A booklist curated by The Children’s Book Review in partnership with Anna Housley Juster.
Some days feel impossible to untangle—too sad, too mad, too much all at once. These picture books give kids the language, tools, and reassurance to work through big emotions, one feeling at a time.
Here are 5 wonderful books about coping with big feelings:
The Best Good Thing: Discovering Joy on a Very Bad, Smad Day
Written by Anna Housley Juster
Illustrated by Andrea Onishi
Ages: 4+ | Pages: 40
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing (August 2026) | ISBN13: 9798885549653
Written by a child mental health clinician, this beautifully illustrated story follows a young girl having a very sad and mad—smad!—day, until her mom listens with empathy, mirrors her feelings, and gently helps her practice the therapeutic strategy of cognitive restructuring: searching for good things together and ultimately discovering the best good thing of all. Backmatter offers tips and activities for both kids and caregivers.
Pre-Order the Book
Borrow the Book
The Rabbit Listened
Written and Illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld
Ages: 6-10 | 40 Pages
Publisher: Dial Books (2018) | ISBN: 978-0735229358
When Taylor’s block tower gets knocked down, everyone rushes in with advice—the chicken wants to talk about it, the bear wants to get angry. But the rabbit just sits and listens. A New York Times bestseller about how comfort doesn’t always mean fixing.
Buy the Book
Borrow the Book
Ruby Finds a Worry
Written and Illustrated by Tom Percival
Ages: 3-5 | 32 Pages
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books (2019) | ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Ruby’s worry starts small but grows bigger every day—until she learns that sharing it with someone else is what makes it shrink. Part of the popular Big Bright Feelings series, this is a gentle entry point for young kids on naming and voicing anxious feelings.
Buy the Book
Borrow the Book
The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions
Written and Illustrated by Anna Llenas
Ages: 3+ | 40 Pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (2018) | ISBN: 978-0-316-45001-0
Color Monster wakes up with his emotions all over the place—happy, sad, angry, calm, and scared, all tangled together. With gorgeous mixed-media illustrations, this bestseller helps kids sort big, jumbled feelings into colors they can actually talk about.
Buy the Book
Borrow the Book
Grumpy Monkey
Written by Suzanne Lang
Illustrated by Max Lang
ges: 4+ | 40 Pages
Publisher: Random House Studio (2018) | ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4
Jim the chimpanzee is in a terrible mood for no good reason—and everyone keeps insisting he cheer up, which only makes it worse. A #1 New York Times bestseller and a funny, validating reminder that kids are allowed to just feel grumpy sometimes.
