Depression, anxiety, grief – they’re feelings we hope the children in our lives will never have to experience, but the reality is that we can’t always shield them from these things. A thoughtful book can help kids make sense of dark times by framing their emotions in a way they can process, and can go some way in preventing children from feeling overwhelmed.

Here is a list of great picture books to help kids with tough feelings.

Underwater Fancy Dress Parade by Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys

There’s a fancy dress parade at school, which is making Alfie feel quite nervous. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t get rid of that awful feeling whenever he thinks about participating. What can Alfie do?

This is an affirming book for children who find that some things make them anxious. The story gently demonstrates that it’s okay to feel vulnerable sometimes.

Brave as Can Be by Jo Witek and Christine Roussey

Sometimes things can be very scary, but as a girl’s big sister teaches her – there are always ways we can help ourselves to feel brave.

This is a beautifully presented book that invites kids to open up about their own fears, and start thinking about ways in which they can overcome them.

The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside and Frank Rodgers

Jenny’s worries follow her around in a big blue bag. No matter where she goes, they’re there waiting for her… Until Jenny decides to do something about it.

This is the classic go-to book for children who are feeling worried. Virginia Ironside and Frank Rodgers help kids to examine their own worries by looking at them as though they are tangible objects.

Tough Guys Have Feelings Too by Keith Negley

This is a fun book with bright, bold illustrations that drives home the message that everybody has feelings – even ninjas and superheroes and wrestlers!

This is a heartwarming book for families to read together. The final page sees a father and son snuggled up in bed, reading the book together.

The Red Tree by Shaun Tan

A girl wakes up and announces she has nothing to look forward to. Her bad feelings are a constant presence she can’t seem to shake… Until a tiny red seed starts to fill her with hope.

Sadness is something that affects all of us at times, but this exquisitely illustrated picture book sends the message that it’s always important to be open to hope.

The Great Big Book of Feelings by Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith

How are you feeling today? Are you sad? Happy? Angry? Silly?

This book is a great way to get kids to open up about their feelings and to help educate them in emotional literacy by presenting a series of colourful spreads that show a range of children and lots of different emotions.

The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers

Oliver Jeffers’ picture books are often funny and irreverent, but The Heart and the Bottle deals with a weightier subject. After a young girl loses her father, she decides to lock her heart away forever. But in doing so, she realises that world seems emptier.

This book has an incredibly important message for readers, young and old, about why it’s never a good idea to bottle your feelings away.

Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between by Bryan Mellonie and Robert Ingpen

Explaining death to a child can be one of the hardest things of all, especially after the loss of somebody they care about. Many picture books are too specific, focusing on lost pets or particular relatives, and the message may not always translate to their particular situation.

Beginnings and Endings with Lifetimes in Between is a book that talks in general terms about how there is a beginning and ending to all living things, and it does so in a life-affirming fashion that will help kids start to process their grief without causing them unnecessary anxiety.

Holly Harper