Social Emotional Learning Books

Check out our 30 top picks for Social Emotional Learning Books. They are the perfect combo to go along with our Social Emotional Learning Visuals Pack!

If you ask me, social and emotional learning is even more important than a student’s ability to read, write, add or subtract. Why would I say this? Simply put, if a child is struggling socially or emotionally, it can hamper their engagement and motivation with learning. And when a student checks out, their desire to learn and grow isn’t there.

But I have good news! The opposite is also true. If a child is supported socially and emotionally, it can increase their engagement and motivation with learning. And that’s good to know because this is something you can have more control over in your classroom or at home.

You might also want to check out our Teaching Kids with Learning Differences Book List.

Social Emotional Learning Books

This list of social emotional learning books has what you need to lead into some great discussions over social emotional learning skills. It covers SEL skills such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. After each brief book description, you’ll find the SEL skills listed that are covered in the book.

*I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Click on the images of the books or the links below each one to find it on Amazon.

 

1. Pete the Cat books – For little ones, Pete the Cat is the perfect way to introduce how to always look at the bright side. My favorite books would be Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, Pete the Cat: I Love my White Shoes, and Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses. {self-awareness, self-management}

 

2. No SEL book list is complete without Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg. Ha! My younger kids really like this book and it has such a good message about seeing the beauty in mistakes. I do wish there was a paperback version as the hard copy is more like a board book. {self-awareness, self-management}

 

3. Not a Box & Not a Stick, both by Antoinette Portis are all about using your creativity to see things differently. It’s a great book to introduce younger children to perspective…that different people can have different point of views about things, even boxes and sticks. {social awareness}

 

4. My Friends Make me Happy by Jan Thomas – I love Jan Thomas’ books for beginning readers. This book is a great one for recognizing feelings, especially the mixed feelings friends can give you. {self-awareness, relationship skills}

 

5. Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae is another good book for younger kids about learning to dance to a tune of your own, even if it looks different from everyone else. I also love the rhyme and rhythm to the book. {self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills}

 

6. Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan {who happens to be Michael Jordan’s mom} is all about not letting hard things stop you from doing the best you can. {self-awareness, self-management}

 

7. You are Special by Max Lucado is definitely one of my all-time favorite books! It’s one of the tear-jerkers. Little Punchinello, who is a Wemmick wants more than anything to be liked by all the other Wemmicks in the town, but he’s not. He begins to believe this lie about himself until he meet Eli. {self-awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making}

 

8. Enemy Pie by Derek Munson is another one of those books I couldn’t do without. The main character in this book learns that it’s best to get rid of your enemies by being kind. It’s written in such a way that the authors shows this truth instead of telling it. {relationship skills, responsible decision-making}

 

9. Oliver Button is a Sissy by Tomie DePaola features a boy, Oliver, who loves to dance. At school, others call him a “sissy” because he doesn’t like to do things that boys typically like to do. But Oliver shows them his skills at a talent show and everything changes. {self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making}

10. Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman. Grace, who loves to act and use her imagination, is told by her classmates she can’t be Peter Pan because she’s a girl and she’s black. Grace begins to think this might be true, but her Nana helps her see that she can prove others wrong. {self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making}

 

 

11. Crow Boy by Tara Yashina makes me cry every time I read it aloud. For six long years this little boy was called “stupid” and treated badly all because he was different. I love the discussions this book can lead to. {self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making}

 

12. The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig is about a boy named Brian, who feels invisible as his classmates leave him out of conversations, games, and out of school activities. That is until a new boy, Justin, begins to appreciate the creative drawing talents Brian has. {self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills}

 

13. Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts. Jeremy wants so badly to fit in by owning a pair of the same shoes as everyone else. But his grandmother can’t afford them. He is finally able to find a pair but decides to give them away. {self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills}

 

14. Be Kind by Pat Z. Miller – For some kids, “be kind” is too abstract and they aren’t sure exactly what it means. This book gives lots of examples to what kindness looks like in all kinds of situations. I love it! {social awareness, relationship skills}

 

15. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio – Everyone knows Wonder by this author, but did you know she has a picture book for younger kids as well? With a simple message of seeing the wonder in everyone, no matter how different, this book can help you teach kids that different is good. {social awareness}

 

16. My Mouth is a Volcano! by Julia Cook – If you teach/have a child who struggles to interrupt {I do at home!}, this is the perfect book. It’s a little baby-ish, I must admit, but I think the message can still hit home. Julia Cook has several other books about self-management, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

 

17. Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon – It’s highly effective when you can take SEL skills and weave them right into your content areas. Writing is the perfect area to show kids that they can always learn new skills to improve their writing. {self-awareness, growth mindset}

18. More than Anything Else by Marie Bradby is the nine-year-old voice of Book T. Washington as he tells his story of wanting so badly to learn to read. Your struggling readers will definitely relate to his desire to read and be inspired to hear his full story! {self management, growth mindset}

19. A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon – This has been a well-loved book in our house. My daughter went through a phase in which we had to read this one every night. Its main message is to be yourself and don’t worry about what other people think, even if it means being the only one who eats lima beans. {relationship skills}

 

20. She Persisted by Chelsea Clinton – While advertised as a “feminist” book, I don’t see it that way. I see strong stories of historical women who had a “growth mindset.” These women are good examples for boys and girls. {self-awareness, growth mindset, self-management}

 

21. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles – Retelling a true story from history, this book sends a powerful message to kids of ALL ages! {social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making}

 

22. Ish by Peter H. Reynolds – Do you teach any learners who struggle with being perfect. So much so, that if they can’t get it perfect, they want to just quit. So did Ramon until his sister helped him see that “ish” was art, too. {self-awareness, growth mindset}

 

23. The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires – There really is no shortage of books with a growth mindset theme. But I think that kids need to hear this message over and over. It can be so tempting to quit before your learners create the most magnificent thing. {self-awareness, growth mindset, self-management}

 

24. Kevin Henkes books – Sometimes you find an author that seems to speak to the feelings and emotions of kids in every book they write. Kevin Henkes is this way. My favorites are Chrysanthemum {great to tie into a beginning of the year unit on names}, Wemberly Worried {another great one for the beginning of the year}, Lily’s Purple Plastic Purse, Chester’s Way, and Sheila Rea, the Brave. {self-awareness, self-management, relationship skills}

 

25. The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken – If there’s one thing many learners get worked up over, it’s drawing pictures. “But I don’t know how to draw that…” They often start with an “I can’t…” attitude. I love that this book addresses that by showing kids that they can create new things from mistakes. {self-awareness, growth mindset, self-management}

 

26. Ruby the Copycat by Peggy Rathmann has got to be one of my top favorite picture books of all time. I love the lessons it teaches about being yourself instead of trying to be like others just to fit in and be liked. {self-awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making}

27. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is a classic! I love the raw emotions portrayed by Alexander as well as the reality that life can be like this anywhere…even in Australia! {self-awareness, self management}

28. Mia Hamm: Winners Never Quit! by Mia Hamm – I love that this book is written by Mia Hamm herself. She shows in her book that hard work is more important than winning or losing. And hard work is…hard work. There are no shortcuts and easy buttons. {self-awareness, growth mindset}

29. Stuck by Oliver Jeffers – Your learners will enjoy a not-so-hum-drum book about never quitting! When Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree, he keeps working to get it out. Even when things look like they won’t work, he tries harder getting everything else stuck in the tree as well…even a whale! {self-awareness awareness}

30. Leon and Bob by Simon James is another favorite of mine. It can teach learners to understand the perspective of the new kid. What would it be like if you moved to new city and had no friends. I LOVE the surprising twist at the end, too. It reminds me of Kevin Henkes’ Jessica. {social awareness}

 

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