The best mental health books for kids

(£12.49, Daddilife Books)

We all want our children to be resilient and confident, but it can be tricky to know how to instil these valuable qualities from a young age. This is where The Growth Mindset Workbook comes in. It combines reading with activity, which will ultimately embed a lesson into your little one's mind more than simply listening to instructions. This book is full of fun, confidence building activities that encourage children to consider what they're good at and reframe their perspective on what they're 'bad at' so that they have a strong, positive outlook on the world and on their capabilities. 

(£9.99, Hachette Children's Group)

'Being shy is not a failure. And being quiet is not a weakness.' Find out why some people are shy, and why it's not such a bad thing. You'll discover that half of all adults (including many celebrities) consider themselves shy, and you'll delve into the hows and whys in this charming and wonderfully illustrated book by Ben Brooks, author of the Dare to be Different titles. His open and honest reflections about his own experiences with self doubt and social anxiety offer a relatable narrative that young people can easily access and understand. It's a positive message with a sympathetic voice that will help both adults and children understand, accept, and maybe even embrace, the complicated elements of 'shyness'. 

(£6.99, Orchard)
 
A lovely rhyming picture book for the early years, The Worrysaurus helps young children identify and overcome their worries through the story of an anxious little dinosaur, who plans a picnic but then starts to fret about everything that could go wrong. It will help your child understand not just the emotions involved in worrying, but also the physical sensations (‘his knees – they turned to jelly’). It introduces very simple coping strategies, too, such as talking to a parent and holding comforting objects: ideas they can draw on now and in the future.

(£6.99, Hachette Children’s)
 
Jenny has always been happy, but suddenly she’s started to worry about everything: her body, her schoolwork, playground gossip, even wars and bombs. The result: a huge bag of worry monsters that weighs her down everywhere she goes (even to the toilet!). The bestselling book helps young children understand anxiety and how to cope with it, as Jenny discovers ways to offload her bag of worries and feel lighter and brighter. With charming illustrations and a simple message, The Huge Bag of Worries is a gentle introduction to mental health that will help children understand and cope with the things that make them stressed.

(£10.99, Featherstone)
 
Children often struggle to make sense of their emotions, recognise how they feel and understand how to deal with their feelings. How are you Feeling Today? is a practical guide to emotional literacy, beginning with a really helpful index system: ‘If you are feeling happy, turn to page 6… If you are feeling sad, turn to page 18,’ and so on. When your child flips to the relevant page, they’ll find lots of suggestions to help them process what they’re feeling, ranging from distraction techniques to mindfulness exercises and more. This book is perfect for keeping on the bookshelf and coming back to again and again as your child learns to navigate the big feelings they’ll encounter throughout childhood.

(£6.99, Upside Down Books)
 
In this rhyming picture book, a little rabbit makes plans for all the things she’ll try to be the next day: adventurous, strong, creative, smart and more. The bold illustrations are colourful and captivating, and the book gives children examples of how they can be their best self, for example by learning new things and thinking before they act. Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave encourages positivity and self-belief – two of the foundations of good mental health – but also helps children understand that it’s okay to try, fail and try again.

(£6.99, Hodder Children’s Books)
 
Former Great British Bake-Off winner Nadiya has spoken openly about her struggles with panic disorder, and in My Monster and Me she addresses the issue of childhood anxiety in the form of a monster who follows a young boy everywhere he goes and gets in the way of him playing with his toys and going out with friends. It’s only when the boy talks to his gran about his worries that the monster shrinks to pocket-size: not going away completely, but becoming more manageable.