Picture Books About Feelings for Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st Grade

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Our youngest students feel big feelings every single day, and most of them do not have the words for those feelings yet. A good book gives them the words, and gives you a calm way to talk about it before the moment comes.

I kept a few of these books in our calm corner so students could pick one up when they needed a minute.

These are 8 books I would keep within reach all year.

1. The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions by Anna Llenas. The monster's feelings are all mixed up, and a friend helps sort them by color. A perfect first lesson on naming feelings.
2. The Way I Feel by Janan Cain. Bold pictures and simple rhymes for feeling words like silly, proud and frustrated.
3. In My Heart: A Book of Feelings by Jo Witek. A gentle look at what feelings feel like inside your body.
4. Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang. Jim is grumpy and everyone tells him to cheer up. Kids learn it is okay to feel grumpy sometimes.
5. Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival. Ruby's worry grows when she ignores it and shrinks when she talks about it. Great for anxious little ones.
6. The Invisible String by Patrice Karst. A sweet comfort for students who miss their grown ups during the school day.
7. Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. A simple picture of how kind words and actions fill each other up.
8. Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Chrysanthemum loves her name until classmates tease her. A classic for kindness and self worth.

After the story: sort the choices

Once students can name a feeling, the next step is talking about what we do with it. My Good vs Poor Choices Sorting Activity gives you:

• 12 positive behavior cards and 12 negative behavior cards
• Good Choices and Poor Choices title posters
• Picture cards that work for students who are not reading yet

Read the book, then sort the cards together in a pocket chart or on an anchor chart.

What teachers are saying

"Great to pair with a read aloud, would highly recommend!" (TPT review)

"The pictures are perfect for my Pre-K students since they don't read yet. Very easily understood as a visual for understanding good and bad choices." (TPT review)

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Made by a teacher who's been right where you are.

Jessica Ann Stanford, Teachers Follow Teachers