Being a child can be tough in the best of times, and the current environment can be challenging. Even in many elementary schools, bullies abound. In 2024 there were a lot of new picture books that emphasize trying, crying, and taking control. Here are some of those books that can help children learn skills to deal with a sometimes harsh world: resilience, determination, and that it’s okay to fail. All merit a place in a school library, a classroom bookshelf, or in a therapist’s office.

“Shake It Off” by Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a cute, but inspiring, tale of a little annoying goat who became stuck in a deep well. When the villagers couldn’t figure out a way to get her out, they decided to bury her (which is pretty gruesome for a children’s book!). But as they shoveled in the dirt, the clever little goat packed it down under her. Eventually, the dirt piled up, she kept rising above it, and she was finally able to emerge from the hole-no-longer. What is as impactful as the story is the Author’s Note, where Brantley shares that she stuttered and was dyslexic as a child. She was often bullied because of it. Her mother encouraged her to “shake off other people’s opinions and judgments.” This clever story about a quick-witted goat will encourage kids to rise above the dirt that others might throw. Figuratively and literally. (Nancy Paulsen Books)

The brilliant “Fail-A-Bration!” by Brad and Kristi Montague emphasizes the theme that teachers try to instill in students. Failure is not the end, but rather a beginning. The point is, if you never fail, it means you never tried to challenge yourself. So by failing, you are showing that you tried, you aspired, you did challenge yourself. And when you fail, you just pick yourself up and try again, to do it better. So why not throw a party? Everyone has a story to share about when they failed at something. And when you are sharing your stories of failures, you can learn from those failures to be better, stronger, and more resilient. So celebrate! Bake a cake. Get some party hats. Because surely you failed at something. (Dial)

A book that certainly shares the theme of believing in yourself is “Ready to Soar” by Cori Doerrfeld. In it we see Riley making a paper airplane. Just the first two pages set the theme for the book. “Riley was ready…to try something new, to take a chance…and hopefully, to watch it take off!” But when everyone gives her advice about how to make her paper airplane better, bigger, fancier, more colorful, the result is a disaster. It’s only when she meets someone who just wants to see Riley’s design soar, does Riley let it go and watch it soar. This is a perfect book to combine with the others to show the importance of staying true to your own dreams and not letting failure deter you from those dreams. (Dial Books for Young Readers)

“Not a Smiley Guy” by Polly Horvath and Boris Kulikov is a very interesting picture book because it deals with parents who fear their son lacks emotions. Little Ernest doesn’t smile. He didn’t smile when he was an infant, he didn’t smile when he learned to walk, he doesn’t smile when his parents smile at him. And when they’ve asked him to smile, it just doesn’t feel natural. So he doesn’t. The only thing Ernest feels lacking in his life is having an elephant, but he doesn’t think that’s possible for obvious reasons. But as his parents do more and more to get Ernest to smile, we realize that Ernest is very happy. He just doesn’t show his happiness in ways that others expect. It’s a lovely book to engender conversations about meeting the expectations of others and what reasonable expectations are. Do we need to smile when others think we should? Is that a societal expectation? Do we smile when we experience emotions other than happiness? Embarrassment? Fear? What other emotions might make us smile? I think children would have a great conversation about emotions and facial expressions after reading this book. (Holiday House)

“Moo Hoo” by Audrey Perrott and Ross Burach is the perfect book to read in tandem with “Not a Smiley Guy.” In this clever picture book we meet Milton, who unlike Ernest from the previous book, wears his emotions on his sleeve. He cries all the time. He cries when he’s happy. He cries when he’s sad. He cries when he’s embarrassed, frustrated, or nervous. He cries at beautiful sunsets and lovely music. So his nickname is Moo Hoo. But his friends love him anyway. Still, Milton feels his difference from the others because of his constant crying. But that all changes when he meets someone else who also experiences emotions through tears. And it’s nice having a friend who shares your feelings and your tears. I’d use these two books together to introduce the idea of “compare and contrast” to students. But the obvious use is to start a discussion about how we are all so, so different in how we express our emotions. While we all feel the same emotions — love, anger, hate, fear, embarrassment, we all express those emotions a bit differently. And that’s okay. We are all different even as we are all the same. (Scholastic Press)

Can I say that I LOVE the Grumpy Monkey series of picture books? In “Grumpy Monkey Spring Fever,” Suzanne Lang and Max Lang bring back Jim Panzee (get it, chimpanzee?) as he wakes up on a spectacular spring day (but this can and should be used all year round) feeling silly. Silly and energetic. But his friends have a great solution for spring fever, and after explaining that spring fever isn’t really a sickness, they help him think of enjoyable spring ideas that he could use to expend all that energy. Decorating eggs; hiding them; wearing a bonnet; petting baby animals; playing ball; planting flowers; listening to a long story and eating a special dinner. Spring fever can be fun! I’d use this book at other times of the year and talk to students about what it means to have spring fever, and what they could do when they get a “spring fever” kind of feeling. What are things to do in the fall when you get “fall fever” or “winter fever”? Kids would really love thinking of ways to expend energy in a productive, enjoyable manner. (Random House Studio)

Although this book came out in 2023, I feel like “Sometimes I Kaploom” by Rachel Vail and illustrated by Hyewon Yum fits right in with these. It’s about being brave most times, but sometimes, when emotions and fear and fright overcome the calm, dealing with tantrums. This book normalizes those out-of-control feelings and helps children understand that they can be brave and scared at the same time. This book, like several others here, would be perfect for a therapist’s office. (Orchard Books/Scholastic)

“I Got This: I Have Bounce Back Superpowers” by Julia Cook, Michele Borba, and Dale Crawford is a book that might be more suited to a therapist’s office (or a school social worker) than a classroom bookshelf. It’s about resilience, and the story is told through the eyes of an adorable Bernese mountain dog who is taking the certification test to be a rescue dog. She and her friend, a squirrel, meet a bald eagle who acts as a mentor and shows them how to get past their difficulties and reach the top of the mountain. The “bounce back superpowers” that the eagle shares include breathing, brainstorming, using positive phrases, breaking things up into manageable chunks, asking for help, and resting to recharge. These are all valuable skills, and using the dog to teach them will keep children engaged. (National Center for Youth Issues)

Teaching with picture books or even just using picture books to teach topics, ideas, feelings, and life skills is a joy when the books are engaging and enjoyable.

Please note: This review is based on the final, hardcover books provided by the publishers for review purposes.