Picture Book

“Social Emotional Learning with Picture Books”

Educators know the importance of addressing the social and emotional learning of kids in their classrooms. The Casel framework has become a popular way to discuss the skills. It begins with a breakdown of the child’s social situation: classroom, schools, with family/caregivers, and communities. Within each level, it looks at a child’s social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision making, self-awareness, and self- management. Here are recent picture books that address these social and emotional skills.

Social Awareness: The abilities to understand the perspectives of and empathize with others, including those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts. 

Barrio Rising: The Protest that Built Chicano Park, by María Dolores Águila,  Magdalena Mora  (June, 2024)

Which would you want in your neighborhood, a city park or a police station? When the residents of San Diego’s Chicane neighborhood Barrio Logan discovered a police station is being built they decide to speak out. When you try to make your voices heard, you must reach for understanding between diverse groups and cultures. Follow a young activist who must connect her perspective to the wider perspectives to accomplish her goals for her neighborhood.

Relationship Skills: The abilities to establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups

Luli and the Language of Tea written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Hyewon Yum (2022)

Tea has the power to unite and build relationships. Or at least that’s what a Chinese child Luli discovers. When she is left in a playroom with other multilingual kids, she calls out “Cha!” When the kids realize that she is offering them a drink of tea, they each respond with their own language’s word for tea. Luli’s willingness to share enriches the relationships in the playroom.

Responsible Decision Making: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations. 

The Little Butterfly That Could by Ross Curach (2021)

After a hard hatching from its chrysalis, the butterfly faces a huge new challenge: migration.

“200 MILES? How am I supposed to travel that far?” the butterfly wails.

Each step along the way involves a decision that will affect his success or failure in traveling to the ancestral home. The butterfly encounters whales, insects, storms, and discouragement. Each decision leads him closer to his destination. Hilarious, this book is sure to make kids think about decisions, and about persistence.

Self-Awareness: The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.

Fairy Science by Ashley Spires (2019)

All the fairies in Pixieville believe in magic–except Esther. She believes in science.

When a forest tree stops growing, all the fairies are stumped–including Esther. But not for long! Esther knows that science can get to the root of the problem–and its solution! Esther is self-aware and understands that she operates by science, not magic.

Self-Management. The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations. 

BE STRONG: The Rise of Beloved Public Art Sculptor, Nancy Schön, by Darcy Pattison, illustrated by Rich Davis (2024)

When kids are frustrated by art, building, creating, athletics, or life, and they want to quit, sculptor Nancy Schön’s story will inspire them with two simple words: Be Strong.

On a rainy day in October, 1987—perfect weather for a duck—a bronze sculpture of a duck family was installed in Boston’s Public Garden. Based on Robert McCloskey’s Caldecott award-winning book MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS, sculptor Nancy Schön created a kid-friendly sculpture. She wanted the duck family to be touchable and huggable, a sculpture that kids could climb around on.

The incredible journey from a book to a sculpture adds a new chapter in an inspiring new biography of Jewish-American sculptor Nancy Schön, BE STRONG. Large outdoor sculptures were a new venture for Nancy and the scale made the project incredibly difficult. The mother duck’s head fell off. One duckling was the wrong size. She had to research how it looked inside of a duck’s beak. Through the hard days of trying to create a new type of sculpture, Nancy clung to two words: Be Strong.

About the Author: Children’s book author and indie publisher DARCY PATTISON has written over seventy award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Five books have received starred PW, Kirkus, or BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, four Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book (CA Reading Assn.), two Junior Library Guild selections, two NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts, a Notable Social Studies Trade Book, a Best STEM Book, an Arkansiana Award, and the Susannah DeBlack Arkansas Children’s History Book award. She’s the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature. Her books have been translated into ten languages.

Thank you, Darcy, for putting together this amazing SEL picture book list!