12 Children’s Books About Mental Health to Read With Your Kids: Spring 2026
Here are 12 new reviews of children’s books about mental health, suggested as titles for parents and kids to share. Adults have the option of reading a book on their own, or with their child. Leading American and Canadian organizations recommend the books, which include 10 fiction titles and two guidebooks.
Menderist used four criteria for its selections:
1. Titles are suggested by leading national1 American and Canadian organizations that specialize in either children’s mental health or children’s books.
Mental health organizations chosen for this article are Mental Health America and the Child Mind Institute. And the children’s literature organizations we selected are the Children’s Book Council (North America) and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.
2. Menderist also focused on books that are suitable for parents and children to read (separately or together) then discuss. The titles cover common mental health issues experienced by pre-adolescent and older children.
3. Most titles are intended for children between 8 and 14, in recognition of research showing that 13 to 20%* of mental health problems start between the ages of 11 and 14.
4. All titles have received good reviews from leading sites like School Library Journal; Quill and Quire; Kirkus Reviews; and Booklist.
Confirming that a mental health book is right for your family:
To check that the content of a children’s book is appropriate for your family before ordering it, we suggest visiting reader feedback sites such as Goodreads and 49thShelf. To find out more, see our writeup, How to Find Children’s Books for Family Reading.
Children’s Books Recommended by Mental Health Organizations
GUIDEBOOKS:
Ages 7 to 10
1: What to Do When You Panic: A Kid’s Guide to Transforming Panic into Personal Power – guidebook by Lenka Glassman (Published 2025)
If your child sometimes struggles with panic and experiences symptoms such as shaky hands and spiraling thoughts, What to Do When You Panic could serve as a useful guide to reducing symptoms and increasing confidence.
This interactive workbook, explains publisher Magination Press/APA, guides children through proven cognitive-behavioral techniques, hands-on exercises, and helpful illustrations, offering “a clear, compassionate path toward feeling safe, strong, and in charge again.”
The book includes an introduction written for parents and caregivers. In a quote from School Library Journal, shared by a leading book distributor, What to Do When You Panic is one of those “excellent skill-building resources that prepare readers for the future in addition to addressing feelings in the moment.”
Recommended by Child Mind Institute as a 2025 Best Kids’ Books About Mental Health. Also part of the American Psychological Association (APA) series, What to Do Guides for Kids.
Ages 12 to 16
2: Being You: The Body Image Book for Boys – guidebook by Charlotte Markey, Daniel Hart, Douglas Zacher (Published 2022)
Being You is a research-based guidebook aimed at boys aged 12 to 16. It aims to reassure and encourage boys through real stories from dozens of young people and psychology experts. Kirkus Reviews notes that the authors “urge readers to be comfortable in their own skins rather than trying to be like celebrities, influencers, or professional athletes.” This message will resonate with many parents who worry about the unrealistic pressures that their sons’ face.
The book advocates for a sensible approach: occasional fast food is acceptable, exercise is important (but not solely for achieving a six-pack), and self-kindness is more effective than setting unattainable goals. The book also deals with male eating disorders.
Booklist praises the book as one that, “whether read by young men or the adults who care about them…(is) equally effective if perused cover-to-cover or dipped into for quick consultation.” Being You is a flexible resource, especially for parents.
Recommended by Mental Health America as part of a youth mental health booklist.
FICTION:
Ages 7 – 11
3: All You Can Be With ADHD – picture book by Penn and Kim Holderness (Published 2025)
Note: Our usual book selection is for ages eight and up, but we are including the following book for parents seeking a positive approach to a potential ADHD diagnosis for their young child.
All You Can Be With ADHD is a rhyming picture book that contains useful tips for families with a son diagnosed with ADHD. The book was created by a YouTube couple known for their song parodies.
The storyline draws on the couple’s own family experience (their son, like co-author Penn, has ADHD) to build the case for a warm, welcoming “ADHD club.” The book explains that this club spans many people, including recognizable faces like Albert Einstein and Simone Biles.
The book’s message is presented in bouncy verse. As shared on the publisher’s website, Booklist notes “the text’s rhyming verse creates a memorable set of mantras” that kids will find themselves repeating long after story time. And an expert from the Child Mind Institute notes that “the illustrations are neurodivergent friendly, affirming, and informative for children and parents.”
Recommended by Child Mind Institute as a 2025 Best Kids’ Books About Mental Health.
Ages 9 – 14
4: Absolutely Everything – graphic novel by Damian Alexander (Published 2025)
Absolutely Everything will likely reassure kids who find schoolwork challenging and who wonder why they struggle more than their peers. The story follows Marcella through her turbulent transition to sixth grade as she deals with new classes, shifting friendships, and learning challenges. Marcella gradually discovers she has ADHD, and her supportive dads and a caring teacher help her adjust to the situation. The novel’s artwork uses color and movement to put readers inside her experience.
Kirkus Reviews praises Absolutely Everything as “a hopeful and validating story that excels in portraying a middle schooler’s ADHD journey.” And School Library Journal, as quoted on the publisher’s website, called it “a warm and sensitive depiction of a neurodivergent character finding her way in middle school.” This is a helpful book that explains the challenges a child with ADHD might go through.
Recommended by Child Mind Institute as a 2025 Best Kids’ Books About Mental Health.
Ages 10 – 13
5: Octopus Moon – novel by Bobbie Pyron (Published 2025)
Octopus Moon tells the story of 10-year-old Pearl, a Florida girl who loves skateboarding and dreams of becoming a marine biologist. As fifth grade begins, however, Pearl is struggling. When her teachers notice her lower grades and ‘‘’sad” essays, Pearl’s parents take her to a therapist, where she’s diagnosed with depression.
Told in simple and accessible verse, the book portrays what depression could look and feel like for a child. It offers parents a glimpse into experiences their own kids might not have words for yet. Kirkus Reviews praises Octopus Moon as “a full-bodied and authentic exploration of living with depression.”
In a starred review of Octopus Moon published on the publisher’s website, School Library Journal notes “Pearl’s struggles will resonate with readers who grapple with feelings of not being enough….(the main character) adopts good management skills in the form of setting goals….to assist her in moving forward in life.” The book was named a Middle Grades Honor book by the Schneider Family Book Awards, American Library Association.
Recommended by Child Mind Institute as a 2025 Best Kids’ Books About Mental Health.
Ages 10 – 14
6: Iveliz Explains It All – novel in verse by Andrea Beatriz Arango (Published 2023)
In Iveliz Explains It All, a 12-year-old navigates a complicated Grade 7 school year. Iveliz has experienced recent trauma and turns to her journal and poetry for solace. The arrival of her Puerto Rican grandmother brings hope, but there are also family health issues and relationship tensions at home and with friends.
A quote from the School Library Journal, shared on the author’s website, explains: “In this poignant debut novel in verse, Arango offers a character with heart, whom readers will be rooting for and whose story will resonate with them. A compassionate, stirring story that readers will not forget.”
Iveliz Explains It All achieved starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and from Kirkus Reviews. It was chosen as a 2023 Newbery Honor Book by the American Library Association, which said in its announcement that the “…first-person novel (is) written in evocative verse revealing Iveliz’s thoughts and her emotions through … diary entries. Iveliz navigates grief, relationships, bullying and conflict with her mother and grandmother. Poignant, candid and memorable.”
Recommended by Mental Health America as part of a youth mental health booklist.
Children’s Books About Mental Health Recommended by Kids’ Books Organizations
Ages 3 to 6
7: Everybelly – picture book by Thao Lam (Published 2025)
Note: Menderist’s usual book selection is for ages eight and up, but we are including the following book for parents aiming to discuss body positivity with younger kids.
One sunny day at the local pool, a young child named Maddie sees some neighbours and friends and describes them for us. Maddie is only waist-high compared to most adults, and so what she notices the most are people’s bodies. The author’s cut-paper collage illustrations highlight these physical details, too. Cheerful artwork depicts, as noted by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre: “bellies and bodies of all shapes and sizes — bellies with scars, tattooed bellies, growing bellies, growling bellies, bellies with six-packs, stretch marks, insulin monitors, freckles and more.”
Maddie’s voice is curious and straightforward in her acceptance of all the bodies she encounters. There’s also an amusing and gentle lesson in respecting personal space, as explained in a quote from Kirkus Reviews: “do not — and I mean DO NOT — stick your hands in other people’s bellies. Trust me, my cat taught me that the hard way.”
Everybelly received a starred review from the School Library Journal. And it won a 2025 Kirkus Prize: in the announcement, Kirkus noted “This joyful celebration of humanity springs to life through masterful, vibrant collages and text that’s both poignant and witty.”
Recommended by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.
Ages 6 to 9
8: Henry and the Something New – chapter book by Jenn Bailey (Published 2024)
Note: Our usual book selection is for ages eight and up, but we are including the following book for parents who are seeking a positive approach to a potential autism diagnosis for a young child.
Henry is a sensitive child on the autism spectrum who’s both excited and worried about an upcoming class trip to the natural history museum. He loves dinosaurs, but going to the museum means a noisy bus, unfamiliar places, and new people. At the museum, Henry struggles to be heard as his group visits one exhibit after another. Finally, he manages to shout what he most wants to see: “DINOSAURS!”
Henry and the Something New is likely to appeal to children who feel nervous about new situations and unfamiliar things. Kirkus Reviews calls the book “a quiet but perceptive tale” that follows a boy discovering “the world at his own pace.” And the site Horn Book gives the title a starred review, praising the “relatable characters, familiar scenarios, and gentle humor” that make the book “a remarkably satisfying read.” School Library Journal named Henry and the Something New a Best Transitional Book of 2024.
Recommended by the Children’s Book Council as a 2024 book for Mental Health Awareness Month.
Ages 7 to 12
9: Maya Plays the Part – novel by Calyssa Erb (Published 2024)
Maya Plays the Part is likely to especially interest children who love theater or musicals. The storyline follows Maya, a musical-obsessed girl with autism who’s sure she’ll win the lead role at her theater camp. But, explains the review from the Children’s Book Council, the summer turns out to be “jam-packed with problems: dealing with her best friend’s move, her parents’ busy jobs, and the ongoing puzzle of how to be Maya in Public.”
The novel describes how a young girl navigates autism while experiencing common challenges including friendship issues, disappointment, and finding a sense of place.
A review in Publisher’s Weekly, shared on the website of the novel’s publisher, says: “Utilizing an empathetic narrator who’s easy to root for, debut author Erb, who is also autistic, crafts a personal and vulnerable story about one neurodivergent child’s experience in discovering how to be herself as she learns to set boundaries and communicate with others.”
In the end, Maya learns that her most crucial role is to learn to be herself.
Recommended by the Children’s Book Council; named a 2025 Librarian Favorite.
Ages 8 to 12
10: Good Different – verse fiction book by Meg Eden Kuyatt (Published 2023)
Good Different is a novel that addresses the pressure felt by many children to fit in socially by hiding who they truly are. The story follows Selah, an autistic seventh grader struggling to keep her “normal-person mask” on in class — until she has a meltdown that could result in her having to leave the school. What follows is a journey of self-discovery: Selah uses poetry to process her feelings, and she finds community among fellow neurodivergent people who embrace their differences without shame.
Kirkus Reviews praises the way the book’s “short free-verse vignettes beautifully evoke despair, loneliness — and determination.” Good Different was included in the 2023 list of Best Fiction for Older Readers by The Chicago Public Library which noted that the story goes beyond autism: “anyone who feels like they have to put on a mask to fit into a world not made for them will be able to empathize with Selah.” The book also gently challenges adults to listen better to the kids in their lives.
Recommended by the Children’s Book Council as a 2024 book for Mental Health Awareness Month.
Ages 9 to 14
11: The Water You’re Swimming In – novel by Rachel Schwartz Fagan (Published 2026)
When eighth grader Noah’s older brother Jamie runs away to Halifax, the family experiences a quiet crisis. The search consumes Noah’s parents and, as the publisher’s website explains, this leaves Noah “trying to mask his anxiety and grief by pretending to be the perfect son who does everything right.”
Fortunately, Noah has some company. His grandmother arrives from Cape Breton with hugs, home remedies, and chocolate cake; and a kind new classmate offers friendship.
A swim competition with a trip to Halifax as the prize gives Noah a goal: a secret mission to find Jamie on his own.
The novel handles the family’s predicament with sensitivity. It captures, explains Kirkus Reviews, “the anxiety of a family dealing with crisis, the pleasures of having a loving grandparent, and the typical — yet still excruciating — ups and downs of adolescence.” The Nova Scotia setting, woven with traditional East Coast folk songs, gives the story a memorable sense of place; the book, notes the Canadian Children’s Book Centre, is “a well-paced novel with relatable characters.”
The Water You’re Swimming in has received a positive review from School Library Journal, as shared on the publisher’s website.
Recommended by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.
Ages 12 to 18
12: Age 16 – graphic novel by Rosena Fung (Published 2024)
Age 16 by Rosena Fung is a graphic novel that follows three generations of women, each at age 16, across Guangdong in 1954, Hong Kong in 1972, and Toronto in 2000. When teenager Roz’s estranged grandmother moves in, long-buried family secrets surface, forcing all three women to confront the pressures around body image, beauty, and belonging that have shaped their lives.
The author has drawn on her own family history, notes the CCBC’s Bookcentre, to create “an emotional and poignant story about how every generation is affected by those that came before, and affect those that come after.” The New York Public Library named it a Best Book of 2024, noting “This moving graphic novel shifts through time and space, following three generations of a Chinese family as they grapple with internalized fatphobia, trauma, and womanhood.”
Other review sites praising Age 16 includes Kirkus Reviews and Booklist (American Library Association). Quill & Quire observed, “Fung’s artwork and storytelling are both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, yet ultimately healing; as often as we may think we struggle alone, our mothers and grandmothers may understand us more than we realize.”
Age 16 is a Winner of the 2025 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Book Awards.
NOTE: For more information about children’s mental wellbeing, see our Family Mental Health issue, which contains articles on how to find family and caregiver support. The issue includes:
Finding Family Mental Health Support When a Youth is Struggling
Mental Health Support for Families, Caregivers in Canada
Mental Health Support for Families, Caregivers in the United States
Family Mental Health Support from 12 Step & other Substance Disorder Programs
Finding a Mental Health Therapist
Footnotes
1 Recommendations come from organizations at the national level, rather than from local chapters.
*Mental Health statistics are from National Library of Medicine, U.S.A. and World Health Organization.
