A list of books to consider about grief, sadness, and resilience. Quiet reads or read alouds during tragic times.
All of Us by
Acclaimed and award-winning picture book creator Carin Berger shares a moving story of community, empathy, and the power of love. With a universal message and stunning paper collage art, this striking book is just right for fans of Matt de la Peña's Love and Emily Winfield Martin's The Wonderful Things You Will Be. Award-winning illustrator Carin Berger's beautiful and timely picture book celebrates the power of community, family, and most of all, love. Her beautiful collage art and lyrical text offer a message of hope in the face of adversity. All of Us is ideal for family sharing as well as year-round giving and is for fans of Nancy's Tillman's Wherever You Are and Alison McGhee's Someday.
The Year We Learned to Fly by
Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael López's highly anticipated companion to their #1 New York Times bestseller The Day You Begin illuminates the power in each of us to face challenges with confidence. On a dreary, stuck-inside kind of day, a brother and sister heed their grandmother's advice: "Use those beautiful and brilliant minds of yours. Lift your arms, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and believe in a thing. Somebody somewhere at some point was just as bored you are now." And before they know it, their imaginations lift them up and out of their boredom. Then, on a day full of quarrels, it's time for a trip outside their minds again, and they are able to leave their anger behind. This precious skill, their grandmother tells them, harkens back to the days long before they were born, when their ancestors showed the world the strength and resilience of their beautiful and brilliant minds. Jacqueline Woodson's lyrical text and Rafael Lopez's dazzling art celebrate the extraordinary ability to lift ourselves up and imagine a better world.
Big Feelings by
The newest picture book from the creators of All Are Welcome to help children navigate BIG FEELINGS! In their bestselling picture book All Are Welcome, Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman celebrate kindness, inclusivity, and diversity. Now with Big Feelings, they help children navigate the emotional challenges they face in their daily lives. What should we do when things don't go to plan? We may feel mad, frustrated, or overwhelmed, but by talking it through, compromising, and seeing another point of view, we can start fresh, begin anew.
Stillwater and Koo Save the World (a Stillwater and Friends Book) by
Here is the first of four exciting new books for younger readers featuring the beloved Zen panda, Stillwater -- star of the Caldecott Honor Book and New York Times bestseller, Zen Shorts, and of the Peabody Award and three-time Emmy Award-winning Apple+ TV series. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection * "A stunning, tender testament to the idea that small acts of kindness, one by one, make a huge impact." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review * "The resolution 'each time you do something good, you save the world a little bit,' is inspiring." -- Booklist, starred review * "...An intriguing, intimate-feeling peek into the pandas' household...they show respect for each other, their surroundings, and all living beings, in an effort to take care of the world and each other." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review Today feels full of opportunities! "What would you like to do?" Stillwater asks Koo. "Something important! Fix all the things that are wrong! Let us save the world," says Koo (who always speaks in haiku). But this is a very big idea for a little panda. During the course of the day, Koo discovers that it's the little acts of kindness that all add up to help make the world a better place. In a story brimming with love and light, Jon J Muth shows how we can all heal the world a little bit at a time -- just the right message for now, and for always!
King Calm by
"This lively and edifying children's book...makes a good case for mindfulness as a spiritual practice that brings alive our senses of tasting, seeing, feeling, smelling, and listening...Highly recommended!"--Spirituality & Practice Have you ever sat in a movie theater with a bag of popcorn on your lap, and when you looked down, somehow the popcorn had disappeared? Or have you set a book down somewhere, and then had no idea where you put it? It happens to all of us. We're paying attention--we're just not thinking about what it is we're paying attention to! Now, meet Marvin. He's is a gorilla living in a great big city. He doesn't approach life with a thump, thump, ROAR. Instead, Marvin mindfully experiences the world around him through all of his senses. He's calm. He's peaceful. He's mindful. And he's about to teach his grandpa to be a king of calm, too! Includes a Reader's Note loaded with information about mindfulness and living mindfully. Also included are simple ways to increase awareness to become calmer, more focused, and more peaceful by engaging your senses just like Marvin and seeing, feeling, smelling, and listening to the great big world around you!
Ten Beautiful Things by
A heartfelt story of changing perspectives. Ten Beautiful Things gently explores loss, a new home, and finding beauty wherever you are. Lily and her grandmother search for ten beautiful things as they take a long car ride to Iowa and Lily's new home with Gran. At first, Lily sees nothing beautiful in the April slush and cloudy sky. Soon though, Lily can see beauty in unexpected places, from the smell of spring mud to a cloud shaped like a swan to a dilapidated barn. A furious rainstorm mirrors Lily's anxiety, but as it clears Lily discovers the tenth beautiful thing- Lily and Gran and their love for each other. Ten Beautiful Things leaves the exact cause of Lily's move ambiguous, making it perfect for anyone helping a child navigate change, whether it be the loss of a parent, entering or leaving a foster home, or moving.
The Rabbit Listened by
A moving and universal picture book about empathy and kindness, sure to soothe heartaches big and small--now a New York Times bestseller and a perfect gift for any special occasion When something sad happens, Taylor doesn't know where to turn. All the animals are sure they have the answer. The chicken wants to talk it out, but Taylor doesn't feel like chatting. The bear thinks Taylor should get angry, but that's not quite right either. One by one, the animals try to tell Taylor how to act, and one by one they fail to offer comfort. Then the rabbit arrives. All the rabbit does is listen . . . which is just what Taylor needs. With its spare, poignant text and irresistibly sweet illustration, The Rabbit Listened is about how to comfort and heal the people in your life, by taking the time to carefully, lovingly, gently listen.
All the Beating Hearts by
The cyclical nature of day and night frames a heartfelt exploration of the shared experiences that bring us all together. At the start of a day brimming with possibilities, a gentle narrator whimsically explores everything the day might bring, from work to play, and all the sweet moments in between, like watching clouds and seeing something grow. In the moment when day inevitably turns to night, we are reminded that "we are all just hearts beating in the darkness." This quiet space serves as a reminder of our shared existence, the very core of what brings us together. As a new dawn continues the cycle, that truth is a strong and steady pulse beneath the rhythm of another busy morning. In a story that is at once playful and poignant, and Julie Fogliano masterfully combines simple, lyrical text and nuanced themes to create an inspirational exploration of perseverance, solidarity, kindness, and strength. Luscious illustrations by Catia Chien accompany the soulful text. Cleverly emulating the cyclical nature of day and night, it emphasizes an even deeper message- through all of life's ups and downs, there will always be light after darkness, and most importantly, we have each other-these other beating hearts.
When Sadness Is at Your Door by
A comforting primer in emotional literacy and mindfulness that suggests we approach the feeling of sadness as if it is our guest. Sadness can be scary and confusing at any age! When we feel sad, especially for long periods of time, it can seem as if the sadness is a part of who we are--an overwhelming, invisible, and scary sensation. In When Sadness Is at Your Door, Eva Eland brilliantly approaches this feeling as if it is a visitor. She gives it a shape and a face, and encourages the reader to give it a name, all of which helps to demystify it and distinguish it from ourselves. She suggests activities to do with it, like sitting quietly, drawing, and going outside for a walk. The beauty of this approach is in the respect the book has for the feeling, and the absence of a narrative that encourages the reader to "get over" it or indicates that it's "bad," both of which are anxiety-producing notions. Simple illustrations that recall the classic style of Crockett Johnson (Harold and the Purple Crayon) invite readers to add their own impressions. Eva Eland's debut picture book is a great primer in mindfulness and emotional literacy, perfect for kids navigating these new feelings--and for adult readers tackling the feelings themselves!
A Shelter for Sadness by
A small boy creates a shelter for his sadness so that he can visit it whenever he needs to, and the two of them can cry, talk, or just sit. The boy knows that one day his sadness may come out of the shelter, and together they will look out at the world and see how beautiful it is.
Swimmy by
Illus. in color. "An exquisite picture book. A little fish, the lone survivor of a school of fish swallowed by a tuna, devises a plan to camouflage himself and his new companions."--(starred)School Library Journal.