Age range: Preschool through 1st grade.

Recommended for: This book is really lovely for a parent to read to their child when their ex-partner starts dating someone new. Parents who are about to introduce their children to a new partner or who have recently introduced someone new may also find this book helpful. It reassures children that it is okay for them to like the new partner and have fun with them and that this isn’t a betrayal to their other parent (a concern many children have). It also normalizes complicated feelings that children often have when their parents start dating new partners, and it provides hope that the relationship will become a positive one for them too.

Age range: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Age range: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Recommended for: This book is perfect for a child who has been exposed to too much news or adult talk about war, pandemics, climate change, etc. and who is now worried that the future will inevitably be bleak and terrible. It reminds children in a super fun and quirky way that nothing is inevitable and that they can use their imagination to think up alternative ways the future could unfold.

Age range: 2nd grade through 6th grade.

Recommended for: Children who have lost a loved one to suicide and are ready to talk about it. Best for kids who are verbally-oriented and craving some real talk about what they and their family have gone through. This book is the most applicable in this category to children who have lost someone they care about other than a caregiver (e.g., extended family members, teachers, etc.) to suicide.

Age range: Best for young children–preschool through 1st grade.

Recommended for: Exclusively for young children who have lost a parent or other loved one to suicide. Best read after the family has had a bit of time to stabilize and reestablish safety and the child has had some time to process what has happened (i.e., not immediately after a suicide, but perhaps several weeks or months later).

Age range: Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

Recommended for: Exclusively for children who have lost a loved one to suicide, or who are aware of a loved one’s attempted suicide. It reassures children that suicide is not their fault or their loved one’s but rather the result of an illness, and it models and validates the complex range of feelings that a child may be having. Best read with a child after the family has had some time to restabilize to some extent and a child is starting to have questions and express complex feelings about their loved one’s suicide (i.e., not immediately after the loss).

Age range: 1st grade through 4th grade.

Recommended for: This book is ideal for a child whose sibling is going through a depressive episode and seems “wolfish” (i.e., irritable and grumpy). It is particularly well-suited for a child who might be worried that they no longer matter to their sibling due to a sibling’s irritability or withdrawal from family interactions.

Age range: Best for kids in preschool and early- to mid-elementary school, but it’s still a good fit for a developmentally younger and/or more emotionally distressed 8- or 9-year-old who would benefit from a simple, calm introduction to trauma and therapy.

Recommended for: This book is great for caregivers to read with a child prior to starting therapy or for a therapist to read with a client prior to starting trauma treatment. It really pulls for the child to share their story, so if a parent might be triggered by this (i.e., if a parent also experienced the frightening event and is going through their own trauma process), I’d recommend using this book as a set-up for therapy, rather than an at-home intervention. It is best for children who witnessed a specific frightening event (e.g., a car crash, domestic violence, a hate crime) rather than multiple, complex traumas.

Age range: Ideal for preschool through 2nd grade. The animals in the story are approximately kindergarteners or even preschoolers (based on a brief mention of the school skills they are learning).

Recommended for: This book is really great for a young child who has experienced something very frightening. It’s applicable to children who have experienced complex trauma as well as specific events (e.g., a car accident). Caregivers can read this book with their children as a way to start talking about kids’ feelings and how they can cope with them; it’s also great for therapists to read with kids prior to starting trauma treatment.