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Books for every age

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As an educator, coach, and homeschool mom, this is my comprehensive, master-curated library for every single developmental stage. From foundational baby board books and social-emotional coping skills to advanced high school classics and adult persona...
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Baby & Toddler Board Books

Books I have used for the baby and toddler age with my own children, with thousands of children in schools I have taught in and now recommending to families I support in my coaching business.

 
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This board book was a family favorite of ours when my children were between 1-4 years old. We read this one every night as a bedtime story because my kids loved trains and monkeys. I also love the old style look of these books. It is also interesting...
Monkey Steam Train (Window Board Book)
 
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A sweet little rhyming board book. If you have a child born in October or just want something cute to read for the month of October try this one out.
You're My Little Baby Boo by Edwards & Marshall
 
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We loved reading this book when my kids were teeny tiny. Good for toddler, preschool, lower elementary. Beautiful pictures and very simple words.
Nineteen Around the World
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This  brand has lots of music books, we loved these and still enjoy hearing the children singing to the songs in these books. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Ditty Bird Musical Nursery Rhyme Book
 
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A brilliant, interactive board book designed to help toddlers master the daily routine of eating. Through heavy-duty pull-tabs and charming illustrations, kids help little animal friends learn to wash their hands, try new foods, and use their manners...
Mealtime: A Pull-the-Tab Book (Pull and Play, 6)
 
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A wonderfully engaging and sturdy interactive book that makes potty training completely approachable for toddlers. Using heavy-duty pull-tabs and charming animal friends, this book walks little ones through the entire bathroom routine—from recognizin...
Potty Time: A Pull-the-Tab Book (Pull and Play, 3)
 
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If you are looking for the ultimate baby shower gift or a staple for a newborn's nighttime routine, this book is an absolute must. This book celebrates the uniqueness of a child's birth. The core message is that the entire world celebrated when the b...
On the Night You Were Born
 
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This is the same story just in Spanish if you are a bilingual or multilingual home. If you are need more books in Spanish please comment here and let me know as we are a trilingual home as well.
La Noche En Que Tú Naciste (Spanish)
 
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If you love On the Night You Were Born but want to expand a nursery library, this three-book boxed set is a sweet find. Nancy Tillman has a gift for expressing unconditional love, and having her three most popular titles bundled together—including Wh...
You Are Loved: Nancy Tillman 3 Board Books Set
 
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This is a cute, fun, little rhyming board book for toddlers. We love halloween in our house so we have quite a few halloween themed books here. I hope your toddler loves this one as much as do.
Spooky Pookie (Little Pookie)
 
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A fun silly googly eye book about animals at the zoo. It is lengthier than youd expect for a board book it has actual sentences on each page and not just a few words.
Googly Eyes Zoo Picnic
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Good for toddlers and preschoolers
My First Book of Affirmations: Inspire Confidence for 1-3 Year Olds

Pre-K / Kinder

Good for Ages 3-5 . Engaging picture books and interactive stories designed to build early literacy, curiosity, and smooth school transitions for young learners

 
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This book is so much fun!!! The little gingerbread men stick out and the kids can feel them. The pictures are so engaging and the final page is best because it is so sparkly and fun! It is really cool because every time you turn the page a gingerbrea...
Ten Gingerbread Men
 
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This one is also very fun, they have it in spanish as well. This book has 10 ladybugs sticking out of the page and the kids can feel them, one disappears everytime you turn the page teaching kids how to count down from ten. This book also comes in 5 ...
Ten Little Ladybugs
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A classic story I read to students from ages 3 - 7ish. Always read this as a pre-k and Kinder teacher to my students. It is about a red hen that works hard, when she asks her farm animal friends for assistance throughout the book each friend is alway...
The Little Red Hen (Little Golden Book)
 
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Everything by eric carle is good! This is a very simple book, I use this to teach about clouds in very early education with toddlers and preschoolers. After reading this book, I would do some sort of cloud painting activity.
Little Cloud board book
 
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Fun and Funny little repetitive book, kids easily pick up the rhythm of the story and will chime in.
Down on the Farm
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I have been using this book with littles for over 20 years. I will be making a video in the future showing the lesson I do with this one. Great for Toddler, Preschool, & Kindergarden.
It Looked Like Spilt Milk
 
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Love love love this book, it really does a great job of letting the kids hear all the different instruments within the symphony. This book is the reason why my kids can identify instruments anywhere we go. Seeing them in person as well as just being ... Such a fun sound book with lots of engaging buttons for your littles.
Welcome to the Symphony: Beethoven's No. 5
 
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This book is a little sad at first, but has a happy ending. It is about how each child has a unique animal friend that goes everywhere with them. The boy on the cover has a little elephant, when they show up to play with other kids, there is a sign o...
Strictly No Elephants
 
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Kids love this book!
If You Give a Pig a Pancake: Cause & Effect
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Another fun one I used as a Pre-k teacher
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? 50th
 
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Another classic, I use this one when teaching kinder students the life cycle of a butterfly
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
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This is a sweet book to help kids relate to being afraid of their first day of school and not knowing what to expect.
Franklin Goes to School

Elementary

Elementary is a broad age range. Id say these books would be good for ages 6-10ish. Some are even really good for 6th graders as well, you know your kid best so pick what they enjoy. Its okay if its a little lower than their actual grade level, its j...

 
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This set is great to use for children who are learning to read. The blue box collection 1 helps children practice all CVC short vowel sound words. It starts simple and slowly builds with each book they master. I like the simplicity of these books as ...
Bob Books Collection 1: Beginning Readers
 
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I cant recommend this book enough! I bought it as soon as it came out many years ago, have read it countless times by myself, with my students and with my own children. One of my absolute favorites. I have no doubt your kids will love this book. Also...
The Invention of Hugo Cabret Hardcover
 
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Classic book we all loved as kids, I have used these with kids as young as 3 on to adults. Anyone can enjoy these books. I have each book in this set listed separately but if you want all of them, please see the middle school section for the entire s...
Where's Waldo? The Great Picture Hunt! Book
 
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Once your child is getting close to mastering collection 1, consider ordering collection 2. It will help them continue practicing reading skills at a more advanced level.
Bob Books Collection 2: Advancing Beginners & Word Families
 
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Classic book we all loved as kids, I have used these with kids as young as 3 on to adults. Anyone can enjoy these books. I have each book in this set listed separately but if you want all of them, please see the middle school section for the entire s...
Where's Waldo? Hidden Object Activity Book
 
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Who doesnt love wheres waldo books? Such a nice thing to travel with in long car rides, plane rides, train rides, etc….
Where's Waldo? In Hollywood: Hidden Object Book
 
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Classic book we all loved as kids, I have used these with kids as young as 3 on to adults. Anyone can enjoy these books. I have each book in this set listed separately but if you want all of them, please see the middle school section for the entire s...
Where's Waldo Now? Hidden Object Activity Book
 
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Let me know if you try any of these in the comments, wondering which where's waldo book is your favorite? These never get old
Where's Waldo? The Wonder Book - Hidden Object & Puzzles
 
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Classic book we all loved as kids, I have used these with kids as young as 3 on to adults. Anyone can enjoy these books. I have each book in this set listed separately but if you want all of them, please see the middle school section for the entire s...
Where's Waldo? The Fantastic Journey Book
 
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If your family loves collecting rocks or learning about them, this book is for you. When I noticed my children's interest in collecting rocks, I started by going to a rock store and bought a few to place in their stockings for christmas. We now colle...
My Book of Rocks and Minerals: Collect & Treasure
 
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These are stories about kids who face some of the worst moments in history—and live to tell their story! History's most exciting and terrifying events come to life in this series of 25 books. Books can also be purchased spereately which I have listed...
I Survived Series Complete Set (25 Books)
 
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I survived series are for 8-10 year olds but honestly my 6th and 7th grade students loved this series! There are so many books in this series I wont be listing every single one individually. I have listed a few single below
I Survived Series Book Set II, Books 11-20
 
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I am adding all the variety of sets to meet whatever price range you may have. Some will be similar to each other, just check which books are in each set. Curious which stories your kids enjoyed most?
I Survived: Ten Thrilling Books (Boxed Set)
 
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Here is a single book from the I survived series if you want to try out one at a time instead of a whole set. I am curious, please let me know in the comments below which books your child loved from this list.
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
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Another single book from the series. If your kids like these historical topics, these are great books to have them travel back in time and get lost in the stories. Based on true events.
I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens
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I love this series because they are based on true events! This story is about a 10 year old and his friends trying to survive swimming in shark infested waters. Its easy to get lost in these stories because they are so realistic.
I Survived: The Shark Attacks of 1916
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If you have a kid who constantly asks how things work, this book is a treasure trove. What sets it apart is the incredible use of detailed close-ups, technical cutaways, and clear cross-sections. Instead of overwhelming young readers with dense block...
The Everyday Workings of Machines: Toasters to Robots
 
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Proud Texan here. This is a very informative book that shows alot of famous places and landmarks in texas. Discusses a bit about texas history in a fun way where a cowboy named Tex tells the stories of all the events and places that have taken place ...
State Shapes : Texas
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Middle School

 For around 11 - 14 year olds. These are my recommendations based of books I have read myself, to my students, or have seen my students obsess over. Follow for more recs.

 
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Always read this one in my 6th grade english class and the kids loved it every year. I highly recommend having your child read the book before the movie as the movie leaves out ALOT of good detail. Great for 6th-8th grade.
The Giver: Newbery Award Winner (Giver 1)
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Such a good and thoughtful read to teach students about building community and supporting each other. Each chapter is about a different character in the book which really brings the personality of the neighborhood to life.
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman - Mass Market
 
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Where's Waldo, a classic that many of us loved as kids. I have had these books in my classroom for elementary and middle school level. Kids can sit for hours looking at these. Heres the entire set .
Where’s Waldo? Ultimate Waldo Watcher Set
 
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Another great book by Brian Selznick. If you loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret, take a look at this one. It also won an award for being such a great middle school book. As usual with his books, you will enjoy all the illustrations.
Wonderstruck (Schneider Family Book Award)
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This is a story about a 13 year old boy who is the lone survivor or a plane crash. All he has is himself and his hatchet. This book takes you through every moment of him learning how to survive over and over again. An incredible story, I have seen mi...
Hatchet
 
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I bought this one right when it came out and adored it so much even as an adult. This book can be for as low as 4th grade more advanced level reading all the way up to middle school depending on the child's level. I am reading it aloud to my 6 and 4 ...
The Invention of Hugo Cabret (Caldecott Medal Winner)|Hardcover
 
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I remember reading this book as a kid and it was one of my faves. A classic girl book. Curious who else read this book as a kid or teen?
There's A Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
 
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I had many middle school girls love this series. This is book 1 of 2, Zia is the second book to read after this one. Good for 6th-8th grade.                                          A classic about a young girl accidentally left behind on a desolate island who manages to survive alone for eighteen years. Karana’s story is a beautiful, powerful testament to human resilience, courage, and resourcefulness. It is an engaging, fast-p...
Island of the Blue Dolphins - Novel
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Great for girls in 6th-8th grade. This is part 2. Part 1 is The Island of the Blue Dolphins.                                This book follows Karana’s niece, Zia, as she dreams of a voyage to the island to rescue her aunt. It’s a short, gripping story about hope, loyalty, and navigating a changing world. A perfect follow-up that brings a beautiful sense of completion to t...
Zia: Historical Fiction Adventure for Kids
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Kids love these books. They are so silly and funny. I have seen kids who absolutely hate reading adore this series. Parents used to come to me asking for book recommendations because they hated that their kid was reading such silly books. I honestly ...
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 1-24 Complete Set
 
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This one is a really cool book because its the shape of Texas. It makes Texas history fun and conversational. Instead of dense paragraphs, it uses illustrations, hidden facts, and bite-sized trivia to introduce kids to the culture, famous figures, an...
State Shapes : Texas
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Boys loves learning about poisonous animals. Anything scary and creepy, usually boys love! This book will be so engaging for your child if they love interesting facts about animals. The cover alone is interesting, when you move it, you can see the pi...
Poison
 
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Just another little tool for kids to get more into financial literacy. The title alone gets them interested in reading this one and discussing it with you.
How to Turn $100 into $1,000,000: Earn! Invest!

High School

For teens, most of these are usually recommended in school as well. Please note these are for more mature readers and even adults can enjoy them as well.

 
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Such a great story, the ending still gets to me even after all these years. There is a movie about this one, I always recommend reading novels and completing them before watching a movie about it. Its rare when a movie is as good as the novel. This i...
Of Mice and Men (Penguin Great Books)
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This book is a gripping and terrifying classic that explores the dark side of human nature as a group of stranded schoolboys quickly descend from civilization into brutal savagery. This intense, thought-provoking novel serves as a powerful cautionary...
Lord of the Flies
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There is a reason this book remains a cornerstone of American literature. Telling a heavy story about racial injustice, morality, and prejudice through the eyes of a young girl. It keeps the narrative feeling incredibly innocent, grounded. Atticus Fi...
To Kill a Mockingbird
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I know almost everyone was forced to read this in high school, but picking it up again as an adult completely changed my perspective on it. Fitzgerald’s prose is incredibly lush and atmospheric—you can practically hear the jazz music and clinking cha...
The Great Gatsby - Reader's Library Classic
 
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Steinbeck’s writing makes you feel the heat, the dust, and the desperation of the Great Depression right alongside the Joad family. Beyond the historical elements, it's a deeply emotional story about family ties and standing up for others when everyt...
The Grapes of Wrath
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If you are introducing a teenager to Shakespeare for the first time, this specific edition is neat It features the complete, original text on the left-hand page and a clear, line-by-line modern English translation right next to it on the right. It co...
Romeo and Juliet: No Fear Shakespeare
 
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This one is the original Version of romeo and juliet. Shakespear. Reading the original text is a must for anyone who wants to experience the true depth of Shakespeare's poetic mastery. It is challenging, passionate, and beautifully complex, offering ...
Romeo and Juliet (Folger Shakespeare Library)
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Such a beautiful hard cover novel. A classic for years to come!  This brilliant novel is a profound tragedy about a brilliant scientist consumed by his own ego, and the lonely creature he brings to life and quickly abandons. It is beautifully written, intensely emotional, and raises relevant questions about scient...
Frankenstein (Masterpiece Library Edition)
 
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Reading the Odyssey was a very memorable experience for me as a 9th grader. I love how beautiful this books cover is and can't wait to order this one for my littles once they are old enough to read this.
HOMER: The Iliad & Odyssey Deluxe Edition
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Another classic that looks beautiful on the shelf. A fast-paced tale of prophecy, ambition, betrayal, and madness. Macbeth wastes no time getting to the action, tracking a Scottish general's bloody rise to power and his paranoid descent into ruin. It...
Macbeth - Classics
 
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This is a tragedy of indecision, madness, and revenge. Watching the brilliant but paralyzed prince try to navigate a web of family betrayal is gripping from start to finish. .
Hamlet
 
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A love story for teens, about two teens who meet in a cancer support group and fall in love.
The Fault in Our Stars

Adult

These are books I recommend to adults and mature audiences. You will find books of all different genres here, most are books to help heal your mind, body, and soul. Some are just good reads that I enjoyed and would recommend to a friend

 
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Are you an adult child of one or two narcissistic parents? No matter where you are in your healing journey, this book is great in assisting you move forward on your path to healing from the neglect and narcissistic abuse.
Healing Adult Children of Narcissists: Essays & Exercises
 
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If you know you know...
1984: 75th Anniversary
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Reading this one has been so enjoyable. Great for the neurodivergent community, highly sensitive people, and empaths!
The Highly Sensitive Chameleon: Embrace Empathy & Set Boundaries
 
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This book is a profound game-changer that completely shifts how we understand stress, emotional survival, and resilience. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk explains how challenging life events aren't just memories stored in our minds they physically alter our ...
The Body Keeps the Score: Healing Trauma
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The best war-drama. As real as it gets.
For Whom the Bell Tolls: Hemingway Edition
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Sci Fi horror. Dark. Space horror. Mysticism.
The Call of Cthulhu
 
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Everyone probably knows Mel Robbins these days. Her let them theory is all about giving yourself permission to let people show you who they really are and just letting them be. Its a great tool to practice letting go of people and situations that no ... for a reason, let them!
The Let Them Theory: Life-Changing Tool
 
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Just as the title says a 30 day inflammatory reset cook book.
30-Day Inflammatory Reset: Immune Healing Guide
 
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By focusing on tiny shifts and environmental cues rather than sheer willpower, this book offers parents and educators a toolkit to help children build positive study habits, structured routines, and resilience. It is an essential, life-changing read ...
Atomic Habits: Easy Way to Build & Break Habits
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A True story about a woman who was miserable with everything in her life. Suddenly she decided to listen to her heart and heal herself by leaving everything she knew to travel. She focused on eating amazing food in Italy, prayer and meditation, and t...
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search
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As someone who is highly organized I loved using this planner when I first got it a few years ago. If planners are your thing, give this one a try. I wish I found this product when I was a classroom teacher but it works just as well for planning home...
JUBTIC 2025-2026 Teacher Planner, 7 Periods
 
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If you know you have a PDA'er see if this book will help you out with lowering the demand of daily tasks. Parents of kids with PDA need all the ideas they can get because each kid responds differently to different demands and even the simplest demand...
Low-Demand Parenting: Restoring Calm & Connection
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When I first read this book I realized hmm this is literally everything we learned how to do when studying human developement and becoming a teacher. It gives you real life examples, how people typicially respond, then it shows an example of how chan...
How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen
 
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This is the one for older kids. Great resources for parents who may not have much experience dealing with kids. Also good for kids with PDA
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Talk

Anxiety & Coping Skills

This section is for the kiddos that may have OCD, on the spectrum, high anxiety, etc.      A curated collection of therapeutic workbooks, mindful breathing stories, and neurodiversity-affirming resources to help children regulate big feelings." These resources can help teachers and parents help kids deal with big difficult emotions. 

 
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If you are looking for a gentle, effective way to help kids transition from high-energy playtime to quiet learning or bedtime, this book is great. Instead of just telling children to "calm down," it uses animal-themed prompts to guide them through sh...
Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids
 
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If you have a child who tends to get stuck in their own head or gets overwhelmed by "what-ifs," this story opens the door for the most amazing conversations. The pictures are whimsical and unique, capturing kids' attention right away. Instead of maki...
Don't Feed The WorryBug: A Book About Worry
 
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This is the first edition. An  interactive workbook designed to teach children how to overcome anxiety. Using clear, relatable activities, it guides kids to recognize anxious thought patterns and implement practical coping skills to regain control over their feelings.
What to Do When You Worry Too Much: Kids Guide
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2nd edition.  The completely revised and expanded second edition of the definitive kid-friendly workbook. This updated version blends the original's powerful interactive strategies with brand-new tools, modern illustrations, and a deeper focus on how anxiety affec...
What to Do When You Worry Too Much, 2nd Ed
 
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This books helps kids deal with the loss of a loved one. If there is an aging grandparent or someone in the close family or friends network that you may have lost recently, I would recommend sharing this story with your littles to provide opportunity... greiving process.
Badger's Parting Gifts: Friendship & Loss
 
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This book is for children who thrive on predictability and strict routines. The story follows Grid, a character who feels completely safe when things go exactly as expected—until a sudden rainstorm completely ruins an outdoor party plan. What makes t...
Neurodiversity Affirming Sel Books for K Flexibility and Coping with Change Picture Book for Kids Ages 3-7: A Neurodiversity-Affirming SEL Story About Transition, (Paperback)
 
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A neurodiversity-affirming classic that deserves a spot in every elementary classroom and family library. It shows how a young zebra learns to embrace his "autism stripe" alongside his other amazing traits, it teaches kids to view their unique brains...
All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism
 
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This book reminds kids how to slow down and take slow deep breaths to assist calming the nervous system.
Mindfulness Moments for Kids: Hot Cocoa Calm
 
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What I love about this book is how it mirrors the real-world anxieties children face, like anticipating a big school field trip. The author does a fine job of turning a heavy, abstract emotion into a tangible, relatable "Worry Monster" character. Ins...
The Worry Monster: Calming Anxiety Mindfulness
 
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This is an easy thing to incorporate into your homeschool day because it only takes 10 minutes a day.
Mindfulness for Kids in 10 Minutes a Day
 
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This is a kids interactive journal that they can do daily and at their own pace. Its fun and colorful and getting kids to learn the importance of writing can really help release emotions from the body in a relaxed personalized way.
Happy Confident Me: Daily Gratitude Journal
 
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Just as the title says, great motivational book for any kid.
I Can Do Hard Things: Mindful Affirmations
 
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Created by a mom with a child who deals with OCD. A great resource if your child may have OCD.
Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids: 50 Fun Activities