Mental Health in Children's and Young Adult Literature

"Pictures, dialogs, poems, and stories portray various emotions we all feel: jealousy, sadness, fear, anger, joy, love, and others."

"Our bodies let us know if we feel unsafe or might be in danger and can tell us when we are calm or need healthy touch. In this story, Mr. B helps Deja understand what her body is telling her by asking her to describe what her body is feeling."

"Feelings can be happy or sad, big or small, easy or hard, and sometimes too complicated to put into words. Young readers will explore different kinds of feelings and the many ways to handle them."

"Everybody has feelings. But what do these feelings mean? There are lots of great feelings like happiness, surprise, and excitement, and then there are feelings that are upsetting, like sadness, anger, and frustration. But there are lots of other feelings, too!"

"Discusses a variety of emotions girls might experience and suggests ways of dealing with them."

"Sophie's is hurt when the other children laugh at her painting of her favorite tree--but when she explains her painting everybody understands what she was trying to do."

"Clever animals exemplify a wide range of emotions in this hilarious story about different feelings."

"A sensitive girl imagines transforming herself into different animals to help manage her intense emotions during difficult situations at school."

"Jamie describes his mood throughout the day, using colors and rhythmic text, as he changes from an "easy green mood" while drawing a picture for his sister to a "brooding black mood" when he is teased for doing so."

"A young chimp describes a variety of emotions he experiences."

"Monsters of different colors explain what makes them feel glad, sad, loving, worried, silly, and angry. Fold-out masks encourage readers to talk about their feelings."

Moods change from day to day, and you never know what tomorrow will bring. But one thing's for sure: when you've got love around you, the blues won't stick around long.

"Brief text and photographs of carvings made from vegetables introduce the world of emotions by presenting leading questions such as "Are you feeling angry?""

Do you ever feel as stubborn as a mule? Or as chicken as a chicken? Of course you do. Looks at the normal, natural feelings we all have.

"Canine friends express a wide range of emotions as they play, argue, and make up."

"Children express different moods, including "I feel very mad," "I feel like reading books all day," and "I feel like wearing funny underwear.""

Children's faces express a range of emotions in response to the onset of a storm and its aftermath.

"Follow one girl's journey through her neighborhood as she explores what colors mean to different people."