Mental Health Awareness Month: Fiction and Nonfiction Reads for Kids

Updated April 28, 2026
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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...
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...
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,...
Freaking out : real-life stories about anxiety
Wells, Mary Paul.
Paper Book
That sweaty, gut-clenching, suffocating, racing-heart feeling . . .  . . . That dull, never-ending sense that something's wrong. What is it? Anxiety. And it affects millions of young North Americans today. When anxiety has you in its grip, it can seem impossible to rationalize...
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
Every student, teacher, and perfectionist needs to read this book about learning and growing from your mistakes! The perfect introduction to growth mindset, The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes is: A growth mindset book for kids A teacher must-have for classrooms
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...
How to talk to your succulent
Persico, Zoe
Paper Book
Eleven-year-old Adara and her dad are moving from California to the cold and flat lands of Michigan... and it sucks. After Mom's recent passing, it seems way too soon. Talking to Dad has always been harder than with Mom, but now it's like walking on eggshells. And why did Dad bring so many of Mom's...
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
The mercurial Judy Moody will delight any kid who's known a bad mood or a bad day--and managed to laugh anyway. "Judy Moody was in a mood. Not a good mood. A bad mood. A mad-faced mood." To start, Judy Moody doesn't have high hopes for third grade. Her new desk won't...
Just Grace and the snack attack
Harper, Charise Mericle.
Paper Book
After reading this new book about Just Grace you will know how to . . . 1. turn your favorite potato chips into a tasty chipwich. 2. draw and fold up your very own zine, which is a cool little book made from only one piece of paper. 3. look for and use the...
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...
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,...
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...
Someone's gonna end up crying
Knowles, Johanna
Paper Book
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,...
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...

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