12 Picture Books to Strengthen Your Child’s Social Skills
Talking about anger and frustration
It’s genuinely hard to be a kid: The world is a confusing place, someone else is always telling you what to do and you have a lot of super intense feelings you don’t understand. Plus, your mom is always giving you the blue cup when you really, really, really want the red one.
For kids prone to angst, keeping these books in constant rotation — while encouraging your child to identify their big emotions and ask for appropriate help — can ease those growing pains.
“You Get What You Get” by Julie Gassman
Melvin learns to control his temper and just let it go when things don’t go exactly his way. A must-read for kids struggling with life’s everyday disappointments, this book is a twist on the old adage, “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit!”
“Even Superheroes Have Bad Days” by Shelly Becker
If mighty superheroes can have bad days, so can kids. But this book teaches readers that while there are plenty of not-so-great ways to cope with a bad day (such as literally destroying the world in an epic temper tantrum), there are also plenty of better ways to cope, such as letting yourself feel mad or sad for a while before trying again.
Editor's note: The article was published in 2018 and has been updated in 2021.
