Books about feelings for kids: the best picture books for big emotions
Thirteen picture books that give children words for what they feel, from monster masks for toddlers to bad days, tears and very big feelings for ages 5 to 8.
The best books about feelings for kids name a feeling, show it on a face and treat it as allowed. For ages 2 to 4, start with Glad Monster, Sad Monster or Lots of Feelings. For ages 4 to 6, read In My Heart by Jo Witek and The Way I Feel by Janan Cain. For big emotions at 5 to 8, try The Boy with Big, Big Feelings and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Young children feel everything adults feel, often all before lunch, but they do not yet have the words for most of it. Books about feelings for kids hand them those words. A worried monster, a silly day, a heart that feels as heavy as an elephant: once a feeling has a name and a picture, it becomes something a child can point to, talk about and, slowly, handle. Below are 13 real picture books about emotions for ages 2 to 8, sorted from first feeling words to the big, hard ones.
Every title is a published book we checked against the publisher or the library record. Most are easy to find at your local library.
Why books about feelings for kids help
The CDC’s developmental guidance for parents puts it plainly. For three year olds: “Talk about your child’s emotions and give him words to help him explain how he’s feeling.” For five year olds: “Read books and talk about the feelings characters have and why they have them.”
A book makes that easier in two ways. First, it is safer to talk about how a character feels than how you feel. “Why do you think the boy is crying?” is a question most children will happily answer, even on a day they would never answer “Why are you crying?” Second, a story shows that feelings pass. The sad page turns, and the next one is different.
We chose books that name a wide range of emotions, not only happy and sad, that treat every feeling as allowed, and that work as read-alouds, not lessons.
First books about feelings (ages 2 to 4)
At this age the job is vocabulary. These books show a face, name the feeling and move on, which is exactly the pace a toddler needs.
1. Happy Hippo, Angry Duck
Boynton’s animals act out a whole range of moods in a short, funny board book. It is the easiest possible start, and children quickly learn to make the faces along with the animals.
2. Glad Monster, Sad Monster
Monsters of different colors explain what makes them feel glad, sad, loving, worried, silly and angry. Fold-out masks let your child try each feeling on, which turns naming emotions into a game.
3. Lots of Feelings
Simple text and real photographs of children introduce basic emotions, from happy and grumpy to thoughtful, and show how people express them. Photos of real faces help little ones read the clues in the people around them.
4. How Are You Peeling?: Foods with Moods
Peppers, oranges and other fruits and vegetables are carved into faces with feelings, like a lonely lemon or a jealous tomato, with short questions such as “Are you feeling angry?” Funny and unforgettable, and the note at the end on how the faces were made may send you to the kitchen to make your own.
Books about emotions for kids ages 4 to 6
Preschoolers and kindergartners are ready for more feelings, and for the idea that feelings live in the body and can change during a day.
5. The Way I Feel
Rhyming text and bold illustrations show children feeling frustrated, shy, jealous, proud and more. It goes beyond the basics and gives children names for the in-between feelings that are often the hardest to explain.
6. In My Heart: A Book of Feelings
A young girl describes what each emotion feels like inside: happiness makes her want to twirl, and sadness feels as heavy as an elephant. A die-cut heart runs through the pages. It is one of the best books we know for connecting feelings to what happens in the body.
7. Today I Feel Silly: And Other Moods That Make My Day
A girl’s moods range from silly to angry to excited, changing from one day to the next. The message, that moods come and go and that is normal, is told with plenty of humor. Ages 4 to 8.
8. My Many Colored Days
A rhyming story that links each kind of day to a color and an animal, from bright and busy to quiet and low. Colors give children a way into feelings they cannot name yet: “Today feels like a gray day.”
9. Big Feelings
From the team behind All Are Welcome: a group of kids set out to build something together in an empty lot, and plans do not go the way they hoped. Mad, frustrated and overwhelmed, they work it out by talking, compromising and seeing each other’s side. A labeled chart of faces in the front of the book is handy for practice.
Books about big feelings for kids ages 5 to 8
Older children can sit with harder feelings: a whole bad day, tears they do not understand, feelings so big they seem to take over.
10. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Nothing goes right for Alexander, from the gum in his hair onward, and he is consoled by the thought that other people have bad days too. A classic for a reason: children feel deeply understood, and grown-ups laugh.
11. The Boy with Big, Big Feelings
A boy’s feelings are so big they glow from his cheeks and jump up and down on his chest. He tries to stuff them down, then, with a little help, finds that they are something to celebrate. The publisher notes it is especially relatable for sensitive children and those who feel emotions very intensely.
12. Crying Is Like the Rain: A Story of Mindfulness and Feelings
A big sister walks her little brother to school, and when a storm catches them, she shares what she has learned: feelings, like weather, come and go. A gentle book for children who are embarrassed by tears, with back matter for parents.
13. The Heart and the Bottle
A curious girl puts her heart in a bottle to keep it safe, and the world becomes smaller and less interesting until she finds a way to take it out again. It is about protecting yourself after a loss. Read it yourself first, and keep it for the right moment.
For one specific feeling, see our lists of books about anger for kids and books about anxiety for kids. The Color Monster by Anna Llenas, another favorite for sorting emotions, is in our list of the best books for 4 year olds.
How to read books about feelings with your child
- Ask about the character, not the child. “How do you think she feels?” “What made him so mad?” Children will often bring their own feelings in on their own.
- Look at faces together. Cover the words and guess the feeling from the picture alone. It is good practice for reading real faces.
- Name your own feelings too. “I felt a bit like Alexander this morning.” Hearing a grown-up name a feeling calmly shows that it is safe to do.
- Pick calm moments. A book about anger read in the middle of a meltdown rarely lands. Read it at bedtime, and refer back to it later: “Remember the monster masks?”
The CDC also suggests teaching children simple ways to calm down when they are upset, such as taking deep breaths, hugging a favorite toy or going to a quiet, safe place. A book is a good time to practice those, too.
When to talk to your pediatrician
Big feelings, tears and the occasional meltdown are a normal part of being 2 to 8. If your child’s feelings seem to get in the way of daily life most days, such as sleep, eating, play or school, or if something has changed suddenly, it is always fine to bring it up at the next checkup or call your pediatrician sooner. You do not need to wait until you are sure something is wrong.
Feelings come up around money too: wanting something, not getting it, feeling it is unfair. Our guide on how to teach kids about money covers those moments calmly, age by age.
Questions parents ask
What are good books about feelings for toddlers?
For ages 2 to 4, try Happy Hippo, Angry Duck by Sandra Boynton, Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed Emberley and Anne Miranda, and Lots of Feelings by Shelley Rotner, which uses photographs of real children. They are short, name one feeling at a time and invite your child to make the faces.
How do I teach my child to name their feelings?
Name feelings out loud as they happen, both your child’s and your own, and read books about emotions together. The CDC suggests talking about the feelings characters have and why they have them. It is easier for a child to talk about how a character feels than about themselves.
What is a good book for a child with big emotions?
For ages 5 to 8, The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee follows a boy whose feelings seem to spill out everywhere and who learns they are something to celebrate. Crying Is Like the Rain by Heather Hawk Feinberg is a gentle pick for children who are embarrassed by tears.
At what age do children understand emotions?
Gradually. Toddlers feel strong emotions long before they can name them. By around 4, the CDC notes that many children comfort others who are hurt or sad, and for 5 year olds it suggests talking about the feelings characters in books have and why. Naming feelings early gives them the words they need along the way.
Sources
Written by the WonderLab Journal editorial desk and checked against the sources above. Found something out of date? Tell us through the corrections page.
