Books have this magical quality about them that keeps students engaged, helps them look at things from new perspectives, see themselves in stories, apply what they learn to their own lives, and learn from the character’s experiences. For these reasons, and many others, they are a great tool for school counselors to use. They are useful in class lessons, small groups, and 1:1 conversations with kiddos. They can also be helpful to recommend families have at home when their child is going through some specific challenges.
There are SO many wonderful books, but this post is going to focus on Team TRC’s favorite 12. This list was HARD to make. We started by each making our list of favorites. It was surprising how little overlap there was! Whether a book is a spectacular book for an elementary school counselor to have on hand is a bit subjective. That said, we are confident this list is pretty great!
Note: While we are calling this our list of “must-haves”, we would never say you “have” to buy any books (especially if your school has not provided you with a budget to do so). Consider visiting your local or school library or check for recordings online if there are any books that you might want to try! This post contains affiliate links.
Anger
Way Past Mad by Hallee Adelman – A favorite from the Way Past series, this book does not necessarily having a “lesson”, but does a really good job of capturing how mad really feels for kiddos and validates that experience. It demonstrates different ways that anger shows up like how little things can make us feel really mad, how we can sometimes take our anger out on others, not caring if our anger makes sense, etc. It would be a good fit for 1st – 3rd graders during small groups or class lessons about understanding their own anger or supporting others who are feeling angry. For your older students, you can even pick out moments in the book where the main character, Keya, could use a coping skill and discuss how that might have changed her situation.
Coping
Breathing Makes It Better by Christopher Willard and Wendy O’Leary – A wonderful one to use for your kiddos probably up to about early 3rd grade, this one has a soothing rhythm and predictable structure that on it’s own, can be really calming. We love a few things about this one. First, it’s built-in cues to help students practice pausing and taking a breath along. And, it’s illustrations that provide examples of specific situations that kiddos will be able to connect to where a deep breath could be helpful. It is a great one to use when teaching how to cope with strong emotions (of all shapes and sizes!) or even just to use as a little mindfulness break.
Decision-Making
What if Everybody Did That by Ellen Javernick – This book is a great one to use when you are working with Kinder – 4th graders on decision-making and impulse control. It follows the main character through various scenarios where he makes little decisions that he thinks aren’t a big deal. However, the illustrations guide readers to see that the impact is actually much bigger than he thinks it is. This one is great to use when kiddos need some support in identifying how their own choices might add up and have bigger consequences than they are even aware of.
Feelings
The Color Monster by Anna Llenas – This is a good one to pull when you are starting conversations or lessons about feelings with your younger elementary kiddos. It starts with a monster who is all jumbled up – he’s somehow feeling happy, sad, angry, calm and scared at the same time. With the help of a friend, he starts to learn how to unravel and better understand all of these feelings. This book does a great job illustrating different feelings and how we sometimes needing help figuring out how we feel. The colorful nature also leads to lots of creative activities that can be fun in class lessons or small groups!
Grief/Change
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst – When two children are fearful of being apart from their mother, she tells them, “We are always together”. When they don’t quite believe her she presents, the invisible string that connects them, no matter what. This book will resonate with anyone who has experience some separation anxiety or grief (of any kind). When kiddos are experiencing these tough things, it provides a reassuring message about the everlasting connection that exists when people love one another. This one is a great fit for small groups and individual work. It can even be used for classes during times of transition, like the end of the year.
Growth Mindset
Bubble Gum Brain by Julia Cook – A hit with lots of elementary kiddos, Bubble Gum Brain provides a creative and relatable framework to apply to the term, “growth mindset”. This story shows how “Bubble Gum Brain” and “Brick Brain” approach different obstacles like riding a bike or learning how to play an instrument. The compare and contrast style of this story creates an opportunity for children to ask themselves if they have more of a “Bubble Gum Brain” or more of a “Brick Brain”. This book is an enduring one with activity options galore!
Identity/Self-Esteem
All The Ways To Be Smart by Davina Bell – Rather than provide one character or story, this beautifully illustrated story provides example after example of how many definitions there are for “smart”. It’s a great one to pick up for those kiddos (or adults)! It gently and carefully pushes readers out of the “traditional” definition of intelligence . What we love about this one is how it de-emphasizes achievement and instead, emphasizes creativity, kindness, and the unique talents and interests of anybody! This is a great choice for lessons or groups on confidence or to pair with our Multiple Intelligences lesson.
Worry
The Whatifs by Emily Kilgore – For our K-4 worriers, this story personifies those pesky negative thoughts that plague our kiddos really thoughtfully and with great illustrations. The author does a beautiful job of demonstrating how feverishly “what if” questions can pile up and the impact they can have. It does this by walking through a week in the mind of another kid who experiences the same thing. The situations where her “what ifs” pop up, a lot of kiddos will be able to relate to. This book is great to use in lessons, small groups, or individually with students. It can be helpful for kiddos who don’t quite now how to break that “what if” cycle as it offers a tangible tool for them to walk away with.
Social Skills
You’ll notice there is more than one recommendation for this category. That is just because these are the kind of books we find ourselves reaching for most often in the elementary setting!
- Just Kidding by Trudy Ludwig – Trudy Ludwig has a wonderful way of addressing tricky behaviors of our upper elementary and early middle schoolers. In Just Kidding, DJ finds himself the target of a classmates’ unkindness. Trudy tackles the concept of “funny” vs. “hurtful”, which we see getting blurry often with this age group! What we love about this book is that it not only helps kids understand the impact of unkind comments and the difference between funny and hurtful, but it also provides a guide about how to take action in these moments. It is a great choice to use in class lessons or small groups about relationships and the impact of teasing.
- Taste Your Words by Bonnie Clark – A humorously told story about Amera, who says whatever comes to her mind when she is feeling frustrated, upset, or annoyed. As she starts to “taste her words” she learns that the nicer words taste a whole lot better than the mean ones! The message in this one is simple enough for lower elementary kiddos, but it’s still entertaining for upper elementary kiddos. This is a good pick if you are working with students on developing their social filter or controlling the impulse to say unkind things when they have big feelings.
- One by Kathryn Otoshi – This is a story many students can connect to, but because of some of the metaphors it may be easier for older kiddos to grasp. The characters, which are colors, see something they know is wrong, but they’re afraid to do anything; they fear becoming the target of the unwanted behavior. That is until someone, the number one in this case, comes and shows them how to have the courage to do it anyway. “One” shows readers that they have power, it only takes one to make a difference, and we are all stronger together.
- Strictly No Elephants by Lisa Mantchev – This warm story can be used to open up discussions or lessons about both friendship and inclusion with Kinder-2nd graders. It follows the main character and his pet elephant as they define what friendship means to them and their experience of exclusion when they aren’t allowed in The Pet Club. When he meets another kid with a pet skunk who wasn’t allowed in the club, he goes on to create his own club that welcomes everybody! We love how the readers can see the character take this problem into his own hands and create a better experience for himself and others.
If you’d like some other suggestions for your worriers, check out this blog post!
