Picture Books That Encourage Mindfulness

Speaking of perspective, kids will love being able to see the human race from the perspective of aliens who are definitely (not) human. With a warm and tender core that reminds us what it is to be human, this hilarious and heartfelt book packs all the insights to help readers better understand who and what they really are… as well as what else may be out there.  

If there’s one thing this world has a lot of, it’s misinformation. Add that to the twisty knot of things kids have to figure out as they experience life. Enter The Truth About the Couch, a veritable primer in understanding conspiracies, truths, half-truths, and not-at-all-truths. And it all starts with that dastardly couch, which is surely up to something. The couch is up to something… right? 

Sometimes losing a stuffed animal can feel like the end of the world. But what if it didn’t have to? Using mindfulness as a cornerstone, comedian and Impractical Jokers star Joe Gatto tells the story of a young boy who finds his bear — aptly named Bearry — by taking deep breaths, thinking clearly, and moving forward from a place of composure and calm, rather than frantic and fearful. 

We’ve all been there — it’s time to go to bed and the thoughts go haywire. They spiral to all the worst places and just like that, sleep becomes impossible. Max Greenfield is here to show young readers how to quiet these thoughts, face anxiety and get to sleep. By asking the right questions and targeting wayward thoughts at their root, even the most disquieted mind can slip off to dreamland. 

Understanding ourselves is hard enough, what about when other people enter the picture? Minh Le and Dan Santat — the dynamic duo that has been telling meaningful stories for years — return to tell the story of friendships, and how they’re made. And they do this by imagining themselves as the kids in the story and showing how playing with building blocks has actually built a lasting friendship. It’s a touching analogy of what it means to connect with another person.  

The Grumpy Monkey series has been teaching kids about emotional intelligence for years, and now Jim Panzee returns to explore the dividing line between work and play, and what happens when you play too much. Great for making sense of why we can’t just have fun all day, Jim Panzee is as hilarious as always, making the lessons in the story like the proverbial spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.