Books with social-emotional learning themes

Books are a terrific way to engage young people in social-emotional learning. Story lines and characters’ experiences can serve as discussion prompts and inspiration for taking action. Although we recommend several picture books, these stories work well with groups of all ages as older students respond to the nuances and of the character interactions. We include many within our Don’t Laugh at Me lessons and curricular connections and are always looking for more. Please join us on our Facebook page to share your favorites! (The links for each book are purely for reference and do not imply a suggested source for purchase.)

Books related to the Expressing Feelings theme and lessons:

• Stand in My Shoes: Kids Learning About Empathy by Bob Sornson
• Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud
• The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
• The Way I Feel by Janan Cain
• Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis
• When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst.
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes
• Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell

Books related to the Building Community theme and lessons:

• I’m Like You, You’re Like Me by Cindy Gainer
• Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer by Carole Boston Weatherford
• It’s Mine! by Leo Lionni
• Is There Really a Human Race? by Jamie Lee Curtis
• Swimmy by Leo Lionni
• Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts
• Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson
• The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
• I Walk With Vanessa by Kerascoet

Books related to the Resolving Conflict Creatively theme and lessons:

• The Peace Book by Todd Parr
• The Children’s Book of Peace: Children Around the World Share Their Dreams of Peace in Words and Pictures by Jolene DeLisa
• We Are All Born Free Mini Edition: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures by Amnesty International
• Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes or Sadako by Eleanor Coerr
• Matthew and Tilly by Rebecca C. Jones
• The Quarreling Book by Charlotte Zolotow
• The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade by Justin Roberts
• The Juice Box Bully by Bob Sornson
• Joshua T. Bates, Trouble Again by Susan Richards Shreve
• King of the Playground by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Wild Meat and the Bully Burgers by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
• Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz
• If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy
• The Zax by Dr. Seuss
• Bootsie Barker Bites by Barbara Bottner
• One by Kathryn Otoshi
• Loser by Jerry Spinelli

Books related to the Celebrating Diversity theme and lessons:

• It’s Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr
• Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss
• Who’s in My Family? All About Our Families by Robie H. Harris.
• All the Colors We Are/Todos los colores de nuestra piel: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color/La historia de por qué tenemos diferentes colores de pie by Katie Kissinger
• The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage by Selina Alko.
• The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman
• American Born Chinese by Gene Luan Yang
• Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
• We All Sing With the Same Voice by J. Phillip Miller and Sheppard M. Greene
• Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall
• Whoever You Are by Mem Fox
• Mixed Me by Taye Diggs
• The Colors of Us by Karen Katz
• Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
• The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
• Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Citizens by Carole Boston