Happy Social-Emotional Learning Day (or SEL Day)! You may be wondering what this day is all about. In a nutshell, SEL Day is about promoting, advocating and supporting social-emotional learning in school and communities around the world.
What’s social-emotional learning?
Glad you asked! Social-emotional learning is how kids develop self-awareness, self-control and interpersonal skills that will help them become kinder, more resilient and successful in life. Whether it’s understanding and managing their own emotions, feeling and showing empathy for others or achieving positive goals.
All of the books on this list are designed to foster this type of learning, with picks for every grade. Check them out below!
Preschool
No Hugs!
By: Deirdre Prischmann
Illustrated by: Sarah Jennings
Alice loves hugs. She even hugs teddy bears and blankets, and cats and dogs! So she doesn’t get why her friend Alice doesn’t want one.
When the tables are turned, Alice understands her friend’s perspective and realizes that hugs aren’t always for everyone.
Kindergarten
A Box of Butterflies
By: Jo Rooks
Illustrated by: Jo Rooks
When Ruby asks Robot if he loves a story that she enjoys, he responds that he doesn’t know what love is. Robots, after all, don’t have or understand feelings. So Ruby describes her emotions to Robot, and when she feels them. For instance, “love feels like a box of butterflies!”
With vibrant metaphors and illustrations, this adorable picture book shows young readers how to identify their own emotions, from love and worry, to jealousy and anger.
1st Grade
Madeline Finn and the Library Dog
By: Lisa Papp
Madeline Finn does not like to read. Not books. Not magazines. Not even the menu on the ice cream truck. But she really wants a gold star from her teacher, even if it means a trip to the library. That’s when she meets Bonnie the library dog and finds she kinda likes reading to her. Bonnie doesn’t mind when she gets stuck, or judge if she makes a mistake.
With endearing illustrations and heartwarming narrative, award-winner Lisa Papp shows new readers it’s okay to go slow, and to never stop trying.
2nd Grade
Scaredy Squirrel
By: Mélanie Watt
Illustrated by: Mélaine Watt
Scaredy Squirrel never leaves his nut tree. He’s safe there. He’s got bandaids, hand sanitizer and even a parachute. But out there, there could be tarantulas, or green Martians, or killer bees … or worse! One day, Scaredy’s worst nightmare comes true and he finds himself out of his tree, where germs, poison ivy and sharks lurk. He could be doomed! But maybe, he’ll find out that the scary unknown isn’t so bad after all.
3rd Grade
A Boy Called Bat
By: Elana K. Arnold
Illustrated by: Charles Santoso
Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat) just got a fun surprise. His mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk. From the moment they meet, they’re instant pals, and he has just one month to convince his mom to let him keep his new pet before they have to release the kit back into the wild.
This is the first in a funny, heartfelt chapter book series about a boy on the autism spectrum.
4th Grade
The Boy Who Grew Flowers
By: Jen Wojtowicz
Illustrated by: Steve Adams
Rink is a very unusual boy. Whenever there’s a full moon, he sprouts flowers all over his body, the “prettiest, sweetest-smelling and longest-lasting blossoms you ever saw. Even though no one knows his secret, he and his odd family are treated like outcasts in town and at school.
He keeps mostly to himself until a new girl arrives at school with a unique secret of her own.
5th Grade
Rise Up: Ordinary Kids With Extraordinary Stories
By: Amanda Li
Illustrated by: Amy Blackwell
This inspiring nonfiction book features 29 tales of kids achieving extraordinary things, from surviving a shark attack to overcoming bullying through ingenuity, courage and commitment.
Stories include recognizable figures like Greta Thunberg, whose youth climate activism sparked a global movement, and Pakistan’s Ayesha Farooq, who became Pakistan’s first female fighter pilot at age 25.
Each story includes practical tips to empower your little reader to rise to any challenge.
6th Grade
Hello, Universe
By: Erin Entrada Kelly
Illustrated by: Isabel Roxas
Told from the point of view of four kids, this sweet and funny neighborhood adventure is all about friendship, bravery and finding your inner bayani (hero).
When an unexpected disaster strikes, the unlikely friends come together to save the day. And with smart thinking, guts and some help from the universe they’re able to overcome their own individual challenges and achieve great things.
7th Grade
Florence & Leon
By: Simon Boulerice
Illustrated by: Delphie Coté-Lacroix
Florence is a swim instructor with a lung problem that makes it hard to breathe. Leon is an insurance salesman with an eye problem that makes it hard to see. One day their fates collide (literally, when they bump right into each other).
They decide to go for slushy drinks, and an unexpected friendship blooms as they bond over their differences—and strengths—to discover that they’re more similar than they are different.
Is your kid a native or bilingual Spanish speaker?
We have an SEL collection just for them! Check out our El aprendizaje social y emocional collection.
That’s it for now! We hope you enjoy these picks for Social-Emotional Learning Day and all year long.
