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Best Books for Kids » Happiness & Mental Health

Browse book recommendations:

Best Books for Kids

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Children’s mental health and happiness is an area of widespread concern.  In a hyper-connected world, children are having to grow up quickly and are being exposed to all sorts of pressures and subject to all sorts of anxieties that were completely alien to their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.  Here we have a range of interviews that address these issues head on.  Author Chitra Soundar chooses her best books to help children overcome anxiety.   Psychologist Vanessa King chooses hers on happiness for children, while Ray Earl, author of My Mad Fat Diary, chooses her best books on teenager mental health.

Beyond any advice or analysis these books on mental health offer, getting offline and starting to read books is probably a good place to start reducing one’s anxiety and becoming a happier human being.

    The Best Books on Gratitude for Kids, recommended by Dana Sheridan

  • Read
    The Best Books on Gratitude for Kids - Gracias/Thanks Pat Mora, illustrated by John Parra

    1

    Gracias/Thanks
    Pat Mora, illustrated by John Parra

  • Read
    The Best Books on Gratitude for Kids - The Thank You Book by Mo Willems

    2

    The Thank You Book
    by Mo Willems

  • Read
    The Best Books on Gratitude for Kids - Bear Says Thanks by Jane Chapman & Karma Wilson

    3

    Bear Says Thanks
    by Jane Chapman & Karma Wilson

  • Read
    The Best Books on Gratitude for Kids - All the World Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee

    4

    All the World
    Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee

  • Read
    The Best Books on Gratitude for Kids - Plant a Kiss Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Peter H Reynolds

    5

    Plant a Kiss
    Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Peter H Reynolds

The Best Books on Gratitude for Kids, recommended by Dana Sheridan

What should you read with your kids on Thanksgiving? Dana Sheridan of Princeton University Library’s Cotsen Children’s Library recommends five children’s books with themes of love, gratitude, belonging and sharing with one another—what the holiday is all about.

    Books To Help Children Overcome Anxiety, recommended by Chitra Soundar

  • Read
    Books To Help Children Overcome Anxiety - Ruby's Worry by Tom Percival

    1

    Ruby's Worry
    by Tom Percival

  • Read
    Books To Help Children Overcome Anxiety - My Many Coloured Days by Dr Seuss

    2

    My Many Coloured Days
    by Dr Seuss

  • Read
    Books To Help Children Overcome Anxiety - There's Room For Everyone by Anahita Teymorian

    3

    There's Room For Everyone
    by Anahita Teymorian

  • Read
    Books To Help Children Overcome Anxiety - Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

    4

    Llama Llama Red Pajama
    by Anna Dewdney

  • Read
    Books To Help Children Overcome Anxiety - Sweep by Louise Greig

    5

    Sweep
    by Louise Greig

Books To Help Children Overcome Anxiety, recommended by Chitra Soundar

As young children grow, finding a vocabulary for their worries and anxiety is often difficult. Children’s author Chitra Soundar recommends five books that help children process their emotions and use fiction as a tool for talking about anxiety.

    The best books on Happiness for Children, recommended by Vanessa King

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness for Children - Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom: A Practical Guide to Teaching Happiness by Adrian Bethune

    1

    Wellbeing in the Primary Classroom: A Practical Guide to Teaching Happiness
    by Adrian Bethune

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness for Children - The Strength Switch by Dr Lea Waters

    2

    The Strength Switch
    by Dr Lea Waters

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness for Children - War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

    3

    War Horse
    by Michael Morpurgo

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness for Children - Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

    4

    Pippi Longstocking
    by Astrid Lindgren

  • Read
    The best books on Happiness for Children - Do Nice, Be Kind, Spread Happy: Acts of Kindness for Kids by Bernadette Russell

    5

    Do Nice, Be Kind, Spread Happy: Acts of Kindness for Kids
    by Bernadette Russell

The best books on Happiness for Children, recommended by Vanessa King

What is happiness? Why does happiness matter? Vanessa King, lead psychologist at the charity/non-profit Action for Happiness, discusses how developing ours and our children’s happiness skills can have benefits for our own lives and for society as a whole.

    The best books on Teenage Mental Health, recommended by Rae Earl

  • Read
    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

    1

    The Catcher in the Rye
    by J D Salinger

  • Read
    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

    2

    Girl Interrupted
    by Susanna Kaysen

  • Read
    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

    3

    The Perks of Being a Wallflower
    by Stephen Chbosky

  • Read
    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - It's a Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

    4

    It's a Kind of a Funny Story
    by Ned Vizzini

  • Read
    The best books on Teenage Mental Health - The Kenneth Williams Diaries by Russell Davies

    5

    The Kenneth Williams Diaries
    by Russell Davies

The best books on Teenage Mental Health, recommended by Rae Earl

Every generation has its own minefield to negotiate in order to reach adulthood. Rae Earl discusses five books that explore a range of mental health issues that some teenagers may face, and many adults have faced, while on this difficult journey.

About

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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