Here are 100 books that The Kissing Hand fans have personally recommended if you like
The Kissing Hand.
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From personal experience living with an anxiety disorder, I’ve discovered that once you learn about anxiety and how it works, it’s not so frightening! I’ve applied this knowledge and background to my roles as a mom, award-winning children’s author, and former teacher who transformed into a neuroeducation consultant. I specialize in workshops and one-on-one coaching for schools, families, organizations, and corporations on anxiety, stress management, executive function, and growth mindset. My books are inspired by my desire to engage kids and adults in fun, playful, and empowering stories. My passion to equip others with practical problem-solving tools to decrease stress, promote healthy change and maximize their unique potential is boundless!
I love this picture book’s simple, playful approach to common worries and what happens when we believe them to be true. Edward’s main character perceives Worry as an imposing monster that camps out in her mind. Worry’s voice is loud and bossy at times and affects how she feels in her body. Even worse, Worry inhibits her ability to enjoy life and face challenges—until she learns how to talk back to it!
Every time I read this book I’m enchanted by its delightful illustrations and reminders to stand up to Worry. Just as the main character silences Worry’s voice by flipping anxious thoughts into brave affirmations and powerful reminders of all she’s capable of doing, so can the readers!
Allison Edwards, author of the best-selling book Why Smart Kids Worry, gives a glimpse into the ways worry whispers to young minds, and offers a powerful tool all children can use to silence those fears.
"Worry's songs tie my tummy up in knots, and the things he says make my heart beat very fast. Sometimes he speaks in a whisper, and other times his voice gets so loud I can't hear anything else."
Worry and anxiety are currently the top mental health issues among children and teens. Children have a number of worries…
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…
From personal experience living with an anxiety disorder, I’ve discovered that once you learn about anxiety and how it works, it’s not so frightening! I’ve applied this knowledge and background to my roles as a mom, award-winning children’s author, and former teacher who transformed into a neuroeducation consultant. I specialize in workshops and one-on-one coaching for schools, families, organizations, and corporations on anxiety, stress management, executive function, and growth mindset. My books are inspired by my desire to engage kids and adults in fun, playful, and empowering stories. My passion to equip others with practical problem-solving tools to decrease stress, promote healthy change and maximize their unique potential is boundless!
I love Lynn Lyons’ direct yet playful approach to anxiety, and this book is no exception. Anxiety can be so bossy and messy, it can send messages to some kids that they can’t handle challenges.
That’s what happens to fourteen-year-old Casey, the main character. Casey’s anxiety imposes limitations on her life and makes her world smaller, including her ability to try new things or experience fun and success in school, relationships, and family situations.
Join Casey as she bravely steps into problem-solving mode and learns to tolerate a bit of discomfort when facing anxious moments. Along the way, she builds skills, resilience, and confidence. Ultimately, she expands her world and enjoyment of it. Full of key information, relatable stories, practical applications, and helpful tips—not to mention Lynn’s signature humor—this book is a must for parents or tweens/teens dealing with anxiety.
Casey, the fourteen year old narrator, knows just what it’s like to be miserable. It started slowly: backing away from birthday parties, avoiding the Fourth of July fireworks, leaving before the end of movies. By second grade, stomach aches and tantrums before school seemed as common as strawberry jelly on toast. Then, just before her fourth grade chorus concert—as her mom was braiding her hair—Casey puked. No concert. No post-concert ice cream with her friends. Only a night filled with tears. Everything changed that next morning. Casey and her mom had had enough! The days of being timid were over.…
From personal experience living with an anxiety disorder, I’ve discovered that once you learn about anxiety and how it works, it’s not so frightening! I’ve applied this knowledge and background to my roles as a mom, award-winning children’s author, and former teacher who transformed into a neuroeducation consultant. I specialize in workshops and one-on-one coaching for schools, families, organizations, and corporations on anxiety, stress management, executive function, and growth mindset. My books are inspired by my desire to engage kids and adults in fun, playful, and empowering stories. My passion to equip others with practical problem-solving tools to decrease stress, promote healthy change and maximize their unique potential is boundless!
Julia Cook’s knack for taking on worrisome moments and turning them into fun stories never ceases to amaze me! Bertha Billingsworth (a.k.a. BB) doesn’t like tests. Just hearing the word stresses her out! It’s not until BB becomes a member of the Anti-Test Anxiety Society that she learns new ways of approaching tests.
It begins by BB shifting her thinking from, “I have” to take a test to “I get” to take a test. With this “can do” attitude, BB no longer associates a test as something that’s Terrible Every Single Time and soon realizes she can succeed. This picture book teaches kids how to be more confident at test-taking, so they can really show what they know. Be sure to check out Cook’s Wilma Jean the Worry Machine for more anxiety strategies!
Bertha Billingsworth (BB for short) is basically a happy person... until she has to take a test. To her, the word test stands for Terrible Every Single Time, because that's how she does on them... TERRIBLE!
In 1894, Annie Cohen Kopchovsky set out to ride her bicycle. Not to the market. Not around the block. Not across town. Annie was going to ride her bike all the way around the world—because two men bet no woman could do it. Ha!
From personal experience living with an anxiety disorder, I’ve discovered that once you learn about anxiety and how it works, it’s not so frightening! I’ve applied this knowledge and background to my roles as a mom, award-winning children’s author, and former teacher who transformed into a neuroeducation consultant. I specialize in workshops and one-on-one coaching for schools, families, organizations, and corporations on anxiety, stress management, executive function, and growth mindset. My books are inspired by my desire to engage kids and adults in fun, playful, and empowering stories. My passion to equip others with practical problem-solving tools to decrease stress, promote healthy change and maximize their unique potential is boundless!
It’s not uncommon for kids with sensory processing challenges to feel anxious, especially when faced with new adventures. That’s why I’m so excited Maggie and Dr. Amy teamed up to create this endearing, problem-solving picture book designed to empower kids, parents, educators, and pediatric professionals.
Meet King, a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, who has to deal with uncomfortable sights, sounds, and feelings when he and his best friend Ben go to their first car wash. Armed with an “adventure bag” that helps Ben manage his anxiety and sensory differences, Ben shares his tools with King as they bravely face this unknown situation. Ride along with King and Ben as they put Ben’s adventure bag tools to good use, support each other and make an unfamiliar adventure a positive experience.
Ride along with King, a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy, and his best friend, a boy named Ben, as they go on an adventure to the car wash. The two friends' senses are tested to the limits as King and Ben experience the sights, sounds, smells and feelings associated with this new activity. Ben, a child with sensory differences, shares the tools he's learned in occupational therapy (OT) to help King overcome his fear and anxiety. In the end, King and Ben are proud of themselves for conquering the car wash and excited to head to the park for some playtime!…
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 beloved classic teaches that love isn’t always tidy—it can be joyful, painful, generous, and oftentimes involve giving up something of yourself. Silverstein’s approach is simple: clarity and warmth without clutter.
I love this book for helping kids see that it’s okay to feel mixed emotions in relationships—that giving, receiving, and sometimes letting go are all part of caring. It models graceful empathy and shows children that feeling sad or giving more does not mean loving less. It also teaches the power of unconditional love and teaches the joy of giving. Trees are magical teachers!
As recommended by Meghan Markle as the one book she can't wait to share with her child - the timeless fable about the gift of love
Once there was a little tree ... and she loved a little boy.
So begins the classic bestseller, beautifully written and illustrated by the gifted and versatile Shel Silverstein.
Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her trunk ... and the tree was happy. But as the boy grew older he began to want more from the tree, and the tree…
It's a pleasure to share these books with other readers because they so elegantly convey love in a way for young readers to easily understand. They contain elements of reassurance that both children and parents need, especially during times of transition. I didn't comprehend how much love I could have for another person until the birth of my daughter. My love for her was so immense and all-consuming that it brought an unfathomable joy to my life. I read these books to her during transitional times as a way to articulate the infinite love I have for her. I hope they bring as much comfort and closeness to other readers as they have to us.
The tenderness a parent has for their child is so compelling, so strong, that the overwhelming need to nurture and soothe is boundless even as they grow into adults. As my children have grown, this book has become an even more precious part of our library. The love a parent has for a child only begins at birth, but lasts a lifetime and grows stronger with each new season. This stunning book illustrates this perfectly!
A book that combines the spiritual (and artistic) appeal of Jon Muth's THE THREE QUESTIONS with the heartfelt emotion of LOVE YOU FOREVER.
Here is the rare book that not only expresses a parent's love for their child, but offers a hope for what that love will become. It begins with a wish at bedtime, as parents hold their children tight and hope their love will cradle them, safe and sound. It continues through the day their children have grown up, proud and strong, and can pass that love on to someone else. This is a book that goes beyond…
Real Princesses Change the World
by
Carrie A. Pearson,
Real Princesses Change the World is an inspirational and diverse picture book that highlights 11 contemporary real-life princesses and four heirs apparent from around the world.
Have you heard of a STEM-aligned real-life princess who is an engineer and product developer? Or a princess who is a computer expert? An…
It's a pleasure to share these books with other readers because they so elegantly convey love in a way for young readers to easily understand. They contain elements of reassurance that both children and parents need, especially during times of transition. I didn't comprehend how much love I could have for another person until the birth of my daughter. My love for her was so immense and all-consuming that it brought an unfathomable joy to my life. I read these books to her during transitional times as a way to articulate the infinite love I have for her. I hope they bring as much comfort and closeness to other readers as they have to us.
As a new mom, returning to the workforce after the birth of my daughter, this lovely book became a staple in our repertoire. It sweetly conveys how mamas get called away to other duties, but always come back home to their little ones. It helped me tell my daughter, in a way she could understand, that mamas of all kinds have commitments outside of mothering but those duties do not diminish the love for their little ones at home.
Mama Bird and Mama Cat and even teensy-weensy Mama Mole must leave their little ones from time to time. But rain or shine, in a tree or in the sea, mamas everywhere find their way home with cozy hugs and lots of love, because mamas always come home.
It's a pleasure to share these books with other readers because they so elegantly convey love in a way for young readers to easily understand. They contain elements of reassurance that both children and parents need, especially during times of transition. I didn't comprehend how much love I could have for another person until the birth of my daughter. My love for her was so immense and all-consuming that it brought an unfathomable joy to my life. I read these books to her during transitional times as a way to articulate the infinite love I have for her. I hope they bring as much comfort and closeness to other readers as they have to us.
This gorgeously illustrated book helped my daughter and I through a difficult time when I had to travel out of the country for work. The illustrations put into pictures what I could not put into words- that no matter where I was, or what I was doing, she was always on my mind and in my heart.
When I had my twin boys 29 years ago, I started reading every parenting book I could. I was shocked at what I felt was really bad advice. It was permissive, indulgent, and lacked instilling virtues. It was then that I birthed the idea of writing parenting books with traditional Christian principles. Since then, I’ve spent the last 28 years learning all I could about raising well-behaved children. I also have done much research on the harmful effects of screen time on children. Other works include Rubric Rules: A Cleaning System for Kids and The Parenting with Focus Video Course.
This book is great for parents of babies and toddlers under the age of three. Dr. White contends that if you don't have your babies under control by the time they are 14 months old, you're headed for those terrible twos. Under control means: Do they lie still for you while being diapered? Do they hit and kick? Do they take no for an answer? He believes that basic obedience should be established by this young age.
In addition to training your child to obey, he also goes through the stages of development for children up to 36 months. He goes over things like how to react to a child’s intentional cry, sleep problems, and whining. I found this to be a very practical book.
REQUIRED READING FOR PARENTS WHO WANT TO GIVE THEIR CHILD THE BEST START IN LIFE Must your charming five-month-old turn into a tiny terror? Are the "terrible twos" and public tantrums inevitable? Burton White, author of the classic The First Three Years of Life, doesn't think so. Basing his recommendations on thirty-seven years of research and observation, White shows how to bring up an independent, socially secure, and delightful child. In his groundbreaking and easy-to-follow book, White takes parents through the normal development stages of their child's first thirty-six months, recommending the best ways to:
React to a child's intentional…
I was a passionate elementary school teacher for thirty-five years. Now retired, I am grateful that my writing allows me to continue communicating with children. I am always working to improve my craft, help other writers, and embrace my author life.When I am not in a critique group or at my computer I might be doing yoga or biking.
Lulu’s dad is a photojournalist who travels the world and brings her back treasures. Anyone who has a traveling parent will connect with this story. It’s a beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated book about a multi-racial family. It’s filled with heart and the love between a dad and daughter with the opportunity to learn some cool facts from the global cultures he brings back to her with his stories and trinkets. So lovely!
Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw's Papa Brings Me the World is a poignant picture book that celebrates the bond between parent and child, and follows their long-distance trip around the world.
Most parents drive a car or ride a bus or train to work—but not Lulu’s papa. He navigates mountains, deserts, and oceans, each time returning home with pockets full of treasures. There’s an ancient calculator from China, a musical mbira from Zimbabwe, and a special game from Sumatra. But the best treasures are special stories Papa tells when he comes home—tales of playing peekaboo with rare birds in the Andes and…
