12 Picture Books to Help Teach Social & Emotional Learning Lessons
Using the Power of the Read-Aloud to Inspire Mindfulness and Social-Emotional Learning in Students and Teachers
As we all return to school this fall, the buzzwords of “social-emotional learning,” “SEL,” and “mindfulness” are swirling around faster than Starbucks is serving up Pumpkin Spice Lattes. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning otherwise known as CASEL is one of the main research institutes regarding SEL work for PreK-12 education. If you are unfamiliar with social-emotional learning, their website provides a great resource and graphic with the topic introduction including information on the competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. CASEL also offers an interactive online Guide to Schoolwide SEL that has more information. My district rolled out their plan for options to return to learning, and both options include a day dedicated to SEL lessons and learning. The district helped form a pacing guide, but I wanted to reach into my own teacher toolbox for some of the strategies and tools that I use to address social-emotional learning in my classroom. The main resource for SEL is the power of the read-aloud. I have written before on the blog about the power of the book talk, and the read-aloud stands right next to the book talk as a powerful tool to use in any classroom from elementary through high school. This post contains 12 book recommendations for read-alouds, some classroom routines to consider including my own goals with my own SEL work, and some links to further reading. My game plan is to use the power of the read-aloud to begin each social-emotional learning session.
12 Picture Book Recommendations
You will notice as your scroll through my recommendations that I love the series of books from Peter H. Reynolds and Susan Verde. I feel like these books are a great place to start if you don’t know where to begin to implement SEL work in your classroom. The whole series is mindfulness and self-care! I love looking at how other teachers incorporate these books into their rooms-whether they have a special place for kids to go when they are upset or prompts handy and ready for journaling if kids are working through something emotionally. The power of SEL work is absolutely necessary for kids, but also adults need these books, too. Finding ways to balance the work we are doing to help support teachers with their own social-emotional learning during this transition to online learning during a pandemic is just as important as the read-alouds and lessons we choose for our students.
Note: This is a Bookstore & Bookbug is my local indie-bookstore here in Kalamazoo, MI.
The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“With a simple, witty story and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark — and follow where it takes us. Her teacher smiled. "Just make a mark and see where it takes you." Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw - she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. "There!" she says. That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery. That special moment is the core of Peter H. Reynolds’s delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us.”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
The Many Colors of Harpreet Singh by Supriya Kelkar
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“Harpreet Singh has a different color for every mood and occasion, from pink for dancing to bhangra beats to red for courage. He especially takes care with his patka--his turban--smoothing it out and making sure it always matches his outfit. But when Harpreet's mom finds a new job in a snowy city and they have to move, all he wants is to be invisible. Will he ever feel a happy sunny yellow again?”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
Ish by Peter H. Reynolds
Amazon Book Description:
“Ramon loved to draw. Anytime. Anything. Anywhere. Drawing is what Ramon does. It is what makes him happy. But in one split second, all that changes. A single reckless remark by Ramon's older brother, Leon, turns Ramon's carefree sketches into joyless struggles. Luckily for Ramon, though, his little sister, Marisol, sees the world differently. She opens his eyes to something a lot more valuable than getting things just "right." Combining the spareness of fable with the potency of parable, Peter Reynolds shines a bright beam of light on the need to kindle and tend our creative flames with care.”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
The Invisible Boy by Patrice Barton
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“A simple act of kindness can transform an invisible boy into a friend... Meet Brian, the invisible boy. Nobody ever seems to notice him or think to include him in their group, game, or birthday party . . . until, that is, a new kid comes to class. When Justin, the new boy, arrives, Brian is the first to make him feel welcome. And when Brian and Justin team up to work on a class project together, Brian finds a way to shine. From esteemed author and speaker Trudy Ludwig and acclaimed illustrator Patrice Barton, this gentle story shows how small acts of kindness can help children feel included and allow them to flourish. Any parent, teacher, or counselor looking for material that sensitively addresses the needs of quieter children will find The Invisible Boy a valuable and important resource.”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“Discover the power of mindfulness in this board book edition from the bestselling team behind I Am Human and I Am Love! From #1 New York Times bestsellers Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds comes a gentle expression of mindfulness for the youngest readers, encouraging children to breathe, taste, smell, and be present in the here and now.”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and Vashti Harrison
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“Zuri's hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it's beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he'll do anything to make her -- and her hair -- happy. Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair -- and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere.”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don't own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn’t he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty—and fun—in their routine and the world around them. This energetic ride through a bustling city highlights the wonderful perspective only grandparent and grandchild can share, and comes to life through Matt de la Pena’s vibrant text and Christian Robinson’s radiant illustrations.”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
I Am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“Being human means we are full of possibility. We learn, we dream, we wonder at the world around us. But we also make mistakes and can feel fearful or sad. From the bestselling team that created I Am Yoga, I Am Peace, I Am Love, and I Am One comes a hopeful celebration of the human family. I Am Human affirms that we can make good choices by acting with compassion and having empathy for others and ourselves. When we find common ground, we can feel connected to the great world around us and mindfully strive to be our best selves.”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts and Noah Z. Jones
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“All Jeremy wants is a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. Though Jeremy’s grandma says they don’t have room for "want," just "need," when his old shoes fall apart at school, he is more determined than ever to have those shoes, even a thrift-shop pair that are much too small. But sore feet aren’t much fun, and Jeremy soon sees that the things he has — warm boots, a loving grandma, and the chance to help a friend — are worth more than the things he wants”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
I Am Love: A Book of Compassion by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“Love means showing kindness, living with gratitude, and taking care of our minds and bodies. Letting our hearts lead the way can help move us closer to a better world. From the bestselling team that created I Am Yoga, I Am Peace, I Am Human, and I Am One comes a celebration of love in all its forms. Grounded in mindfulness and wellness, I Am Love asks readers to look inward when they feel afraid, angry, hurt, or sad. When a storm is brewing inside us and the skies grow dark, the transformative power of love lets the light back in.”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
A Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart by Zetta Elliott and Noa Denmon
This is a Bookstore and Bookbug Book Description:
“In this powerful, affirming poem by award-winning author Zetta Elliott, a Black child explores his shifting emotions throughout the year. There is a place inside of me a space deep down inside of me where all my feelings hide. Summertime is filled with joy—skateboarding and playing basketball—until his community is deeply wounded by a police shooting. As fall turns to winter and then spring, fear grows into anger, then pride and peace. In her stunning debut, illustrator Noa Denmon articulates the depth and nuances of a child’s experiences following a police shooting—through grief and protests, healing and community—with washes of color as vibrant as his words. Here is a groundbreaking narrative that can help all readers—children and adults alike—talk about the feelings hiding deep inside each of us.”
Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds
This is a Bookstore & Bookbug Book Description:
“The world needs your voice. If you have a brilliant idea... say something! If you see an injustice... say something! In this empowering new picture book, beloved author Peter H. Reynolds explores the many ways that a single voice can make a difference. Each of us, each and every day, have the chance to say something: with our actions, our words, and our voices. Perfect for kid activists everywhere, this timely story reminds readers of the undeniable importance and power of their voice. There are so many ways to tell the world who you are... what you are thinking... and what you believe. And how you'll make it better. The time is now: SAY SOMETHING!”
YOUTUBE READ ALOUD VIDEO
Classroom Routines
CLASSROOM ROUTINE #1: MIND YOUR OWN MINDFULNESS
If you walk through all of the SEL competencies, it is easy to see how many of these strategies will need to work for our students. However, I am making sure that as I enter the fall that I am trying to work on my own social-emotional learning strategies as a teacher first before I tackle the work I need to do with my students. Here are some things I am trying with all of the competencies:
Self-Awareness: I am actively journaling about stress levels and emotions that correspond to the transitions in this time period. I am also trying to focus on the positive areas of growth that are coming out of moving everything online. For example, I am pretty sure I will forever do my syllabus differently as I have moved from a paper handout to a digital notebook presentation. I also love the idea of recording videos to help students review material.
Self-Management: I am using my journal to keep track of time spent on work. I read Pernille Ripp’s letter that she wrote to other classroom teachers, and I found myself nodding along the whole time. We are all currently buried under never-ending to-do lists. We are so overwhelmed and grieving regular routines. Just thinking about my classroom not setup makes me itchy and annoyed. However, I am dedicated, like others, to stop working at a certain time, to try to remain diligent in my own physical and mental health, and empowered by life outside of teaching as well. While teacher is what defines many of us, it is the time spent away from Google Meets and Zoom calls that also has the power to shape who we are.
Social Awareness: I am remaining adamant that the work we are doing with Cultural Responsiveness and the work we are doing as antiracist teachers remains at the top of our agendas. I can’t pause or get comfortable because online learning is difficult. The work has always been difficult. However, the books I choose, the strategies I employ, and the community I build in my classroom-in person or online-are reflective of the dedication I have to make my classroom a better place for all people. This could be hopping on the Google Meet a little earlier to chat with students or making sure I try to touch base with all of my families. These are daunting and hard tasks to think about, but the work is necessary in order to keep making progress.
Relationship Skills: I have posted about staff relationship-building a few times as I sat through back-to-school training and co-led my own session on the new curriculum. While it is not my responsibility to be the beacon of light in all conversations and to uplift others, I do find it necessary to check-in on my colleagues in a positive way and check the number of complaints I have at the door. It might be easy to say that this whole thing of going back online is terrible in every way. it’s not great. There was a day during the training week where I just sat and cried because I was overwhelmed with the rollout of misinformation and miscommunication. I’m human. We all are. However, the power in SEL work with relationships at a staff level is that we have the power to uplift each other as well.
Responsible Decision-Making: I want to start identifying problems with my online learning environment and start tackling them one at a time. I am a person who wakes up with ideas and wants to solve all of the problems of the world. The problem with that is that by 10 am I am burned out and I often can’t continue on with my intentions. I am going to choose one problem to solve at a time each week. Next week, the second week of school, it is going to be reaching out to students I have seen not show up to Google Meets or participate in class. I want to maintain the power of community-building and show them that I care. Will this problem likely go away in the next 12 weeks of online learning? No. But, I am going to reevaluate where I am at the end of each week and make a decision to problem-solve from there.
CLASSROOM ROUTINE #2: MAKE TIME FOR MINDFULNESS AND SEL WORK-EVEN IF IT FEELS AWKWARD
My student teacher cadet taught me this one last year. SEL work feels weird. Mindfulness seems odd. Why? As people we aren’t used to tending to our feelings, therefore, when we tend to our feelings it goes against our nature. Sometimes taking time to breathe, meditate, or write about our feelings goes against what our body and mind want us to do. For example, I had a student that interrupted the read-aloud last week to ask, “Do I have to stay for this part? It seems like we are done.” My response? I want you to hear the story. We are going to have some great conversation after this is over. My priority will be to show that SEL strategies are just as important as my English classroom curriculum content.
CLASSROOM ROUTINE #3: PRACTICE SELF-REFLECTION
Because I am reworking all of my grading for online learning and in the future, self-reflection is now a huge part of a classroom and in my conversations with students about progress in class. I have always had these conversations, but now reflection is happening on purpose. I am making digital reflection notebooks for students to reflect on their chosen learning goals for the marking period. I want to talk to kids about what they want to learn more often. I want to provide examples so they can see that everyone should be engaging in this type of reflection instead of robot-learning that involves the dissemination of information.
CLASSROOM ROUTINE #4: BUILD COMMUNITY AND RECOGNIZE INDIVIDUALITY
One of my goals for the fall is to try to consistently come back to getting to know my students even though they are far away and on screens. I had a dream (or teacher nightmare) that we returned to the classrooms and I had students walk into my room and I didn’t know their names. How easy will it be to log in and log out of online sessions? I want to make sure that I know my students. I start with a family assignment and Flipgrid introduction activity that shows me who they are at first, but I have to keep this work going week in and out. Part of my lesson planning will be to consistently add community building to all of my lessons.
Further Reading
The Power of Student Journaling (No Matter Where You Are) by Stephanie Hampton from Writing Mindset
Want to Shift Your Mindset When You Hate Remote Learning? Here’s How. by Stephanie Hampton from Writing Mindset
“50 Must-Have Picture Books to Teach Social Emotional Skills” by Kimberly Moran from We Are Teachers
21 Simple Ways to Integrate Social-Emotional Learning Throughout the Day by Elizabeth Mulvahill from We Are Teachers
“Social-Emotional Learning: Not Just for Kids” by Wendy Turner from Cult of Pedagogy
“Why Social and Emotional Learning Is Essential for Students” by Roger Weissburg from Edutopia
“Social and Emotional Learning” Homepage on Edutopia
