Small Talk Reading List: Week 7

Feelings and Emotions

0-6 Months:

I’m Sunny by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
This board book is created in the style of a comic. It is a very fun layout, and would be perfect for young children because it does not have a ton of words. The pictures are simple and colorful, and would be fun to look at. This book talks about the sun being happy and sad, and ends on a happy note with sharing.
HappyLand Big Berry by Dan Yaccarino

This board book features more illustrations than words. Most of the pages in this book are just an illustration, so this would be a great book to allow parents to tell the story in their own creative way and provide something simple and colorful for young eyes to admire. This story teaches about gratitude.

6-12 Months:

Get Happy by Malachy Doyle
This board book features a variety of different children, and multiple ways to ‘get happy’. This book gives practical ways to make the day happier and spread joy. This would be a great way to teach children what feelings are associated with happiness and see different kids doing these things.
When I Miss You by Cornelia Maude Spelman

This book book features adorable animals. The book talks about how the child misses the parents when they leave for work, talk a nap, go away, etc. It then talks about how they know they will be reunited and have fun together and be happy. This would be a great book to read with a child that may have separation anxiety, or get sad when their parent leaves.

12-24 Months:

How Do You Feel? by Jodie Shepherd
This board book would be perfect to teach what the different feelings are! It features fun rhyming text and a lot of diverse and colorful photos of different children. Each page describes a feeling, and what you do when you are feeling that way. It would be perfect for children to look at the pictures of emotions and try to mimic that emotions, or guess what emotion it is.
My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith

This book features a diverse family talking about what makes the heart fill with happiness such as seeing the face of a loved one, singing, walking barefoot, etc. This would be a great book to relate to similar things making the child happy, and discussing what makes them happy.

Extra:

I’m Feeling…:Teaching Your Baby to Sign by Lora Heller
This board book is all about teaching your child to sign how they are feeling. Each page features a different feeling/emotion and how to sign this emotion. This would be great for teaching babies to communicate feeling before they can with their words.