Books to Share When News is Hard

Discover books to help process hard feelings, strengthen connection, and cultivate hope. 

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de la Peña, Matt, author.

Illustrations and easy-to-read text celebrate the bonds of love that connect us all.

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Doerrfeld, Cori, author, illustrator.

"When Taylor's block castle is destroyed, all the animals think they know just what to do, but only the rabbit quietly listens to how Taylor is feeling"-- Provided by publisher.

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Leannah, Michael, 1957- author.

Looks at the goodness of most people, pointing out how many more people there are in the world who would like to help others than would like to hurt them, and even most of those who do bad things can change.

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Lehrhaupt, Adam

Lily has a hole. It eats her joy, makes her angry, and--no matter what Daddy does to try to help--it just keeps growing. So Lily retreats. But a friend lets her in on a secret (he has a hole too!) and shows her the best way to repair holes: spend time on friends, family, the things you love, yourself, and kindness. Those patches don't make the hole go away, but they help. A lyrical and age-appropriate story for learning to cope with grief and loss.

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Natterson, Cara, 1970-

You're growing up--and so are your feelings and emotions. As you enter puberty, not only is your body changing, but so are your emotions. You might feel your emotions more strongly or have new feelings you don't know how to talk about. From the author of the bestselling Guy Stuff: The Body Book for Boys, this book will help you learn to identify all the feelings you have, from anger to sadness to embarrassment to happiness. Then use the tips inside for managing and expressing your emotions in positive ways.

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Nelson, Kadir, author, illustrator.

While planting seeds in their garden, two animals learn the value of kindness.

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Penfold, Alexandra, author.

"A group of kids express a multitude of feelings and discover they are not alone"-- Provided by publisher.

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Reul, Sarah Lynne, author.

When devastating news rattles a young girl's community, her normally attentive parents and neighbors are suddenly exhausted and distracted. At school, her teacher tells the class to look for the helpers-the good people working to make things better in big and small ways. She wants more than anything to help in a BIG way, but maybe she can start with one small act of kindness instead ... and then another, and another. Small things can compound, after all, to make a world of difference. Both timely and timeless, this charmingly illustrated debut picture book from Sarah Lynne Reul touches on themes of community, resilience, and optimism with an authenticity that will resonate with readers young and old.

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Santat, Dan, author, illustrator.

After falling off the wall, Humpty Dumpty is very afraid of climbing up again, but is determined not to let fear stop him from being close to the birds.

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Teckentrup, Britta, author, illustrator.

"The heroine of this beautifully illustrated story feels her anger like a storm in a dark forest. It sweeps her away, and she thunders and howls. She pours down her emotions like sheets of rain; rage surges like a wind whipping angry waves. Her anger takes her on a wild ride. Appropriate for a wide variety of ages, this book illustrates many aspects of anger that are often hard to articulate -- how overwhelming it is, how isolating, even scary. But it also shows anger to be a source of power and an agent for change. Teckentrup's impactful, boldly colored paintings skillfully evoke the way intense anger can take us on an emotional journey, one that can be both exhausting and affirming. This beautiful tribute to one girl's experience of anger offers readers the opportunity to make sense of, and talk about their own feelings of rage in a time when that kind of understanding is more important than ever."--Provided by publisher.

Summaries provided by DPL's catalog unless otherwise noted. Click on each title to view more information.

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