These stories touch on many challenges and new experiences a child may face. Use them as conversation starters to talk about your child’s feelings.
Pink is for Boys by Robb Pearlman (Preschool)
Turning the gender binary on its head, this book invites and encourages both boys and girls to wear the colors they want and to enjoy the things they love, whether that’s dressing up, playing baseball, racing cars, or pretending that you’re flying on the back of a beautiful purple unicorn. ▸ Get it at the Library
Before I Leave by Jessica Bailey (Preschool)
It’s very hard on children when friends move away. In this story, two best friends play together one last time before one of them moves away with their family. Even though things are changing, the two friends will stay connected, because distance doesn’t matter when it’s a true friend. This is a great option to use to explain the concept of moving, saying goodbye, and the feelings that may come with it. ▸ Get it at the Library
I am So Brave! by Stephen Krensky (Toddler)
A lovely combination of color and texture, this book shows us a square, a perfect square. It has four sides and four corners and it’s perfectly happy… until someone cuts little pieces out of it. But the square rises to the challenges presented and finds a way to happiness again. ▸ Get it at the Library
Living with Mom and Living with Dad by Melanie Walsh (Preschool)
This gorgeously illustrated picture book about a young mermaid is a modern day fable about what it means to be patient and that even the smallest actions we take can have far-reaching consequences. Grownups, take a close look at those illustrations. If you look hard, you might find little mermaids in places that you didn’t notice were there before. This book is destined to become a favorite! ▸ Get it at the Library
These resources were recommended by Samantha Blanquart, an Early Literacy Outreach Librarian with Ready to Read Resource Center. Visit their website for more info about early literacy or to check out one of their reading kits for young children.
Imagination Library Picks:
Pouch by David Ezra Stein (Toddler)
A young joey wants to go exploring the world, but is he really ready to leave the safety of Mama’s pouch? Anxiety is a part of every child’s life, but with the comfort and support of a trusted adult, little ones will grow up to become resilient adventurers someday. ▸ Get it at the Library
The Ring Bearer by Floyd Cooper (Preschool)
Jackson’s mama is getting married, and he gets to be the ring bearer. But Jackson is worried . . . What if he trips? Or walks too slowly? Or drops the rings? And what about his new stepsister, Sophie? She’s supposed to be the flower girl, but Jackson’s not sure she’s taking her job as seriously as she should. ▸ Get it at the Library
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell (Preschool)
Be yourself like Molly Lou Melon no matter what a bully may do. Molly Lou Melon is short and clumsy, has buck teeth, and has a voice that sounds like a bullfrog being squeezed by a boa constrictor. She doesn’t mind. Her grandmother has always told her to walk proud, smile big, and sing loud, and she takes that advice to heart. ▸ Get it at the Library
Pup and Bear by Kate Banks (Toddler, Preschool)
You are not my mother, said the wolf pup. I am not your mother, said the polar bear, but I can cuddle you and keep you safe. During the ice melt that follows an Arctic winter, a wolf cub finds himself spinning out to sea on a sheet of ice. He awakes lost and alone to an unfamiliar smell: a polar bear. And while the polar bear is not the wolf’s mother, she takes him on her back to her den, where she feeds him, keeps him warm, and does everything a mother would do. Time passes, the cub grows into a wolf, and soon it’s time for him to venture out into the wide world alone. Years later, the now grown wolf comes upon a tiny lost polar bear cub–and the cycle begins again. ▸ Get it at the Library
The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld (Toddler, Preschool)
Many other animals leap to the rescue, asking the child to talk about what happened, to shout about it, to remember, or even to knock down someone else’s tower to feel better. But finally the rabbit comes and sits silently, waiting, listening, letting the child decide what to do. This book helps young ones deal with traumatic events and loss in a soothing, child-friendly way. ▸ Get it at the Library
