Books to support EYFS wellbeing
Especially for Children’s Mental Health Week (5–11 February 2024), but ideal to use throughout the year, we have compiled a list of books to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. Research from the National Literacy Trust has shown us that children and young people who like to read are three times more likely to have better mental health than those who don’t (NLT, 2019).
Why do I feel like this? by Shinsuke Yoshitake (Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2020)
If you are not already familiar with the quirky humour of Japanese illustrator Shinsuke Yoshitake, you are in for a treat! This book brilliantly captures children’s feelings in an incredibly imaginative way and gives children lots of suggestions about how to cope with difficult emotions.
Find your happy by Emily Coxhead (Walker Books, 2023)
It’s hard to be happy all the time and every day can be different. The young sloth in this book loves feeling happy, but sometimes he gets angry, worried or shy. When faced with these emotions, there are things he does to feel better. For example, when he feels sad, he finds someone he trusts to talk to. This is lovely colourful book that introduces young children to their feelings. Along the way, they learn how to identify and tackle them.
Small Stanley’s BIG List of Scary Stuff by Angie Morgan (Otter-Barry Books Ltd, 2023)
Small Stanley would like to be brave and fearless like a superhero. There’s just one problem, some things make Stanley feel scared. ‘Write a list of all the things that scare you,’ says Grandpa. The list gets so long that Stanley gets even more worried and he has no time to play with his friends … until … WHOOSH! The wind carries his list away. What will happen to Stanley’s worries now?
Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018)
One day Ruby has a worry which grows larger and larger until it becomes too much for her to handle. This is a heart-warming and beautifully illustrated children’s book that explores the theme of anxiety in a gentle and relatable way. With its simple yet impactful storyline, it is a valuable story to initiate conversations about emotions and mental well-being with young readers.
Sunny Side Up by Clare Helen Welsh and Ana Sanfelippo (Little Tiger Press, 2023)
When you change the way you look at the world, the world you look at changes. This warm, beautifully illustrated novelty book uses die-cuts and flaps to transform the world around us. By putting on your sunny- side-up spectacles and looking at things in a different way, you can turn a bad mood into a good mood. Just like Happy by Nicola Edwards and Katie Hickey, The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas and The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright and Chris Chatterton, Sunny Side Up is the ideal book for exploring difficult emotions.
For further inspiration, head over to Hillingdon’s Libraries website for their Reading Well for Children Book List.
