Expert-Approved Books to Get Through Tough Stuff

By Connecticut Children’s Child Life Specialists 

Books can be our greatest teachers, especially when families face a constantly changing world with ups, downs and challenges. This list of books, recommended by our Child Life team, will help kids of all ages and parents embrace change, build resilience, grieve, appreciate differences and power through adversity. Happy reading!

Books for Ages 0-4

Dealing With Feelings or Tantrums:

• Red Red Red
• I Love You When You’re Angry
• Tiger Days: A Book of Feelings  
• The Feelings Book
• In My Heart: A Book of Feelings 

Bullying, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• I’ll Walk With You
• Just Ask! Be Brave, Be Different, Be You
• Everywhere Babies
• Hair Like Mine  
• The Rainbow Fish  

Health Challenges:

• Zip-Line (scars; heart surgery)
• Daniel Visits the Doctor (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood—book about regular doctor’s visit)
• Franklin Goes to the Hospital (surgery) 

Building Resilience:

• The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld: 9780735229358 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books feelings
• Waiting is Not Easy!
• I’m a Big Brother or I’m a Big Sister (new baby)
• Giraffes Can’t Dance  

Embracing Autism and Neurodiversity:

• We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3! (available for free online: We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3! | Sesame Street and Autism)
• The Boy with the Big, Big Feelings  
• What’s My Superpower?

Books for Pre-K through Second Grade

Dealing with Transitions:

• Daniel Tiger Goes to School
• Nothing Stays the Same, But that’s Okay: A Book to Read When Everything (or Anything) Changes
• Owen  
• The Kissing Hand  

Bullying, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• My Friend Maggie
• Stick and Stone (series)
• Last Stop on Market Street
• You Are Enough  
• It’s Okay to be Different 

Health Challenges:

• The Lion Who Had Asthma
• When a Kid Like Me Fights Cancer
• The Perfect Shelter (for siblings of oncology patients)
• Taking Asthma to School
• My Friend Jen: A Little Different (blood disorder)

Building Resilience:

• The Invisible String (loss, separation and staying connected)
• Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere  
• Ruby Finds a Worry
• Ida, Always  (grief and bereavement)

Embracing Autism and Neurodiversity: 

• A Friend for Henry
• My Brother Charlie
• All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism  

Books for Grades 3-5

Bullying, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
• Alma and How She Got Her Name  
• Acceptance is My Superpower  
• The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family
• When We Were Alone 

Health Challenges:

• Ghosts (cystic fibrosis, graphic novel)
• What Happens When Someone I Love Has Cancer  
• Mostly Monty (asthma)
• See Inside Your Body

Building Resilience:   

• A Terrible Thing Happened: A Story for Children Who Have Witnessed Violence or Trauma
• It’s Okay to Not Be Okay: Adults Get Big Feelings Too  
• A Last Goodbye (grief/bereavement)
• Listening to My Body
• After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again)

Embracing Autism and Neurodiversity:  

• The Girl Who Thought in Pictures 
• Noah Chases the Wind

Books for Grades 6-8

Dealing with Transitions:  

• The 47 People You’ll Meet in Middle School 
• Planet Middle School  

Bullying, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:  

• When You Trap a Tiger
• Fish in a Tree (dyslexia, embracing strengths and different ways of learning)
• The Crossover  
• Each Tiny Spark 

Embracing Autism and Neurodiversity:

• The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism
• Calling All Minds: How to Think and Create Like an Inventor
• Not If I Can Help It  

Relationships:  

• The One and Only Ivan
• All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team  
• Hello, Universe  

Health Challenges: 

• Wonder  (also a major motion picture)
• Soar  (heart condition)
• Halfway Normal (cancer)
• Out of My Mind (cerebral palsy)

Building Resilience:

• The Usborne Unworry Book
• New Kid  
• When Stars are Scattered  

Books for Grades 9-12

Dealing with Transitions:  

• This Will be Funny Later
• Letting Go! (activity book)

Embracing Autism and Neurodiversity:  

• The Asperkid’s (Secret) Book of Social Rules: The Handbook of Not-so-obvious Social Guidelines for Tweens and Teens with Asperger Syndrome
• Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s 

Relationships:

• The Circles All Around Us
• What to Say Next

Health Challenges:

• The Fault in Our Stars (cancer)
• Chemo, Craziness & Comfort  
• Five Feet Apart (cystic fibrosis)
• Breathing for a Living (cystic fibrosis)

Building Resilience:  

• The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse  
• Digging Deep: A Journal for Young People Facing Health Challenges
• The Survival Guide to Bullying: Written by a Teen  

Mental Health:  

• Mind Your Head
• Just Feel: How to be Stronger, Happier, Healthier and More  

Books for Parents

For Surviving the Toddler Years:

• The Emotional Life of the Toddler
• Hunt, Gather, Parent
• 1-2-3 Magic  

For Surviving the School-Aged Years:

• The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk (The How To Talk Series)

Bullying, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

• Ryan’s Story: A father’s hard-earned lesson about cyberbullying and suicide 

Embracing Autism and Neurodiversity:

• The Autistic Brain: Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed
• Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity 

Mental Health:

• Atlas of the Heart  
• Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others  
• The Body Keeps Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma