Little Kids & Big Feelings: Books for Parents and Caregivers

Helping children understand and regulate emotions is an important, but sometimes daunting, task! Washington County librarians have assembled a list of books that can help parents navigate tantrums, anxiety, and mental health challenges while building emotional regulation, resilience, and mindfulness.

Updated January 10, 2025
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The 5 principles of parenting : your essential guide to raising good humans
Pressman, Aliza
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Let go of perfect and become a transformative, positive influence in a child's life while creating your own definition of success from developmental psychologist and podcaster Dr. Aliza Pressman. "My go-to for how we all...
Advanced parenting : advice for helping kids through diagnoses, differences, and mental health challenges
Fradin, Kelly, MD
Paper Book
"An invaluable resource for parents and caregivers," this important, empathetic guidebook offers practical steps for managing children's health (Emily Oster, PhD,  New York Times bestselling author of Cribsheet and Expecting Better). Any...
Brainstorm : the power and purpose of the teenage brain
Siegel, Daniel J.
Paper Book
In this New York Times-bestselling book, Dr. Daniel Siegel shows parents how to turn one of the most challenging developmental periods in their children's lives into one of the most rewarding. Between the ages of twelve and twenty-four, the brain changes in important and,...
Building emotional intelligence : techniques to cultivate inner strength in children
Lantieri, Linda.
Paper Book
An innovative educator and the pioneer of emotional intelligence team up to present a groundbreaking program for building resilience and inner strength in children.
Building happier kids : stress-busting tools for parents
Bhargava, Hansa
Paper Book
Kids today are facing unprecedented pressures--and their mental health is suffering. As a parent, you may feel burned out and exhausted yourself--and perhaps overwhelmed by the idea of taking on your child's stress. But Building Happier Kids offers practical, concrete steps you can take to help your...
The emotionally healthy child : helping children calm, center, and make smarter choices
Healy, Maureen
Paper Book
Winner of Nautilus Book Award in Parenting & Family While growing up has never been easy, today's world presents kids and their parents with unprecedented challenges. The upside, posits Maureen Healy, is a widespread acknowledgment that emotional health, resilience, and equilibrium can...
Mindful discipline : a loving approach to setting limits & raising an emotionally intelligent child
Shapiro, Shauna L.
Paper Book
Raising happy, compassionate, and responsible children requires both lovenbsp;andnbsp;limits.nbsp;Innbsp;Mindful Discipline, internationally recognized mindfulness expertnbsp;Shaunanbsp;Shapiro and pediatrician Chris White weave together ancient wisdom and modern science to provide new...
Mindful with me : connecting with your child through daily mindfulness
Dennehy, Sarah
Paper Book
55 mindfulness activities guide grown-ups and their little ones toward happiness, calm, and deeper focus. "An action-oriented manual that makes mindfulness practice an easy addition to a daily routine; caregivers could easily read this book aloud to their children." --Library...
Parenting anxious kids : understanding anxiety in children by age and stage
Galanti, Regine
Paper Book
**Learn simple, effective skills to help your child manage their anxiety** The complete CBT-based guide for parenting kids with anxiety, for readers of The Anxious Generation Do you suspect your child may have anxiety? While it's normal for children of all ages to experience...
Parenting for humans : how to parent the child you have, as the person you are
Svanberg, Emma
Paper Book
"You will learn why you parent the way you do, how to grow into your own parenting role, and ultimately, how to parent the unique child you have." --Dr. Becky Kennedy, clinical psychologist, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Good Inside This is not a parenting book (it's a book for...
Permission to feel : unlocking the power of emotions to help our kids, ourselves, and our society thrive
Brackett, Marc A.
Paper Book
The mental well-being of children and adults is shockingly poor. Marc Brackett, author of Permission to Feel, knows why. And he knows what we can do. "We have a crisis on our hands, and its victims are our children." Marc Brackett is a professor in Yale...
The power of showing up : how parental presence shapes who our kids become and how their brains get wired
Siegel, Daniel J.
Paper Book
Parenting isn't easy. Showing up is. Your greatest impact begins right where you are. Now the bestselling authors of The Whole-Brain Child and No-Drama Discipline explain what this means over the course of childhood. "There is parenting magic in this book."-...
Raising a kid who can : simple strategies to build a lifetime of adaptability and emotional strength
McCarthy, Catherine (Psychiatrist)
Paper Book
Three mental health professionals cut through the "parenting advice" noise with this accessible, easy-to-skim book filled with actionable strategies and tips to build a child's capacity to thrive where they are planted, in good times and bad.   It's time to parent...
Raising securely attached kids : using connection-focused parenting to create confidence, empathy, and resilience
Harwood, Eli
Paper Book
Create a lifetime of connection with your children. Therapist and wildly popular attachment research expert Eli Harwood (a.k.a. Attachment Nerd) illuminates attachment theory as foundational to the only parenting approach proven to have a lasting impact. How...
Take a moment : 50 mindfulness activities for kids
Christelis, Paul
Paper Book
This book gives children, teachers and parents ideas for how to introduce more mindful moments into their lives. The book is broken into six sections: Mindful Breathing, Mindful Listening, Mindful Looking, Mindful Emotions, Mindful Awareness, and Mindful Appreciation....
Tiny humans, big emotions : how to navigate tantrums, meltdowns, and defiance to raise emotionally intelligent children
Campbell, Alyssa Blask
Paper Book
The Future is Emotionally Intelligent We're in the midst of a parenting revolution that is radically changing the way we raise our kids. Gone are the days of minimizing emotions: Don't Cry. You're Fine. Don't Make a Scene. As our understanding of developing brains has...
Very intentional parenting : awakening the empowered parent within
Davis, Destini Ann
Paper Book
A different kind of parenting book that helps parents improve themselves first, so they can then be better parents to their kids. It's time for a fresh approach to parenting! Isn't it time for a parenting book that is practical and relatable? Destini Ann Davis...
When the world feels like a scary place : essential conversations for anxious parents & worried kids
Gewirtz, Abigail H.
Paper Book
"A terrific book for parents who want to know how to talk about difficult, emotional issues with children."--Nancy Eisenberg, Regents' Professor of Psychology, Arizona State University  ​Includes how to talk to your kids about COVID-19. In a lifesaving...
The whole-brain child : 12 revolutionary strategies to nurture your child's developing mind
Siegel, Daniel J.
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * More than 1 million copies in print! * The authors of No-Drama Discipline and The Yes Brain explain the new science of how a child's brain is wired and how it matures in this pioneering, practical book.   "Simple, smart,...

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