Children’s books about mental health

A child’s early years are a crucial time for emotional development, laying the foundation for how they understand and express their feelings throughout life. At Grandir UK, we’re passionate about creating nurturing environments where children feel safe to explore their emotions through play, touch, conversation and meaningful activities, including the powerful act of reading together.

In this blog, we’re sharing some of our favourite children’s books about mental health – perfect for babies, toddlers and preschoolers navigating their first emotions.

Whether you’re having some one-on-one bonding time with your child at home, or your child is independent reading, these books can be wonderful tools for helping children understand, express and manage their emotions, no matter how big or small they are.

Ruby’s Worry – Tom Percival

This story follows a little girl called Ruby, who is a particularly happy and confident child with good self-esteem, until she faces her first worry. She tries to ignore it, but the worry begins to grow. Ruby doesn’t know what to do until she learns that talking about her feelings with others can make all the difference.

This beautifully illustrated story demonstrates the power of opening up to others when you feel anxious or overwhelmed, encouraging children to name their feelings and reassuring them that worries are normal and manageable when shared.

How Do You Feel? – Lizzy Rockwell

Written with input from a child psychologist, ‘How Do You Feel?’ is a comprehensive book that introduces a wide range of different emotions to young readers – from happy and sad feelings to anger and everything in between. This book uses engaging, relatable characters that help children understand and express how they feel.

Interactive prompts, reassuring language and thoughtful questions throughout the book encourage children to pause, reflect, and explore their own emotions, supporting the development of emotional awareness and vocabulary in a calm and reassuring way.

Michael Rosen’s Sad Book- Michael Rosen

Although a children’s book, this non-fiction moving story has been deeply resonating with adults too since its release in 2004. Illustrated by Quentin Blake, the book focuses on a father and his emotions surrounding losing his son. It acknowledges that sadness is not always avoidable or reasonable and perfects the art of making complicated feelings plain.

Sometimes I Feel – Sarah Maycock

As children and adults, there is a range of emotions we can feel, both big and small. ‘Sometimes I Feel’ with stunning illustrations and simple language, uses animals as metaphors, introducing a wide spectrum of emotions. It gently shows that even a tiger can feel small sometimes, and even a mouse can find the courage to stand tall.

This thought-provoking picture book is great for children and young people managing their emotions, helping them recognise that it’s normal to experience different feelings at different times. Its poetic tone and powerful visuals make it a comforting and relatable read for children learning to understand their inner world.

The Invisible String – Patrice Karst (bestselling author)

Loss is a part of life which can be hard to come to terms with, and it can bring a lot of negative thoughts. The Invisible String by bestselling author Patrice Karst is a heart-warming, relatable story which helps children deal with all types of separation – from big emotions like grief and anxiety to loneliness and everyday moments of being apart. This book reassures grieving children that the people they love are always connected to them, even when they’re apart. Children affected by the emotions that come with loss should find some reassurance and comfort in this lovely book.

The Colour Monster – Anna Llenas

One of the most well-known children’s books about mental health, The Colour Monster, uses colour to help children recognise and understand their feelings. It’s also one of the books we use in our Grandir UK nurseries to support emotional development.

“We use The Colour Monster to support children with understanding their emotions,” says James, Nursery Manager at Kiddi Caru Day Nursery and Preschool Abington Grove. “We have numerous puppets and books in our calm area and use these along with our own personal experiences and examples to help the children understand it’s normal to feel these things and to help guide them in how to regulate when they are feeling this way. For example, if I’m hungry, it makes me feel red (angry). If I feel this way, I make myself some food or ask for help, and this makes me feel much better.”

By using relatable stories, real-life examples and visual tools like puppets, our practitioners give children a practical guide to make important connections between feelings, behaviours, and self-regulation.

Why children’s mental health matters

According to the Mental Health Survey for Children and Young People in 2020, one in six children aged 5 to 16 years old were identified as having a probable mental health problem, and this figure is climbing every year. This is why it’s crucial to talk about emotions, struggles and common challenges openly, offering support to children from a young age. If you’re on the flip side, and a young person comes to you seeking support, whether it’s about emotional and learning challenges, family problems or something else, it’s not always about offering practical advice; sometimes people just need a shoulder to lean on and to be listened to.

How we support

At Grandir UK, we support children’s overall well-being in every way we can. This includes creating nurturing nursery environments where children feel safe to express themselves, explore their feelings, and build resilience through play, conversation, and trusted relationships. Our practitioners are trained to recognise emotional needs and provide gentle guidance that fosters confidence, self-acceptance and emotional growth. By supporting children’s mental health early on, we help lay the foundation for happier, healthier futures because every child deserves to feel seen, heard, and connected.

Join the conversation

If your child has a favourite book related to mental health that helps them feel calm, brave and understood, we’d love to hear from you! Tag us on social media or email [email protected] with a photo and a few words about why your child loves their book. Your recommendation might be featured in a future blog!