Reading to my kids is a huge part of my parenting. Books lead to great conversations and are a much better investment of my time, money, and space than toys. Our house is chock full of books. As a result, my kids gravitate towards books and storytelling. They absolutely love it when someone reads to them.
Despite the sheer volume of books filling up each room of our home, I have been careful and selective when it comes to curating my children’s library. The stories we read should serve a purpose. They don’t have to teach an explicit lesson but have some redeeming qualities to engage us in dialogue.
One invaluable use I’ve found for books is that they can help us identify and talk about our feelings and the feelings of others. Someone recently told me that humans, including children, can’t process emotions they can’t name or describe. And if you can’t process your own emotions, you’ll unlikely be able to connect and empathize with other people’s feelings.
As a parent, I feel it’s incredibly important to give my kids the tools to work through their feelings through language, mindfulness, and whatever coping skills I can teach them.
Anytime we read as a family, we model empathy and connect with the characters on an emotional level. You can practice this with any story, but I’ve found that a few books in our library serve as touchstones for our discussions about feelings.
Kindness Makes Me Stronger by Elizabeth Cole—This book teaches us how our actions impact others and how they empower us to become leaders.
Happy Hippo, Angry Duck by Sandra Boynton – Arguably my baby girl’s favorite book, this rhyming tale inquires about our moods with humor and clarity.
In My Heart by Jo Witeck – My son loves the heart cutouts in this “book of feelings.” We like asking our kids to show us each emotion the narrator describes.
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon is a beautiful classic. This story calls upon the connections that bind families, communities, and people at large.
Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud—This story explains, through a bucket metaphor, that kindness and compassion make everyone feel good. It is a great story to read with preschoolers.
