $7.99 on Barnes and Noble

6. The Boy With Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee

The Boy With Big, Big Feelings has become a staple for social-emotional learning in households and classrooms. It is a favorite among parents and teachers reading to children considered Highly Sensitive People or on the autism spectrum.

The book illustrates how big feelings may seem to children—they might feel like they’re about to burst with emotions, experience extreme elation, or cry. It inspires children to acknowledge their feelings and find unique ways to express them through art and creativity.

$13.99 on Amazon, $18.99 on Barnes and Noble

7. Calm-Down Time by Elizabeth Verdick

Every child will experience a meltdown at some point, and parents must bear the brunt of each tantrum. Thus, parents must teach children how to “come back” from big feelings, like through a calm-down period.

Calm-Down Time gives children options for overcoming high emotions like anger or frustration. It teaches them to count and breathe, ask for a hug, or sing to themselves.

$9.29 on Amazon, $9.99 on Barnes and Noble

8. Feelings by Libby Walden

It takes a lot to keep a child’s attention, and Feelings by Libby Walden does so spectacularly. This peek-through book is interactive and beautifully illustrated. More importantly, it takes children on an adventure to explore their feelings.

It implements rhymes for readability and is chock-full of emotions-based vocabulary to help children label their feelings.

$8.99 on Amazon, $8.99 on Barnes and Noble

9. My Body Sends a Signal by Natalia Maguire

Like teenagers and adults, children experience many feelings but may not know how to describe or deal with them. My Body Sends a Signal discusses how children can experience feelings mentally and emotionally, positively or negatively.

It’s a fun and interactive book incorporating puzzles, games, and coloring pages to expand a child’s vocabulary and immerse them in learning. The book teaches kids that they can experience emotions physically, and suppressing them can lead to health problems in the future [*].

$10.89 on Amazon, $14.90 on Barnes and Noble

10. How Do You Feel? by Lizzy Rockwell

How can kids begin to understand their feelings? In How Do You Feel, author Lizzy Rockwell uses sparse and straightforward language to introduce emotions like characters with different faces. Children can encounter emotions anywhere—at home, school, or the playground.

It might feel like meeting different people—kind, scary, and annoying! Each book also contains a Feelings Faces poster illustrating how emotions might look on different people.

$7.46 on Amazon, $7.99 on Barnes and Noble

The Bottom Line

Emotions can be tiring and even frustrating, especially when children experience them for the first time. By introducing emotion books for kids, your child can expand their emotional vocabulary and learn to accommodate different feelings gracefully and patiently.

Pair reading time with activities using our feelings worksheets. These worksheets allow children and teens to practice new coping mechanisms and teach them how to track their emotions.

Sources:

1. Peters BJ, Overall NC, Jamieson JP. “Physiological and cognitive consequences of suppressing and expressing emotion in dyadic interactions.” International Journal of Psychophysiology, 2014.