Mental Health: Children’s Booklist

Ruby’s Worry is arguably the most accessible mental-health-themed picture book that my class has come across. Percival depicts a ‘worry’ with a yellow orb that appears next to Ruby one day and continues to grow when she ignores the shadow-like entity, simply hoping that the worry will disappear of its own accord. When she meets another child with their own ‘worry’ and asks them about their feelings, she realises how to rid herself of worries –  she needs to talk about them. This book has sparked meaningful class discussions, supporting pupils to understand that ‘it’s okay to not be okay’.

This is one of the most important books to share with young people. It teaches them about sharing their troubles rather than letting them spiral out of control.

This book touches on depression and loss but also looks at the power of imagination and love. It sparked great conversations of loss and sadness with my Year 2 class. A wonderful soulful story capturing a little girl’s loss and path through bereavement, complimented by beautiful illustrations. One to be shared while being mindful of those who may have experienced similar loss and who are perhaps struggling to talk about it or see any light afterwards.

This teaches us all to be less perfectionist; it’s perfectly ok to be good-ish at something. The enjoyment and satisfaction are in the doing.

Although mostly about grieving, Michael Rosen’s Sad Book also explores sadness generally. This is a starkly honest account of a father’s grief, based on Michael Rosen’s own experience of losing his son Eddie. Michael feels sad when he thinks about Eddie and in this book he describes the pain of living with his sadness and some of the things he does to try and cope with it. A beautiful, truly human text with perfectly matched illustrations by Quentin Blake.

 

 

Find Your Happy is a bright, welcoming book that is bound to get children talking about emotions. Despite being called ‘find your happy’, the book recognises that it is sometimes hard to feel happy all of the time and that every day can be different. It gives honest advice and easy ways to cheer yourself up that do not involve the more common methods that can sometimes be suggested (for example playing on electronics and playing games).

A variety of emotions are mentioned in this book, including anger, worry and shyness. Each emotion comes with small tips and tricks that any individual child could easily use in real life to help make themselves feel better and to also help them to embrace the emotion. In particular, the page about feeling sad and the encouragement given to talk to someone trusted is a particularly important one that could strike up many conversations and support children’s emotional literacy.

The wording and designs of each page are colourful, engaging and fun, making the book easy to follow. The motif of a sloth animal running throughout each page is also a nice addition, adding subtle humour and sure to be a hit with children. It will no doubt leave readers with a heart-warming feeling inside and lots of great advice that they can use when understanding and dealing with different emotions.

Blue the monster doesn't have to be scary. And he doesn't have to be a secret. After all, we all feel blue from time to time and talking about it helps. A friendly, gentle story to help young children navigate big emotions.

An ordinary boy in an ordinary world. With no words, only illustrations, Small Things tells the story of a boy who feels alone with his worries, but who learns that help is always close by. A universal story, told simply and with breathtaking beauty, about dealing with sadness, anxiety, depression, heartache or loss, and finding your way in the world.

When a young girl has to travel to a new country and start at a new school, her Fear tells her to be alone and afraid. How can she hope to make friends if she doesn't understand their language? A heart-warming and relevant new tale from the bestselling author and illustrator of The Journey, this book shows us the importance of sharing your Fear with others - after all, everyone carries a Fear with them, even if it's small enough to fit into their pocket!

A UK nomination for IBBY's List of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities 2019 A groundbreaking picture book on depression with stunning illustrations. With stunning black and white illustration and deceptively simple text, author and illustrator Debi Gliori examines how depression affects one's whole outlook upon life, and shows that there can be an escape - it may not be easy to find, but it is there. Drawn from Debi's own experiences and with a moving testimony at the end of the book explaining how depression has affected her and how she continues to cope, Debi hopes that by sharing her own experience she can help others who suffer from depression, and to find that subtle shift that will show the way out. 'I have used dragons to represent depression. This is partly because of their legendary ability to turn a once fertile realm into a blackened, smoking ruin and partly because popular mythology shows them as monstrous opponents with a tendency to pick fights with smaller creatures. I'm not particularly brave or resourceful, and after so many years battling my beasts, I have to admit to a certain weariness, but I will arm-wrestle dragons for eternity if it means that I can help anyone going through a similar struggle.'

The end page of this book has a quote from Anni Lanz – a human rights activist who has a focus on refugee policy. It says “Use your anger to transform the world around you” and this is the positive message of a book that focuses on anger, rage and fury – an emotion felt by us all and an emotion felt particularly keenly by children and young people with deeply held views on the issues of the day. That is why this is such a useful and meaningful book for the four year old and the young adult alike.

When I See Red is a stunningly illustrated book that tells the ‘story’ of anger. Anger in this book is seen like a storm: we see how the storm gathers and blinds, as well as how the storm heralds ‘the change’ that anger can inspire. Britta’s choice of words to describe the storm compliment the illustrations – stunning print designs – which show the main, unnamed character’s journey through her rage and ‘the storm’. The all-encompassing feeling of anger is fabulously described through poetic language and illustration. Every few pages there is a double page spread of illustration which seems to mirror the way anger can take over our whole being. Despite this, what is so refreshing is this picture book puts the angry young girl in charge of her fury – clearly in control, knowing what she is doing, knowing what and whom she is calling on to demonstrate her rage. The suppression felt before the anger is allowed to spill out is made evident as well as the positive nature of the outpouring.

I think it may be easy to cast this book as a KS1 or early years text and yet it is a really powerful tool for discussion with older pupils too about the need for anger as a means to instigate change. Anger is seen not only as a storm but also embraced as a journey that takes the girl to a stronger, braver and more powerful place. As the storm of anger clears, what is left is a new confidence and a new journey, a new way forward. This is a stunning book with huge opportunities for discussion and reflection.

Cloud Boy is a beautiful, heart-breaking dual narrative that links the stories of Harry, who is diagnosed with a brain tumour in modern times, and Gertie, who was taken prisoner in Changi, Singapore during WW2, through Gertie’s granddaughter and Harry’s best friend – Angie Moon.

Harry enjoys cloud spotting and is an expert on the different types of clouds; Angie is an artist who loves to paint; and Grandma Gertie is a dab-hand at sewing. Marcia Williams’ story cleverly weaves the two narratives together through a series of diary entries and letters, based – in part – on real-life memories around the creation of the Changi Quilt.

It is a magnificent exploration of human bravery, determination, kindness and love, while also expertly exposing the denial, anger and hurt experienced in different ways by each of the characters in response to their experiences.

This tale of friendship, love and loss will stay with you long after you have read the final page.

An absorbing story about bullying and friendship crafted with the right balance of warmth and tension to engage readers in upper KS2. The narrative alternates between the viewpoints of teenagers Alex and Dan. Daily life is a struggle for Alex, plagued by worries caused by his OCD and living in fear of the awful bullying at school. Dan’s life is not straightforward either. Since his older brother left home, everything in Dan’s world feels different. Dan plays out his frustrations at school, messing around in class and finding easy targets at school to bully with his friends. As time goes by, the boys end up working together on a raft-building project and a new empathy begins to develop as their relationship grows. A highly recommended story for KS2 and lower KS3.

Some books you read a few pages or some chapters and park it for the day. Other books, you get so into the story that you just keep turning the pages and lose track of time. This book is the latter. It’s so well written that both bully and his victim got under my skin.

A brilliant book, the first in a series, published by Firefly Press in 2017. The compelling title features Aubrey, a “rambunctious child”, an adventurer and determined discoverer. ‘The Terrible Yoot’ refers to dad’s depression; he becomes sad, pale, confused and rather lost – “Sometimes he seemed so wispy he might have been made of mist.” Horatio Clare writes openly and honestly about Jim’s battles and Aubrey’s responses to what he witnesses. There is plenty of humour, plenty of adventure and some remarkably adept description. All in all, a very grounded and relatable story.

Seaglass is essentially a ghost story but explores and delves into various aspects of mental health throughout. The main protagonist, Lark, is dealing with isolation, worry and prejudice. She also struggles with anger and her coping strategies are explored in the book. There is the underlying theme of mental illness when it comes to Lark’s mother also and how she deals with this differently to how Lark may tackle situations. This is finally discussed in more detail towards the end of the book. An interesting and impactful read for mature upper KS2 children and those in KS3.

A story about two siblings (Maya and Rose) who no longer talk to each other after an accident in the playground, told through alternating chapters from the perspective of each sister. One sister’s narrative will resonate with anyone who has felt a build-up of unspoken anger, resentment or a desire for revenge, while the other’s will be relatable to readers who have ever struggled to speak the right words to influence a situation or relationship that feels beyond their control or who have borne the weight of unfounded guilt. Many young readers will easily empathise with both perspectives.

A week-long residential trip with school is exactly what the two girls need to bring their unspoken tensions to a crunch point that will bring change for good. This is a page-turning story with convincing narrative voices and a springboard into discussions about what happens when very big feelings stay bottled up inside.

A really enjoyable book where the main character Matty has OCD. It helps to portray what people who have OCD suffer with and what they have to go through.

An authentically-told story that poignantly portrays life during dark times for twelve-year-old Izzy. After a traumatic car accident, Izzy’s mum is in a coma in hospital and Izzy struggles to keep up good relationships with family and friends. While Izzy tries to act bravely and hold everything inside, something even darker is happening inside her mind. Sometimes emotions become so tangled that they are too difficult to put into words and what I liked about this book is how the author weaves into the plot a number of ways of visually representing some of the associated feelings, like the painted mural on Izzy’s bedroom wall whose colours fade one by one. Powerful emotional experiences are handled in a compassionate way, characters are authentically nuanced and the plot is compelling. I recommend this book for Years 5-6+ for opening up important conversations about mental health.

 

We love this laugh-out-loud series with a tongue-in-cheek humour and plenty of funny asides, but also a poignant side about bullying, overcoming adversity and dealing with big emotions.

Charlie magically changes into animals when he is worried or stressed (not necessarily chickens, though). Charlie’s worries pile up, with a brother in hospital, parents bickering and a school bully to deal with. Riproaring and hilarious antics follow suit as Charlie navigates temporarily changing into a spider, a rhino, a pigeon, snake and more.

Children with a wacky sense of humour will find this story really funny, and it provides plenty of opportunity to think and discuss the deeper topics too.

Everyone feels worried sometimes. But what if your worries came to life and started following you around? Sohal worries about a lot of things: the dark, mutant sheep, being alone - you name it, he worries about it! So one night he tries drawing his worries to make himself feel better - and somehow they look a lot less worrying once they're scribbled down. But then imagine Sohal's surprise when he wakes up the next morning to find a set of funny, furry friends at the end of his bed! His worries have come to life, and it's not long before Hurt, Fail, Anger, Big and Alone have turned his world upside down. Now it's up to Sohal to work out how to keep his worries under control - and have some serious fun while he's at it! The Truth Pixie meets Inside Out in this hilarious, highly illustrated new series, perfect for helping children gently work through their worries and concentrate on having fun.

After the success of The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates last year, primary-teacher-turned-author Jenny Pearson is back with a new and hilarious tale of ordinary children on extra-ordinary adventures. Life isn’t easy for Lucy. Her mum has depression and is difficult to care for, often being unwell for long periods that leave Lucy needing the help of a family friend. Lucy is great at fixing broken objects, but wishes more than anything that she knew how to fix her mum. It becomes clear that mum might need some time to stay at a place that can help her, and Lucy goes to stay with Aunty Sheila for a while.

Aunty Sheila loves car boot sales and is larger than life, always treating Lucy with kindness and a sense of fun, but life there is not the same as being with mum. With the help of friendly neighbour Sandesh, Lucy comes up with a way to make things right again. It’s an ambitious plan that involves meeting an 80s pop icon who was once acquainted with Mum, appearing on a TV show and smashing a world record – but as far as Lucy is concerned, no aim is too high when it comes to making her mum happy again. What follows is a humorous romp as Lucy and Sandesh search for a world record to smash with a range of hilarious consequences.

The humour is perfect for Key Stage 2 and the story also explores the subject of parental mental health issues in an age-appropriate way. This is a smasher of a story; the author knows her audience extremely well and pitches both the comic and more serious elements at just the right level. The relationships that Lucy forms with Aunty Sheila and Sandesh are lovely, and demonstrate how – while nothing can replace the closeness that Lucy craves with her mum – the warmth and loyalty of others can make the world of difference during hard times. This strand of the plot may serve as a valuable encouragement to children affected by similar issues that reaching out for or accepting support from others is sometimes the very best course of action.

This is a beautiful collection of poems, all themed around different emotional states. Working through the alphabet (Anger, Boredom, Curiosity and so on), each feeling is likened to an animal and starts with the line ‘If ….were an animal’, helping children to identify the words we use to describe emotional states and how the feelings might cause people to behave or react.

The bright illustrations help children to make the link between the emotions and their paired animal. Anger is compared to a lion, boredom is a limp jellyfish, obsession to an otter and zeal to busy, working ants. Children will have loads of fun creating their own comparisons. A comprehensive resource pack is also available to download from the publisher.

A lovely book to help develop emotional literacy, we recommend this as a great addition to book collections in schools and homes.

Shinsuke Yoshitake’s books are always a treat to look forward to, beloved by adults and children alike, for the inimitable illustration style and inventive, philosophical texts which prompt us to think more deeply, more imaginatively about the world around us.

‘Why Do I Feel Like This?’ looks at where our bad, mad, sad feelings come from and what we can do to make them go away. As all the options are investigated, there is no shying away from darker impulses, such as “I wish they’d trip over a rock and hurt themselves”, counter-acted by thoughts such as “Hating people doesn’t feel good”. A range of coping mechanisms are explored, such as distracting yourself, talking your problems through and realising that everyone feels this way sometimes.

There are no easy answers here though, this is by no means a child’s self help book. It is a witty, relatable exploration of negative thoughts that asks many more questions than it answers, allowing the reader space to draw conclusions for themselves.

I would use ‘Why Do I Feel Like This?’ with children throughout the primary school age range, knowing that each time they return to it they will see more, get more, from the story as their own emotional understanding develops. Simply wonderful.

From bestselling author, broadcaster and founder of Happy Place, Fearne Cotton. Did you know that your belly can bring you joy, and your hands can make you calm? And that's not all. Your body and mind are connected in so many incredible ways that you might not even realise! From the tips of your toes to the top of your head, each body part can play an important role in helping you feel great. Whether it's using your feet to stay active, your mouth to talk about your feelings or your shoulders to feel confident, this is a one-stop holistic guide to happiness from bestselling author, Fearne Cotton. And with interviews throughout with a range of much-loved expert voices, including Tom Daley, Kimberley Wilson, Tom Fletcher, Joe Wicks, Marcia Sharp and many more, this book is packed with tons of practical tips for finding the joy in each and every day.

Inspirational, uplifting and an utter delight' M.G. Leonard, author of Beetle Boy Life can be tricky. You have school, homework, hobbies and friendships to juggle . . . and all the time you're trying to work out what sort of person you want to be. Do you know who can help you? A lion. A koala. Even . . . a wombat. Animals have so much to say about how to be brave, confident and kind. So step into the wild, listen to the animals around you . . . and learn how to be the best YOU you can be!

Get to know all your feelings and how to look after them in this positive and practical guide from beloved author-illustrator Marcia Williams. How do you feel today? Whether you're happy, sad or anything in-between, this book is the perfect guide to understanding and celebrating all your feelings! In colourful comic-strip stories, explore a whole range of emotions and discover ways to cope when any feeling becomes overwhelming. Packed with top tips for mental wellbeing and a first aid box for feelings, this is a helpful and engaging guide celebrating the importance of good mental health.