PARENT GUIDE · FEELINGS
Picture books that help children talk about feelings
A story cannot remove a big feeling, but it can make the feeling easier to notice and talk about. The most useful books leave room for a child’s own example.
Name what is happening without rushing to fix it
Words such as happy, cross, shy and proud give children a starting point. Let the story sit with the feeling before asking what should happen next.
Use the page as an opening
Ask “Have you ever felt like this?” or simply point to a face and wait. There is no need to turn reading time into a test.
Return to the same book
Familiar stories become useful reference points. A child may understand a page weeks after the first reading and bring it back to a real moment.