The Best Kids Books About All The Feelings
Help kids identify feelings with this fantastic set of books!
Social emotional skills are key to being able to handle all the ups and downs life throws at you. Included in this list are the best books I’ve found out there to highlight a variety of feelings. These are excellent books to read to work on beginning emotional skills, such as identifying emotions. These reads are perfect to use as a springboard to start conversations with kids about different feelings.
Since having strong emotional skills are so important, I plan on making numerous blog posts highlighting helpful books for a wide range of feelings. In this list, I’m going to share with you some of my all time favorite books for reading and learning about all the different feelings and what those feelings might look like when displayed.
*As always, my book list grows from simpler to more complex books. Board books toward the top of the list with picture books following.
Board Books
When my older son was two, this was one of his favorite board books! Duck and Goose, along with their friends, experience a wide variety of feelings. Most of the page spreads tell a one-word feeling. Tad Hills uses the background, facial expression, and body language to help communicate the feeling.
The Whatif Monster on the cover of this one is the same character from the picture book Jonathan James and the Whatif Monster. That story has been a big hit for our family, and so when I saw the Whatif Monster in a feelings book, we had to get it. It did not disappoint! Bold, colorful, and simple illustrations highlighting a different whatif monster’s feeling on each page are perfect for the youngest readers. The monsters’ facial expressions and body language help indicate the emotion. The text asks what do you do if you feel ____ emotion, and on the bottom of that same page, it suggests if you’re feeling that way. “But what if I feel Angry? I can close my eyes and count to five.” Very helpful for learning what to do with different feelings when they happen.
Short and sweet, perfect for the youngest readers learning all about faces and emotions. Each page features a baby’s face along with a feelings word and a question prompt for baby to make each feelings face.
Picture Books
This is one of my all-time favorite books to read with kids regarding feelings! Through colors, background, body language, simple wording, and even down to text font help to express each feeling per page spread, this story does a great job relaying what each feeling might look like, sound like, and feel like when you experience it. It comes in both board book and picture book. I prefer this one for older toddlers through first graders in the picture book format because there’s more content. However, there’s a lot to be gained just from looking and discussing one page at a time if you have an on the go reader!
This is one to read with kids who are reluctant to talk about their feelings. There are monster masks that littles can try on each page spread after reading a brief text describing that feeling. I love this concept of putting on the mask to talk about feelings; it helps decrease the spotlight on kids when talking about something that might be uncomfortable to them. Text is simple and relatable to children. The illustrations are bright, fun, and engaging.
This one is part of a series, Growing Hearts, that celebrates the milestones of a toddler’s emotional development. Although the description says toddler, I would definitely share this with kids older than toddlers, too, probably to around age six. The heart that you see in the picture of the book is heart cutouts that gradually decrease in size throughout the reading. Cute feature that helps to engage little readers. Each page spread illustrates and briefly describes a feeling; what happened, how it feels in the body, and what her heart is feeling are described.
This is one of my favorite books on identifying feelings. I love it for the variety of interactive elements that engage kids with emotions and the variety of feelings brought up. This was also one of the first books I can remember reading that specifically called out discrimination as unfair in such a simple and straightforward way for kids. The story pairs up opposite feelings together and shows how at one time we may feel one way, and then at another time, we may feel the opposite way. It also validates and gives further information about feelings. Reluctant readers or just kids reluctant to discuss feelings can benefit from the interactive elements this book brings to the table.
Love this sweet photograph book to help promote emotional literacy in kids! This one has been a winner with all kids I’ve read it to over the years. Text is simple and rhyming. There is an action and simple description of what that feeling means for each page paired with a photograph Photos are of kids displaying various feelings, great to discuss body language for all the different emotions. Parents and caregivers can make some good connections and tie backs to kids after reading to strengthen those emotional literacy skills. “I see you are waving, just like the little girl in the story. You are smiling and looking at me, just like she does in the story. You must be telling me, hello!” Love the sweet photos of kids and their parents showing love. This one makes a sweet bedtime story.
The Color Monster is all mixed up in his feelings. A little girl helps him identify and sort through all of his many emotions described through colors. The book link here will take you to the pop-up version, which is super cute and extra engaging, especially for kids reluctant to talk about feelings. However, it does come in a non pop-up version that’s cheaper and still a good read.
This one doesn’t label any feelings, but the boy does a good job describing how different feelings make him feel. What I liked about this one that I haven’t seen other books show is how other’s moods can affect you. I also love the message that big feelings are okay, and it might feel scary to acknowledge them, but you’ll feel better afterward.
Each page spread helps count up to ten, informing the reader ten things to know about feelings. The book tells readers about feelings, like, everyone has feelings, feelings change, and things to say to help with feelings. The back of the book has more information for adults for each of the points shared in the page spreads. Very informative for a general broad look and understanding about all feelings together and how to cope with managing feelings.
Here’s one using colors and animals to describe feelings, which some kids can identify with when conveying emotions. A bright red horse kicking about is feeling happy, and a purple, slow-moving dinosaur feels sad and alone. I love how it normalizes some days can be a mix of various emotions and that all the emotions help make up you.
The story follows a boy and girl who talk about what they do or say when they feel different feelings. There are few coping strategies mentioned, but mainly just identifying different feelings and what it may look or feel like when you’re in that moment. The overall message is that we all feel all of the different feelings, and that’s okay. This book is a level or two up from just basic emotion identification, so it would be a great contender to expand emotional vocabulary for young children.
If you’ve been following me, you’ll notice that I love photography in children’s books! When looking for books that are trying to highlight feelings for kids, a picture book with photographs is a must share! Kids can see real kids displaying real feelings. Parents/educators can talk about facial expressions and body language when reading. Shelley Rotner always does a fantastic job and this book explicitly highlighting feelings gets two thumbs up on my site!
This one is perfect for normalizing that feelings can be mixed together and that all feelings are okay. Bright and fun illustrations, help up its appeal to kids. Plus, love the idea section for caregivers in the back to help assist them in helping kids!
You might have hear of this popular series and for good reason! So many feelings specific options in this series. Love the playful detective style of this one specifically, where the spot tries to sort out and identify feelings. Excellent feelings chart in this one to reference. Love the body clues and examples for how to spot each feeling. Playful and informative approach for feelings!
If you’re looking for a more advanced reference read on feelings, check out this thorough nonfiction from Usborne. This one would tie in well with The Color Monster, I mentioned earlier this post, because both relate feelings to different colors. Love the color usage here to connect ideas throughout the book. There are ideas on how to deal with uncomfortable feelings. There are pages that ask the reader how they might feel in a similar situation or what do you do when x happens. These have potential to be great conversation starters. Great read for reviewing and understanding feelings further.
This detailed reference book is perfect for readers who are ready to expand their feelings knowledge. Love the body silhouettes page highlighting where different emotions are felt, the emotions dictionary, and ideas and solutions for challenging situations many kids face, like being new or bullying. Love how each main emotion is so informative and really broken down to understand it’s usefulness and ways to help when experiencing that emotion. Excellent reference!
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