Mental Health Awareness Month: Fiction and Nonfiction Reads for Kids

Updated April 28, 2026
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Absolutely No Worries
Gale, Laurel
Paper Book
With an emergency parachute in her pocket and zombie self-defense skills under her belt, Emma is prepared for any catastrophe . . . so why does she still feel afraid? This reassuring social-emotional picture book for young readers ages 4 - 8 shows kids that they are bigger than their...
Absolutely, positively Natty
Greenwald, Lisa
Paper Book
Natty deals with moving after her mom's departure by pulling a "Ted Lasso" and starting a pep squad in this standalone middle-grade novel about friendship and toxic positivity by the author of TBH and the Friendship List series. When Natty's mom kind of takes a break from her dad...
All birds have anxiety
Hoopmann, Kathy
Paper Book
Life as a bird can be stressful! From worrying about airplanes, windows, and getting enough worms to eat, it is clear that birds can be anxious beings. Through a light-touch, quizzical depiction of bird behaviour, All Birds Have Anxiety uses colourful images and astute explanations to...
Bookie & Cookie Turn the Page
Gomez, Blanca
Paper Book
What does the future hold for these two friends? They have lots of guesses that are a very funny mix of excitement and anxiety. But the only way to know for sure is to actually turn the page! In this companion to Bookie & Cookie, the friends find themselves on a blank page...
The care & keeping of you. 2, The #1 body book for older girls
Natterson, Cara
Paper Book
The bestselling body book for girls ages 10 and up, now updated! Book 2 in our best-selling body book series for girls just got even better! With all-new illustrations and updated content, this title features tips, how-tos, and facts from the experts. This thoughtful advice book...
Crocodiles Everywhere
Meza, Esteli
Paper Book
Like The Rabbit Listened and The Color Monster, this bighearted, stunningly illustrated book helps children to acknowledge and confront their most difficult emotions. After a girl's best friend moves away, she starts seeing two creatures everywhere she goes- a gray...
Don't worry, little crab
Haughton, Chris
Paper Book
From the award-winning creator of Shh! We Have a Plan comes a vibrantly colorful story about mustering the courage to try something new. Little Crab and Very Big Crab live in a tiny rock pool near the sea. Today they're going for a dip in the big ocean. "This is going to...
I feel! : a book of emotions
Medina, Juana
Paper Book
Pura Belpré Award-winning author-illustrator Juana Medina helps young readers to identify how they feel with bold, colorful illustrations and simple text in this paper-over-board picture book, the third book in the I WILL! series. Do you feel happy? Sad? Calm? Shy? Brave? Proud? ...
Feeling Your Feelings: The Head-To-Toe Science of Emotions
Lloyd Kyi, Tanya
Paper Book
Why does nervousness make us feel like we have butterflies in our belly and embarrassment cause a deep blush to spread across our face? While we know our brains are directly connected to our emotions, scientists are now discovering more about how other parts of our bodies are involved in feeling our...
Fifty-four things wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers
Carter, Caela
Paper Book
From the critically acclaimed author of the ALA Notable and Charlotte Huck Honor Book Forever, or a Long, Long Time comes a moving own-voices story that shines a light on how one girl's learning differences are neither right nor wrong...just perfectly individual. For fans of Alyson Gerber,...
Giraffes can't dance
Andreae, Giles
Paper Book
Gerald the giraffe longs to dance but his knees seem to buckle whenever he tries to twirl. Will he learn to sway to his own sweet tune? Find out in this gentle ode to dancing to the beat of your own drum. Giraffes Can't Dance is a touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who...
The girl who never made mistakes
Pett, Mark.
Paper Book
Beatriz Nuncafalla es una niña de nueve años que nunca -¡ni una sola vez!- ha cometido un error. Nunca olvida sus deberes de matemáticas, nunca lleva calcetines desaparejados, y siempre es la ganadora del espectáculo anual de talentos que hacen en el cole
Growing Pangs
Ormsbee, Kathryn
Paper Book
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A PARENTS MAGAZINE BEST BOOK Inspired by a true story! Eleven-year old homeschooled Katie has always felt different . . . and now she can't stop worrying.  Introducing an irresistibly relatable graphic novel about friendship,...
A Guide to Grief
Imperi, Cole
Paper Book
This book is the wise and compassionate friend you need when you experience grief and loss. Everyone faces loss, and everyone grieves. But grief is as unique as a thumbprint - not everyone grieves the same losses or in the same way. This can feel lonely and isolating, especially when people don't...
Guts
Telgemeier, Raina
Paper Book
A true story from Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile, Sisters, Drama, and Ghosts!Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mom has one, too, so it's probably just a bug. Raina...
Here and now
Denos, Julia
Paper Book
From the team behind Ezra Jack Keats Honor winner Windows comes Here and Now. At turns wise and playful, this accessible, beautifully illustrated read soothes like a modern Goodnight Moon.  Here and now . . . You may be reading a book. But...
How to talk to your succulent
Persico, Zoe
Paper Book
After the loss of her mother, Adara struggles to communicate with her family about her grief. When a sympathetic ear arises in an unlikely place, Adara can finally find her words - but can she find the time to listen? A stunning graphic novel for middle-grade readers about family, friendship and...
Hummingbird's Big Trip
Karas, G Brian
Paper Book
This triumphant story about a nervous hummingbird who faces his fears of migrating will remind readers that even the biggest challenges can be overcome through perseverance, courage, and self-confidence. Hummingbirds love summertime, flying and having fun! But when the days get...
Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood
McDonald, Megan
Paper Book
Any kid who's ever been in a bad mood will relate to the feisty, funny, ever-changing Judy Moody. To start, Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade. Her new desk won't have an armadillo sticker with her name on it. Her new classroom will not have a porcupine...
Just feel : how to be stronger, happier, healthier, and more
Chopra, Mallika
Paper Book
From the author of Just Breathe, Mallika Chopra, daughter of Deepak Chopra, comes a full-color guide empowering kids ages 8-12 to problem solve, harness inner strength, and gain grit and emotional awareness. Featuring full-color illustrations, Just Feel is an...
Keep your head up
King Neil, Aliya
Paper Book
Teach little ones that it's okay to have a bad day in this brightly illustrated, gently affirmative picture book about keeping our heads up and letting things pass. When a child wakes up late one day, it's only the first in a series of things to go terribly awry. But the people...
A kids book about : therapy
Brenner, Sara
Therapy is for everyone, and it's never too early (or too late) to start. This is a kids' book about therapy. Therapy isn't just for problems or when something goes wrong. It's for your everyday mental health and is something you can tap into for your wellbeing now and for the...
A kids book about anxiety
Szabo, Ross
Paper Book
An honest exploration of the symptoms of anxiety and what learning to manage it can look like.  This is a book about anxiety. Having anxiety doesn't just mean you feel nervous sometimes or need to calm down. It means having an uncontrollable feeling that gets in the way of...
Louder than hunger
Schu, John
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Book "Every so often a book comes along that is so brave and necessary, it extends a lifeline when it's needed most. This is one of those books." --Katherine Applegate, author of the Newbery Medal-winning,...
Meditate with me : a step-by-step mindfulness journey
Gates, Mariam
Paper Book
This accessible and fun guide to meditation and mindfulness is the perfect introduction for young children Meditation does a body good, and can even help kids as young as four or five. This practical guide is gentle, clear, and a pleasure to use. Kids will learn how to focus on their...
Mockingbird (Mok'ing-b© rd)
Erskine, Kathryn.
Audiobook
In Mockingbird-a poignant gem by acclaimed author Kathryn Erskine-a talented young artist struggles to overcome a disability. Diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, 10-year-old Caitlin faces a range of social and emotional challenges. The unexpected death of her caring brother makes matters even worse,...
Out of a Jar
Marcero, Deborah
Paper Book
This highly anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed and bestselling picture book In a Jar stars one little bunny dealing with some very big feelings. Llewellyn does not like to feel afraid or sad, angry, lonely, or embarrassed. And so he comes up with a brilliant...
Rosetown
Rylant, Cynthia
Paper Book
From Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant comes the charming story of nine-year-old Flora Smallwood and the eventful year she spends in the quiet community of Rosetown, Indiana. For nine-year-old Flora Smallwood, Rosetown, Indiana, is full of surprises, many of the best of which...
Someone's gonna end up crying
Knowles, Johanna
Paper Book
In this authentic and heartfelt middle-grade novel, Maple uses her artwork to help sort through sibling relationships, school drama, and her parents' increasingly fraught marriage. Ten-year-old Maple can't wait for summer: No more math! Adventures with her friends! Best of all,...
The summer of June
Sumner, Jamie
Paper Book
From the acclaimed author of Tune It Out and Roll with It comes a "needed, hopeful" (Booklist) middle grade book about a young girl who sets out to overcome her anxiety over the course of one life-changing summer. Twelve-year-old June Delancey is kicking...
Wallflower: A Graphic Novel
Omar Ata, Iasmin
Paper Book
From the author of the critically acclaimed Nayra and the Djinn comes a stunning graphic novel about a girl who must uncover the truth behind her strange visions. For as long as Marlena can remember, she has seen flowers growing on everyone she meets- personalized poppies...
Wallflowers
Joy, Mackenzie
Paper Book
People call you a wallflower. Sometimes they call you shy. Sometimes they call you quiet, or maybe even scared. People think these are bad things, because sometimes they are LOUD. But you are happy just the way you are. And maybe you don't need to learn to be loud,...
We Need to Talk about Death: An Important Book about Grief, Celebrations, and Love
Chavez, Sarah
Paper Book
Discover how cultures around the world honor the dead in this beautifully illustrated guide to help grieving children understand death. Death is an important part of life, and yet it is one of the hardest things to talk about--for adults as well as children. Historian and...
Weirdo
Weaver, Tony, Jr
Paper Book
"A touching story of belonging." -- Publisher's Weekly, starred review"Honest, hopeful.." --Kirkus, starred review A Kirkus Best Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Publishers Weekly<...
What to do when the news scares you : a kid's guide to understanding current events
Toner, Jacqueline B.
Paper Book
This latest installment in the bestselling What To Do series tackles children's feelings of anxiety around current events and what is portrayed in the news. Scary news is an inevitable part of life. This book can support and guide efforts to help scary news seem a bit more manageable for...
Wombat Waiting
Applegate, Katherine
Paper Book
An Indie Next pick! From the Newbery Award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only Ivan and Odder comes a stunning middle grade standalone novel-in-verse about compassion, resilience, and surprising friendships, following a dog named...

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