Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
A School Counselor’s Favorite Picture Books for Preschoolers
15
items Books are a fantastic tool for teaching social and emotion skills to young learners. Here are 15 SEL picture books I love using in my office:
Sections
3
Feelings and Emotions
Confidence & Being Yourself
Social Skills
Feelings and Emotions
Glad Monster, Sad Monster comes with fold-out masks of monsters in different colors to teach kids about what makes them feel glad, sad, loving, worried, silly, and angry. This is one of the first books I read every year and it always gets more than a...
Glad Monster, Sad Monster: Ed Emberley, Anne Miranda
This book names feelings while describing what they look and feel like. Kids need words to name their feelings, just as they need words to name all things in their world. This book uses simple, engaging language to do that.
The Way I Feel: 9781884734724: Cain, Janan, Cain, Janan: Books
Jim the chimpanzee is in a very bad mood, but he doesn’t know why. His friends have a lot of suggestions to cheer him up, but maybe Jim just needs a day to feel grumpy. This is a silly read with a great message!
Grumpy Monkey: Lang, Suzanne, Lang, Max: 9780553537864
This might be my favorite book on this list! Sometimes our bodies send us signals that are hard to define and express. This book goes beyond basic emotions to teach about the signals in our body that might be a little harder to talk about in a way th...
I Feel... Something: Listening to Your Body for Kids (Social Skills for Kids ...
Ruby finds a worry. It starts as a tiny scribble, but grows larger over time. When Ruby meets a boy with a blue scribble, they both learn that sometimes just talking about our worries can make us feel better. I love this one for anxious kiddos!
Ruby Finds a Worry (Big Bright Feelings): Percival, Tom: 9781547602377
Confidence & Being Yourself
Mo is a zombie who LOVES veggies. However, Mo’s parents insist that zombies only eat zombie food, like arm-panadas and finger food. This bilingual book is great for teaching about being true to yourself. My kids love this one!
Zombies Don't Eat Veggies
Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela thinks her name is just too long, but as her father tells her the story behind each of her names, she starts to think maybe Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela is a perfect name after all.
Alma and How She Got Her Name: (A Heartwarming Story About Family ...
A classic for a reason! Ferdinand is a fighting bull who doesn’t want to fight. Despite pressure to change, Ferdinand stays true to his gentle spirit.
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Jabari definitely isn’t scared to jump off the diving board. He just needs time to think about what kind of jump he wants to do… A heartfelt story about conquering your fears!
Jabari Jumps: (A Motivational Story of Courage, Overcoming Fear, and ...
“There will be times when you walk into a room and no one there is quite like you.” This book is about having the courage to connect and be who you are, even in a room where nobody knows you yet. Another great one for the beginning of the year or new...
The Day You Begin: Woodson, Jacqueline, López, Rafael
Social Skills
Tiny T. Rex’s friend Pointy is sad, and T. rex has a problem: his arms are too short to give his friend a hug! This is a sweet story about empathy and friendship.
Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug: Stutzman, Jonathan, Fleck, Jay
Mean Jean is The Recess Queen and NOBODY messes with The Recess Queen… until a new girl comes to school. I love this one for teaching about cooperative play and how to deal with those friends that can be a little too bossy.
The Recess Queen: O'Neill, Alexis, Huliska-Beith, Laura: 9780439206372
Another beginning of the year favorite! Ryan T. Higgins is a master at writing silly stories with a great message. Penelope Rex just won’t stop eating her classmates. That is, until, she gets a taste of her own medicine. I love this one for teaching ...
We Don't Eat Our Classmates: A Penelope Rex Book: Higgins, Ryan T.
No preschool book list would be complete without Pete! Gus is new to town. When Pete finally meets Gus, he realizes they're very different from each other...and that's what makes him cool. This is a great book for teaching about acceptance and celebr...
Pete the Cat and the New Guy
If you’re looking for a book for the quiet child, this is the one. Brian feels invisible. Nobody at school ever notices him or invites him to birthday parties… until he meets Justin. The Invisible Boy is a sweet story about how small acts of kindness...
The Invisible Boy: Ludwig, Trudy, Barton, Patrice