Here are 67 books that No! fans have personally recommended if you like
No!.
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I’ve always been drawn to babies and toddlers and fascinated by the development that happens in the early years of life. This fascination led me to become a teacher, parent, and emotional development expert with a master's degree in early childhood education. Eventually, my passion for this field led me to co-create the Collaborative Emotion Processing method and research it nationwide. The research results were compelling, and so began my mission to share it with the world.
I love this book because it explains how a child’s brain works and what they need to access self-control. It gave me insight into why I saw challenging behaviors even when the child “knew better.”
I loved that when I finished reading it, I felt like I had actionable strategies for supporting my child’s mental well-being while navigating tantrums and meltdowns.
In this pioneering, practical book for parents, neuroscientist Daniel J. Siegel and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson explain the new science of how a child's brain is wired and how it matures. Different parts of a child's brain develop at different speeds and understanding these differences can help you turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child's brain and raise calmer, happier children.
Featuring clear explanations, age-appropriate strategies and illustrations that will help you explain these concepts to your child, The Whole-Brain Child will help your children to lead balanced, meaningful, and connected lives using…
Mamiachi & Me is a lyrical and empowering picture book about what it means to be a mariachi in an all‑female band.
Today, Rosa will take the stage next to her mami and play along with her popular mariachi band. But Rosa begins to worry. What if the audience doesn’t…
I chose these books because they each approach big feelings with a kind of gentle honesty and expressive clarity. These classics use powerful, earnest text and heartfelt illustrations that help name, normalize, and, at times, create an adventure around feeling new, big emotions. Each of these treasured titles offers more than just a story—they give children tools for emotional resonance and resilience. They strike a delicate balance between lyrical prose, whimsical art, and emotional honesty. The Mood Swing is a charm bracelet of these different stories, woven into one. Many gave me comfort as a kid, and helped me feel supported and empowered to explore—and name—my deepest feelings.
This was my mom’s personal favorite growing up. She read it to me more times than I can count.
Munsch’s gently repetitive refrain “I’ll love you forever…” creates a soothing emotional anchor that I’ve never forgotten.
This one helps children understand that love is steady and constant, even as they grow up or face difficult moments. It lets them know it's okay to feel complicated emotions because they’re held in love the whole time. I also love how this story shows the circle of life—as kids we are cared for by our parents, until the day we end caring for them!
A young woman holds her newborn son And looks at him lovingly. Softly she sings to him: "I'll love you forever I'll like you for always As long as I'm living My baby you'll be." So begins the story that has touched the hearts of millions worldwide. Since publication in l986, Love You Forever has sold more than 15 million copies in paperback and the regular hardcover edition. AGES: 4 to 6 AUTHOR: Robert Munsch is the bestselling, widely celebrated author of more than 50 books for children. Love You Forever is his internationally bestselling book with over 30 million…
I am a mom, like any other mom, raising two young boys with big feelings. Those feelings grow and change and adapt as they age, but they are always strong. My experience raising them has inspired me to seek out books about managing those emotions and to write my own series about finding the joy in the chaos of kids’ “big feelings.”
This book was extremely poignant. It may not be intended for the youngest of readers. I admit, I read it on my own. But the message was deep. Children from preschool to teenage can have strong feelings about their parents’ behaviors. But what young children don’t often (can’t often) understand is where, in their parents’ history, those behaviors are born out of.
This story takes something as simple as foraging for watercress on the side of the road and examines where, in the narrator’s parents’ history, that behavior comes from. It’s sorrowful, haunting, and hopeful all at the same time. This is a beautiful book to address the “big feelings” of embarrassment kids may feel about their parents without understanding the reasoning behind their patent’s actions.
Caldecott Medal Winner Newbery Honor Book APALA Award Winner
A story about the power of sharing memories—including the painful ones—and the way our heritage stays with and shapes us, even when we don’t see it.
New England Book Award Winner A New York Times Best Children’s Book of the Year A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
While driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl's Chinese immigrant parents spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. They stop the car, grabbing rusty scissors and an old paper bag, and the whole family wades…
A satisfying story of rediscovering friendship after time spent apart.
For many years, Hazel and Mabel were inseparable. The two friends made up stories, spent the night together, and shared their snacks. Then, Mabel moved away. As time passes, Hazel and Mabel think of each other often, but they also…
I’m just a normal parent who has gone through the ups and downs of helping her little boy with his exceptionally big feelings. Anger is the main emotion we continue to struggle with, but we’ve come sucha long way! The smallest things used to set him off, and he could go from annoyance to rage in minutes. Sometimes it would take us up to an hour to completely calm down. I tried my best to stay patient, help him work through his feelings, and redirect his anger towards non-harmful modes of expression. When he was calm, then we would talk about what happened, and think of ways we can bothdo better next time.
If you have a toddler, I’m sure that tantrums are a normal part of your life! This book is great for kids up to 3 years old, and helped my son calm down at that age. The words and illustrations are bright and bold, yet simple enough for little kids to relate to. It’s a short book and the simplicity makes it effective. My son saw himself as the little monkey! When I could sense a tantrum brewing, I’d take out the book and read it with him. For a time, he would ask me to read the book with him whenever he felt upset.
Little Monkey is having a bad day. After a major melt down, he goes to his room and uses some coping techniques to calm down. He sings a a quiet song, cuddles with his blankie, and learns how take deep breaths. A relatable book for toddlers that teaches self soothing in an effective way. Little Monkey is having a bad day. After a major melt down, he goes to his room and uses some coping techniques to calm down.
I’m just a normal parent who has gone through the ups and downs of helping her little boy with his exceptionally big feelings. Anger is the main emotion we continue to struggle with, but we’ve come sucha long way! The smallest things used to set him off, and he could go from annoyance to rage in minutes. Sometimes it would take us up to an hour to completely calm down. I tried my best to stay patient, help him work through his feelings, and redirect his anger towards non-harmful modes of expression. When he was calm, then we would talk about what happened, and think of ways we can bothdo better next time.
“Count the spots from one to four. TAP, TAP, TAP, and TAP once more. Now fill your lungs with peaceful air, and coat your spots with love and care.”
I love the simple concept of how to calm down the anger spot. We tried the tapping technique and it helped us be more mindful of our body and breathing. It only worked for a short while for my son, but that’s how it goes! We just need to keep finding new techniques, because every child is different. Try to check if it will suit your child, because the Little Spot is a teacher who explains a lot of important concepts, and it may be hard to hold some kids’ attention if they are looking for a story.
It can be really hard to handle BIG Emotions, especially when your ANGRY SPOT shows up! Whether it's when someone takes your toy or you feel like you can't do something, you have the power to turn your BIG ANGRY SPOT into a calm PEACEFUL SPOT!
By associating emotions with something a child can visual (bright red spot), they are able to see when a small feeling of frustration can easily turn into into a big ANGRY emotion. They will realize they can manage their spots of emotions with fun counting and breathing techniques by watching a fun illustrated ANGRY…
I am a mom, like any other mom, raising two young boys with big feelings. Those feelings grow and change and adapt as they age, but they are always strong. My experience raising them has inspired me to seek out books about managing those emotions and to write my own series about finding the joy in the chaos of kids’ “big feelings.”
I love the clever rhymes and hilarious antics in the Pig the Pug books, especially this one. This Halloween-themed story is fun to read over and over again. My sons get the biggest kick out of how naughty Pig the Pug behaves when he confronts the unsuspecting grownups who cross him on Halloween night. (My favorite line might be, “It filled him with feelings that had to be vented.”)
Ultimately, the story teaches kids good manners in the cleverest way by showing how monstrous Pig’s own manners are on Halloween night and the consequences of those actions. (Spoiler alert: the ending involves an upset tummy with disastrous results!)
Pig the Pug celebrates Halloween in this picture book from #1 New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Aaron Blabey.
Pig was a pug
and I'm sorry to say,
on Halloween night
he'd get carried away...
Pig, the world's greediest pug, is on the rampage for TREATS! TREATS! TREATS! But don't even think about being stingy with the goodies, because this candy-fueled glutton has some terrible tricks up his sleeve...
Rich with author-illustrator Aaron Blabey's signature rhyming text and unforgettable illustrations, Pig the Monster is a laugh-out-loud story that follows the eight previous books in the series (Pig the Pug, Pig the…
This picture book biography of Ernő Rubik, creator of the Rubik’s Cube, reveals the obsession, imagination, and engineering process behind the creation of this fascinating and sometimes frustrating puzzle.
A solitary child, Ernő Rubik grew up in post-World War II Hungary, curious about puzzles, art, nature, and their underlying patterns…
I am a mom, like any other mom, raising two young boys with big feelings. Those feelings grow and change and adapt as they age, but they are always strong. My experience raising them has inspired me to seek out books about managing those emotions and to write my own series about finding the joy in the chaos of kids’ “big feelings.”
This book is adorable. It helped my then three-year-old son identify his “big feeling” need to destroy anything another kid would build. My son resonated with the dinosaur, Rex, who wanted to show how big and strong he was by breaking down his friends’ block towers.
I loved how the story gently conveyed that Rex’s destruction wasn’t appreciated by his friends and how, in the end, he learned an alternative way to use his powerful nature to create rather than destroy. It’s a sweet, simple story, and its heartfelt illustrations really resonated with my young reader.
Look out! Here comes Rex! Children who love to construct — and those who love to destroy — will relate to this kid-pleasing tale that builds to a smashing finale.
Gizmo, Sprinkles, and Wild are fed up. Every time they build something with their blocks, Rex wrecks it! Whether it’s an out-of-this-world rocket, a magical heart, or the biggest, strongest, most awesomerific castle ever, Rex sends it crashing down with a “Rawr!” (and sometimes a sheepish“Rawry!”?). Isn’t there any way to make playtime fun for everyone? With Rex-size humor, Ben Clanton explores the challenges of friendship, the benefits of working…
I am a mom, like any other mom, raising two young boys with big feelings. Those feelings grow and change and adapt as they age, but they are always strong. My experience raising them has inspired me to seek out books about managing those emotions and to write my own series about finding the joy in the chaos of kids’ “big feelings.”
My son’s first-grade teacher used this book to help him learn about his “hula-hoop” of personal space, and she recommended we read it at home (which we did.) This book was a fun way to explore the meaning of giving space to our friends (such as keeping hands to ourselves), and the outer-space theme cleverly woven throughout helped keep my son’s attention.
I really appreciated the author’s unique approach to teaching young kids about personal space, which can be touchy (pun intended!).
Teach Kids About Respecting Others' Personal Space
Louis is back! And this time, he's learning all about personal space. When Louis, the world's self-proclaimed space expert, is invited to Personal Space Camp by the school principal, he soon learns that personal space really isn't about lunar landings, Saturn's rings, or space ice cream.
Written with style, wit, and rhythm, Personal Space Camp addresses the complex issue of respect for another person's physical boundaries. Told from Louis' perspective, this story is a must have resource for parents, teachers, and counselors who want to communicate the idea of personal space in a…
I am a French scientist fascinated by the beauty and complexity of nature. I study bees since about twenty years now and I am still regularly astonished by the level of sophistication of this alien miniature world. We are much more insects than we think. And I am not saying this just because I am fan of science fiction or poetry!
This is another scientific book by an inspiring colleague. This time, Tom focuses more specifically on collective intelligence in honeybees. We learn in great detail how large groups of animals manage to agree based on partial knowledge and different opinions, often leading to optimal decisions.
The author makes bold but justified parallels with collective decisions in human societies. There is a lot to learn!
Honeybees make decisions collectively - and democratically. Every year, faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making. A remarkable and richly illustrated account of scientific discovery, "Honeybee Democracy" brings together, for the first time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the honeybees.…
Twelve-year-old identical twins Ellie and Kat accidentally trigger their physicist mom’s unfinished time machine, launching themselves into a high-stakes adventure in 1970 Chicago. If they learn how to join forces and keep time travel out of the wrong hands, they might be able find a way home. Ellie’s gymnastics and…
Rick Shenkman is a New York Times bestselling author, historian, and journalist who, after reading and writing history books for 40 years, decided to spend the past decade discovering what social scientists have to say. To his great joy, he learned that since he had last studied their work in college they had come to a vast new understanding of human political behavior. He now uses their insights into political psychology, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and genetics to help explain our fucked up politics.
This is a highly readable and fun book published back in 1982 by one of the leading primatologists of our era.A close student of ape behavior, Frans de Waal shows how smart apes are and what we can learn about ourselves by studying their behavior.He demonstrates that, contrary to common belief, it is not by physical strength alone that an alpha ape hangs onto its power at the top of the social pyramid. More important than their muscles is their ability to form coalitions with others.
If your mental image of an alpha ape is a brawny male, forget it.De Waal profiles one female ape, Mama, who manages for years to dominate a group by exercising power more prudently than her male rivals, who shriek and throw tantrums when they don't get their way. This is the good news.The bad news…
The first edition of Frans de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics was acclaimed not only by primatologists for its scientific achievement but also by politicians, business leaders, and social psychologists for its remarkable insights into the most basic human needs and behaviors. Twenty-five years later, this book is considered a classic. Featuring a new preface that includes recent insights from the author, this anniversary edition is a detailed and thoroughly engrossing account of rivalries and coalitions-actions governed by intelligence rather than instinct. As we watch the chimpanzees of Arnhem behave in ways we recognize from Machiavelli (and from the nightly news), de…
