Title: Leo The Late Bloomer

Authors: Robert Kraus

Themes: Anxiety, Communication, Coping Skills, Developing Perspective, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Validation

Age Recommendation: Pre-K through Elementary School 

Summary: Leo The Late Bloomer is the story of a little lion who develops at a slower pace than his peers. His dad is very worried about it, and his mom believes that he will simply grow into himself. Leo does attain all of the skills his father was so worried about by the end of the story and expresses pride in himself by exclaiming "I made it!"

Ideas / Interventions: This is a great, short book to read with young children and their parents. Oftentimes in a clinical setting, it is tempting to pathologize any delayed trait development. Not all aberrant behaviors have a trauma based etiology, however, and Leo is a great example of a kid who is just learning how to be himself. Leo's awareness of his differences from his peers is distressful to him and his parents help him manage those feelings well. 

Title: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen: (Who Is Only Writing This Because His Therapist Said He Had To, Which Stinks)

Authors: Susin Nielsen

Themes: Anxiety, Bullying, Communication Skills, Coping Skills, Depression, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy, Friendship, Gratitude, Junior High through High School, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Validation, Grief

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: The Reluctant Journal of Henry K Larsen: (Who Is Only Writing This Because His Therapist Said He Had To, Which Stinks) is a remarkable book, though a little bit graphic. Henry's older brother is a victim of relentless, cruel bullying, who snaps one day and takes their dad's hunting rifle to school and kills two students. The story takes place after Henry's family has relocated to a new city where no one knows their past. This book is Henry's therapy journal. It is honest, witty, and sad in turns and poignantly captures the feelings of a vulnerable but resilient boy. 

Title: Okay For Now

Author: Gary D. Schmidt

Themes: Communication, Parenting, Developing Empathy, Validation, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Developing Perspective, Grief, Individuation, Coping Skills, Bullying, Gratitude, DBT, Depression

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School 

Summary: Okay for Now is another beautiful coming of age story by Gary D. Schmidt. The main character, Doug, is an adolescent with all the odds stacked against him. Doug develops courage and compassion as he discovers the art of Audubon, finds solace in a library, and creates deep but unlikely friendships. 

Ideas / Interventions: Like The Wednesday Wars, this is a good book to use with kids who enjoy reading. It is a story that pulls readers in quickly and keeps their attention. Okay For Now is a fun book to use for bibliotherapy. Doug's circumstances align well with the DBT assumption that: "I did not cause all my problems, and I need to deal with them anyway." One of the ways Doug deals with his problems is through his dry sense of humor, which resonates with a lot of adolescents. 

Use this book in conjunction with education about common thinking errors. Have clients choose a character from the book that they would like to track cognitive distortions for. As they learn to notice these negative automatic thoughts expressed by that character in the book, discuss examples from their own lives of times they have employed specific thinking errors. 

Title: The Wednesday Wars

Author: Gary D. Schmidt

Themes: Communication, Parenting, Developing Empathy, Validation, Self-Esteem, Social Skills, Developing Perspective, Grief, Individuation, Coping Skills, Bullying, Gratitude

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School 

Summary: The Wednesday Wars is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement and the Vietnam War. Holling Hoodhood is a seventh grader in the late 60's, living in suburban Long Island. Holling is required to spend his Wednesday afternoons at school, alone with his English teacher Mrs. Baker, while all of the other students attend mass or synagogue. Over the course of the school year, Holling not only acquires a love for Shakespeare but also learns important truths about himself, the world beyond his small town, and life in general. 

Ideas / Interventions: This is a good book to use with kids who enjoy reading. It is a compelling story, and an excellent tool for bibliotherapy in the classic sense. Holling is an easy character to relate to, and the struggles he faces are fairly universal in nature. 

With books like this, I like to have clients choose a character and list their strengths, their challenges, and decide how they can use their strengths to moderate challenges. Once they have completed this exercise for a character in the book, clients should complete the same exercise for themselves and process that experience in session. 

Title: Grandad's Prayers of the Earth

Author: Douglas Wood

Themes: Mindfulness, Grief, Individuation, Coping Skills, Developing Perspective, Gratitude

Age Recommendation: Elementary through High School 

Summary: Grandad's Prayers of the Earth is the beautifully illustrated story of a boy's relationship with his grandfather, his grandfather's relationship with nature, and nature's relationship with spirituality. The story follows the boy's life from childhood to young adulthood and describes his feelings about life, death, and his place in the universe. 

Ideas / Interventions: This is a great book to read with kids who are dealing with either the anticipated death or recent passing of a loved one. It can also be used to introduce a conversation about how thoughts, feelings, and spirituality can change over the life span. 

When utilizing this book as a way to discuss grief, I like to bring donuts or bagels to the session. Talk about what a "whole" bagel or donut is, and discuss how it can be "whole" even though there is a "hole" missing from the middle. This is a good introduction to the concept that even though grief feels like we have a "hole" in our heart, we can still be "whole." This book can also be used as a segue into the discussion about stages of grief and how they aren't linear in nature. Incorporating an activity related to gratitude, in combination with processing grief, is another great way to utilize this book for bibliotherapy. 

Title: Big Ben

Author: Sarah Ellis

Themes: Communication, Parenting, Developing Empathy, Validation, Self-Esteem, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Pre-K through Elementary School 

Summary: Big Ben actually feels more like little Ben in this book. Ben is a preschooler who wishes he had more responsibility and status because his older siblings seem to enjoy school more than he does. Ben expresses his feelings to his parents and siblings, who validate him and find ways to include him in all the "big kid" activities. 

Ideas / Interventions:  like to use this book with kids who are struggling to develop empathy for others, whether within a family or in other social settings. The ways that Ben's family meet his needs are simple but meaningful. After reading this book and identifying ways that Ben's family helped him, and then talking about how much their efforts impacted his self esteem, have your client talk about things others do that help them feel good about themselves. Then help them set specific goals of what they can do for certain people between sessions. Start very small with this exercise. Kids who struggle to be kind to others are often victims of unkindness themselves, so being sensitive to that fact is important. 

Title: Half Magic

Author: Edward Eager

Themes: Autism, Blended Families, Communication, Coping Skills, Developing Perspective, Humor, Friendship, Individuation, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Elementary through Junior High School

Summary: Half Magic is a fun read! The story follows Jane, Mark and Katharine through their adventures with a magic coin, that grants half-wishes. As the siblings figure out how to use the coin, they also figure out a lot of life lessons related to families, friendship, and themselves. 

Ideas / Interventions: This is a great book to read with kids who are very concrete and literal, which is why I included it in the "autism" category. There is an excellent audio book version of this story that you could use if you are working with kids who have limited attention span or who struggle with the language usage in the book, which is a little old fashioned for some. Half Magic has an Amelia Bedelia feel to it; when the kids wish on their coin, they literally get half of what they are asking for, which can take some hilarious turns. These moments in the book are a great time to pause and discuss the difference between literal and figurative meanings. Try to engage kids who are especially concrete thinkers in activities focused on broadening their ability to express themselves in more nuanced ways. One example is to help them create a matching game for phrases and their meanings; another is to have them illustrate a phrase in two ways - the first if it were taken literally and the second if it were taken figuratively. Learning to understand non-literal meanings is an important social skill as kids get older and communication becomes more complex. 

Title: Don't You Feel Well,  Sam?

Author: Amy Hest

Themes: Anxiety, Parenting, Developing Empathy, Social Skills, Validation

Age Recommendation: Pre-K through Elementary School

Summary: Don't You Feel Well, Sam? tells the story of Sam, a little bear with a big cold, who is afraid to take medicine. Sam's mom listens to his concerns, validates his feelings, and makes some accommodations in how he will take the medicine. Of course, Sam finds the courage to try and the story has a cute ending. 

Ideas / Interventions: I like using this book with kids for a couple of reasons. The first is that it presents a scenario that most kids can relate to, which is being required to do something they find unpleasant and learning how to manage their distress. For that reason, this is a good introduction to developing basic problem solving strategies for kids who struggle with anxiety. 

The second reason I like this book is because most kids can see right though it; it's too simple, too easy. Sam and his mom have a sweet relationship that should be modeled, but in real life, problems aren't usually solved as harmoniously as they are in this book. Reading this book is a great way to generate a discussion about realistic expectations for conflict resolution, managing frustration, and learning to compromise. 

Title: You Can Do It, Sam

Author: Amy Hest

Themes: Anxiety, Parenting, Self-Esteem, Developing Empathy, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Pre-K through Elementary School

Summary: You Can Do It, Sam is a short, sweet story of Sam and his mom, who wake up early one winter morning to make and deliver treats for their neighbors. Sam feels worried about going to the door himself when they drop off the goodies, but his mom gently challenges him and encourages him to try. Sam is proud of himself for doing something hard and more confident in himself as a result.

Ideas / Interventions: I like to read this book with children who struggle with anxiety and self-esteem. Most kids can relate to the character of Sam and can identify times in their life when they have been afraid to do something. Engaging them in activities that allow them to walk out the pros and cons of trying something hard versus not trying something hard provides an opportunity for a discussion centered on developing strategies to manage their worries and overcome fears. 

Title: One Bite Won't Kill You

Author: Ann Hodgman

Themes: Anxiety, Mindfulness, Coping Skills, Autism, Developing Perspective, Parenting

Age Recommendation: Elementary School through High School

Summary: One Bite Won't Kill You is a cookbook, subtitled: "More than 200 recipes to tempt even the pickiest kids on earth...And the rest of the family too." I recommend this book not because of the recipes, even though they are great, but because it helps families start a conversation about the power struggles that can surround food and mealtimes. Ideally this conversation, and those that will follow, can be focused on collaborative problem solving and occur in a setting that isn't already emotionally charged - like mealtime. Any parent with a finicky eater will tell you that mealtimes can become a war zone when power struggles ensue; emotions run high, no one feels validated, and everyone leaves the table feeling wounded.

Ideas / Interventions: It is important to remember, though, that kids who struggle with feeding issues in addition to dealing with anxiety, sensory issues, or autism aren't just being picky eaters. Using this book with children who carry those diagnoses provides a space for them to talk about their fears or food aversions, discuss the comforting rituals associated with certain foods or textures, and develop a plan for incorporating their preferences into mealtimes. While the ultimate goal is help children become more flexible eaters, it is important that they be validated in the process. 

Title: Little By Little

Authors: Amber Stewart & Layn Marlow

Themes: Anxiety, Mindfulness, Coping Skills, Friendship, Self-Esteem

Age Recommendation: Elementary School

Summary: Little By Little tells the story of Otto, an otter who can't swim. Otto is debilitated by his fears and embarrassed that he can't swim, he is frustrated that something which seems to come to others so easily feels impossible to him.  Eventually it is Otto's sister who helps him face his worries and develop strategies for managing his distress. Otto takes gradual risks and learns, not only to swim, but also how to handle overwhelming feelings.

Ideas / Interventions: This is a great book to use when introducing the possibility of change to children who struggle with anxiety, OCD, or perfectionistic tendencies. It not only gives an example of how to break down a difficult task, it normalizes fears about taking risks and addresses issues of self-esteem. 

Title: The London Eye Mystery

Authors: Siobahn Dowd

Themes: Anxiety, Autism, Blended Families, Coping Skills, Communication, Grief, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: The London Eye Mystery tells the story of Ted, a teenager with mild autism, and his sister, Kat, who solve the mystery of their missing cousin, Salim. Salim is struggling to manage his anxiety about moving to New York with his mom and has complicated grief related to his dad. In addition to providing insight into the challenges of change and blended families, this book does an excellent job of depicting events through the eyes of an autistic child.

Ideas / Interventions: This book is a great bibliotherapy resource for families with children on the autistic spectrum. Focusing on the strengths of Ted's unique perspective creates an opportunity to reframe challenges that other autistic children face as important abilities. I recommend that parents read this book with their autistic child as part of special, dedicated one-on-one time, and come to sessions ready to discuss what they learned and appreciate about each other from the process. 

Title: Turn Left At The Cow

Authors: Lisa Bullard

Themes: Anxiety, Coping Skills, Grief, Social Skills, Developing Perspective, Friendship, Individuation, Blended Families

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Summary: Turn Left At The Cow is a fun mystery that tells the story of Trav, a 13 year old who runs away from his mom and stepdad in California and "finds himself" (both literally and figuratively) in a small Minnesota town with his paternal grandmother. While living with her, he creates deep friendships, learns the truth about his deceased father, confronts fears stemming from his mom's new marriage, and develops a sustaining sense of self. Trav initially uses sarcasm as his primary coping skill, but gradually learns to replace it with genuine expression, modeling growth and individuation for readers.

Ideas / Interventions: This is a great book to use in conjunction with motivational interviewing techniques. Have clients read a few chapters at a time, between sessions, and then use values sorting activities to compare and contrast their own values with those of the characters in the book. 

Title: Breathe

Authors: Scott Magoon

Themes: Anxiety, Mindfulness, Coping Skills, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Elementary School

Summary: Breathe is a great way to teach and practice deep breathing skills with young children. This short picture book follows a young beluga whale and his mom though some stressful situations, with prompts to "breathe" throughout their journey.

Ideas / Interventions: Before reading this book with clients, teach them to take deep, cleansing breaths; inhale slowly through the nose to expand their whole abdomen and exhale slowly through the mouth. Then, read the story together and when the "breathe" pages come along, practice a deep, cleansing breath together.

Teaching kids deep breathing skills is a helpful way to introduce mindfulness, plus calming and coping skills that support other behavioral management techniques. For example, practice deep breathing before teaching the Chill Drill, or as a healthy response to behavioral prompts like counting. There are so many fun ways to teach this skill to kids! Try blowing bubbles slowly, or the "hot chocolate" method, where they cup their hands together and inhale deeply as though they are smelling cocoa, and then exhale slowly to cool the hot chocolate down. 

Title: The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs

Authors: Betty G. Birney

Themes: Individuation, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective, Validation

Age Recommendation: Elementary through Junior High School

Summary: The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs tells the story of Eben, a boy growing up in the 1920's, who learns about the Seven Wonders of the World and begins to dream of leaving his small town to travel west on a train and discover what the big wide world has to offer. His father challenges Eben to find seven wonders in his own community of Sassafras Springs with the promise that after he does, he can realize his dream of venturing west. As Eben and his dog, Sal, discover the hidden treasures of home, he develops perspective and empathy that lend themselves to personal growth. 

Ideas / Interventions: Use this book in conjunction with journaling for clients who are struggling with automatic negative thoughts. Challenge them to find even one "wonder" in their life! Developing the ability to reframe circumstances supports client's ability to alter rigid thinking styles and strengthen resilience to adverse events. 

Title: Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus!

Author: Mo Willems

Themes: Social Skills, ADHD, Developing Perspective, Coping Skills

Age Recommendation: Elementary School

Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus! tells the story of a pigeon who does not get what he wants - which is to drive a bus. It's an engaging book that requires readers to respond to the pigeon's demands and even help manage his eventual meltdown. If you can, get the stuffed animal that goes along with the book, that shouts "I want to drive the bus!" when squeezed. 

This book is a great way to help kids who struggle with impulsivity and emotional regulation understand what it's like to watch a tantrum and respond to unreasonable expectations. After reading this book with a child, introduce a behavioral management strategy (such as The Chill Drill) and have them teach it to the pigeon. After they have taught the pigeon how to calm down when he doesn't get what he wants, engage the child in a discussion about using the strategy to manage their own frustrations. If possible, have a parent join your session and let the child read the book and teach the calming skills to them too.

Title: All The World

Authors: Liz Garton Scanlon & Marla Frazee

Themes: Social Skills, Friendship, Developing Perspective

Age Recommendation: Elementary School

All The World is a beautifully illustrated journey through one day in the life of families who share an island. It is short, simple, poetic, and a nice way to start a conversation with young children about their own perspective on family, friends, feelings and life in general. 

Books like this one can be especially useful for engaging children who are reticent to share or lack the skills to verbalize their own thoughts and feelings. By asking how they would react to circumstances illustrated in the book (when it rains at the beach, or when the family goes to dinner together, for instance), an adult can gain insight into what features of a situation the child is most attentive to. Another activity that works well is to have the child create their own version of "All The World" in an art therapy session! 

Title: 365 Day of Wonder

Author: R.J. Palacio

Themes: Developing Perspective, DBT, Friendship, Junior High through High School

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

365 Days of Wonder contains a precept for every day. Use it as a companion to Wonder or on it's own as a resource to generate discussion about positive attitudes and choosing to walk to the middle path. 

Title: Wonder

Author: R.J. Palacio

Themes: Self-Esteem, Anxiety, Social Skills, Bullying, Individuation, Developing Perspective, Developing Empathy, Validation, DBT, Friendship

Age Recommendation: Junior High through High School

Wonder is a poignant story in it's own right, but has particular value as a bibliotherapy resource for generating discussions about individuation and perspective. Wonder tells the story of August, an intelligent young man with physical disabilities who is enrolling in school for the first time as a junior high student. By inviting readers to view discrete events through the varying perspectives of August, his family members, teachers, and peers, the author reinforces an assertion of DBT, namely, that many truths about any situation can exist at once. 

One of August's teachers challenges his students to develop and follow personal precepts that will guide their decisions and attitudes. If you are using this book in a clinical or educational setting, one fun activity is to help your clients/students author their own precepts. Start with a values clarification exercise (there are many free versions online) and guide your clients/students in connecting the dots between their values and the precepts they author. 

Another useful intervention to use with this book is to have clients choose one character in the book that they relate to and list five strengths and five challenges that the character has; then have your client describe how the character uses their strengths to overcome their challenges. Once they have completed this activity, have your client list five of their own strengths and challenges; then help your client choose one challenge they would like to work on and support them in developing strategies for moderating that challenge by accessing their strengths. Many clients enjoy creating a visual component to go with this exercise, such as a Power Point presentation or even just a simple chart, so they can share their ideas and progress with others. This project is harder than it sounds but is very rewarding for kids, so, if necessary, break the task into smaller portions and spend just part of a series of sessions working on it. 

I can't resist adding my favorite quote from this book: "In the future you make for yourselves, anything is possible. If every single person in this room made it a rule that wherever you are, whenever you can, you will try to act a little kinder than is necessary - the world really would be a better place. And if you do this, if you act just a little kinder than is necessary, someone else, somewhere, someday, may recognize in you, in every single one of you, the face of God" (p. 301). 

Title: A Giraffe Did One

Author: Jerry Pallotta

Themes: Social Skills, Developing Empathy

Age Recommendation: Elementary School

A Giraffe Did One leads readers through a little mystery by introducing a series of animal friends who "did one." It's not until the end of the book that we learn that what the animals "did" was burp! When the little boy at the end of the book burps, his mom gently coaches him about manners and points out that everyone's bodies make funny sounds sometimes. 

This book is a fun way to start a conversation about basic social skills and manners; by starting with the example of burping illustrated in the book, parents or therapists can then discuss appropriate ways to manage situations when a child or their friend might make a funny noise with their body. This book can also be a way to introduce empathy for others by discussing the fact that no one likes to be teased about sounds their bodies make. I like to read the book twice so that the kids can enjoy the illustrations and discuss the feelings they think each animal is experiencing when the burp; each animal deals with it differently! 

This book is a fun way to get the giggles out too! 

Title: Sam Is Never Scared

Author: Thierry Robbrecht 

Themes: Social Skills, Anxiety, Friendship, Bullying, Developing Empathy, Developing Perspective

Age Recommendation: Elementary School

Sam Is Never Scared tells the story of a kid who presents as a show-off and subtle bully but who actually uses those behaviors to protect his own feelings of inadequacy and shame. 

In the first half of the book, Sam seeks a lot of attention and puts his friends down. He pretends to be tough so that his peers don't see his vulnerabilities and fears. Then readers learn that Sam's bravado is false; he is afraid of the dark and of spiders, among other things. My favorite character in this book is Sam's friend, whom he eventually shares his fears with, and who treats Sam with kindness and empathy. 

Besides being a good introduction to some basic social skills, this book provides opportunities to introduce cognitive behavioral concepts such as distorted thinking (such as always/never) and managing anxiety by developing perspective. 

Title: Some Kid's Just Can't Sit Still

Author: Sam Goldstein, Ph.D. 

Themes: ADHD, Developing Empathy, Parenting, Social Skills

Age Recommendation: Elementary through junior high school

Some Kids Just Can't Sit Still outlines and illustrates many behaviors that are typically exhibited by children with ADHD but adds an important element that other children's books on this subject often leave out: namely, how the child with ADHD feels about their struggles. 

By presenting information about ADHD in this way, the author manages to separate the child from their diagnosis, which is essential in helping strengthen and preserve their self-esteem and develop their sense of self-efficacy. In addition, this book is an excellent tool for helping those who live, play, or work with children who have ADHD develop empathy for them and understand the difference between deviant and distracted behaviors.