As we move through December and the holidays begin to hit in full swing, it can feel like everything is happening all at once. When things get overwhelming, this week’s collection of social emotional learning books can help us slow down and breathe. From the human to the ursine, these books feature characters who learn to manage themselves, their emotions, and their impact on the world. Our feature pick is The Gift of the Broken Teacup: Poems of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me by Allan Wolf, illustrated by Jade Orlando. Wolf takes big, complex topics like persistence and integrity and distills them into bite-sized pieces of poetry to help young readers internalize them. Many poems focus on specific skills that practice as they work on practicing these traits in their lives. Orlando’s illustrations provide a soothing backdrop for the messages each poem imparts along a child’s journey of mindfulness and meditation.

Check out more books for social emotional learning below!

A Cure for the Hiccups
Jennifer E. Smith
Illustrated by Brandon James Scott
Random House Children’s Books/Random House Studio
Available now!

Bear
Natalia Shaloshvili
The Quarto Group/Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Available now!

How to Say Thank You
Jean Reagan
Illustrated by Lee Wildish
Random House Children’s Books/Alfred A. Knopf
Available now!

Love Can Be
Yuli Yav
Illustrated by Antonia Woodward
Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing/Little Simon
Available now!

The Gift of the Broken Teacup: Poems of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Me
Allan Wolf
Illustrated by Jade Orlando
Candlewick Press
Available now!