Winter Reading: 10 Children’s Books with Mental Health Themes
Is one of your family’s goals this winter to include more time for reading? If so, here are some suggestions for recent children’s books that focus on mental health themes. Menderist recommends the titles as suitable for parents and children to read together.
The following books are on Menderist’s preliminary list for the upcoming 2026 annual recommendations, which will have 20 titles and be released by summer. The books have mental health themes: topics include social media use, body image, anxiety, and friendship and communication. Six books were published in 2025; the rest are from 2024 and 2023.
Similar to our summer 2025 list, Menderist asked contributors to suggest recent books that have been well-reviewed and address common issues for pre-adolescent and older children. We are again focusing on readers who are pre- and early teens, because research says 13 to 20%* of mental health problems start between the ages of 11 and 14.
Ages 4 to 8
I Lost a Day – picture book by Briana Corr Scott (Published April 2025)
Menderist first learned about I Lost a Day from the website, CanLit for Little Canadians. We’re including the book, which is for younger readers than our usual selection, as a promising resource for families with a loved one who is working through mental health issues. In the author’s note, Briana Corr Scott explains that she has periods of depression. During such a time not long ago, she asked herself, “How would I advise my own children to care for themselves if they felt how I feel?” And her response is that “the answer is the poem in this book.”
In its review, the website 49thshelf notes: “Whether a child feels rage “buzzing like bees” or loses a day under the covers, wrapped in the “softest cocoon” of their bed, they will soon discover that losing a day doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You can lose a day listening to the calm and steady tapping of the rain, or by reading or writing a story, by running or playing music. By listening to your breath.”
The review continues: “By the end of this thoughtful book, readers and parents will learn about creative responses to the most common mental health challenges for young people.”
I Lost a Day includes restorative art activities to help family members and educators.
Recommended by A. Elliott
Ages 8 to 12
Unsinkable Cayenne – novel-in-verse by Jessica Vitalis (Published October 2024)
The challenges faced by children who are trying to fit in with peers are addressed in the novel Unsinkable Cayenne, notes contributor Abbie James. The storyline also “discusses the role of socioeconomic factors” of friendship, and one of the book’s characters is a parent with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). James says that the story “is set during the 1980s and may especially appeal to readers interested in the Titanic.”
Unsinkable Cayenne received a “School Library Journal Starred Review and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.”
Recommended by A.W. James
Kareem Between – novel-in-verse by Shifa Saltagi Safadi (Published September 2024)
Kareem Between “deals with themes of peer pressure, fitting in, and feeling caught between forces pulling in opposite directions,” notes contributor Abbie James. And the book “features football, so this may add extra appeal to sports fans.”
Kareem Between won the National Book Awards 2024 for Young People’s Literature and has received starred reviews from Kirkus and the School Library Journal.
Recommended by A.W. James
Ages 9 to 12
Buzzing – graphic novel by Samuel Sattin (Published July 2023)
Buzzing is a graphic novel about a boy named Isaac, who is a middle school student with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in the form of intrusive thoughts. Life improves for Isaac when his family realizes he is struggling and they reach out to help. Another positive development occurs when Isaac meets other kids who share the same interests as his, such as role-playing games similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Over time, Isaac learns to better manage his OCD.
Buzzing was named a Notable Children’s Book of 2024 by the American Library Association. In its writeup, Kirkus Reviews notes: “This book provides a positive, sympathetic introduction to living with OCD, with appeal for readers who have the same diagnosis as well as those who do not.”
Recommended by F. Farokhi
A Summer of Dragonflies – novel by Natasha Deen (Published September 2025)
Menderist first learned about A Summer of Dragonflies from the website, CanLit for Little Canadians. The book’s main character is Guppie Persaud, a quiet 12-year-old struggling with anxiety as her family plans a move to New York City for a year. Guppie brainstorms ways to become more outgoing and to add adventure to her life and plans to start this quest during her family’s journey to their new temporary home. However, explains 49thshelf in its starred review, “the three-week road trip from Calgary to their new home in New York City includes no A/C in the van, no cellphones, and no escape from her technophobe parents’ old-people music.”
The writeup continues: “No matter, because every hero’s quest has obstacles, and Guppie is determined to make the most of her summer on the road and go from shy zero to epic hero.” A Summer of Dragonflies contains interesting family and friend dynamics and shows how people learn to become more considerate of each other. The book has received a Starred Review from Quill and Quire.
Recommended by A. Elliott
The Story and Science of Hope – non-fiction book by Andrea Curtis (Published October 2025)
How is hope different from a wish? Early in her book, The Story and Science of Hope, author Andrea Curtis advances that hope is a concept rooted in taking positive action. She provides historical context and examples from around the world, and shares findings from extensive data. A strong sense of hope, she explains, has a positive effect on health, friendship, and achievement.
Curtis’ book shares ideas on cultivating hope that will likely inspire readers of all ages. She also addresses the importance of establishing goals, nurturing creativity, and working together for positive change. The book includes a list of books and organizations to contact for more information.
The Story and Science of Hope received an ‘Expert’s Pick’ from the CCBC and a positive writeup from Kirkus Reviews, which describes the book as “A lucid mini-course in an essential life-enhancing emotion.”
Recommended by S. Miller
The Anxious Exile of Sara Salt – novel by Gabrielle Prendergast (Published March 2025)
The main character in The Anxious Exile of Sara Salt is a 10-year-old who is dealing with anxiety during serious family mental health challenges. Sara temporarily moves in with her older sister who, notes the review site Canadian Materials, “…is an architect who wants to help the unhoused and believes that establishing a community would help the situation.”
Sara takes action to help her sister and reaches out to family members, local government, and neighbours. “This charming and engaging book” notes Kirkus Reviews “has much to teach readers about anxiety disorders, homelessness, and family”.
The Anxious Exile of Sara Salt received a starred review from the School Library Journal.
Recommended by S. Miller
Ages 10 to 14
The Trouble with Heroes – novel-in-verse by Kate Messner (Published April 2025)
The Trouble with Heroes uses a range of formats in its storyline, notes contributor Abbie James: the author uses a highly effective, “creative and engaging format that includes poems, texts, articles, photos, and multiple choice questions.”
James notes that The Trouble with Heroes “deals with processing the loss of a parent, parental PTSD and alcoholism, coping with anger, finding intergenerational connection, and the uplifting presence of nature.”
The Chicago Public Library begins its plot summary by explaining that 13 year-old “Finn Connelly is nothing like his dad, a star athlete and firefighter hero who always ran toward danger until he died two years ago. Finn is about to fail seventh grade and has never made headlines . . . until now.” The book was recently added to the ‘Best of the Best Books list for 2025’ by Chicago Public Librarians.
The Trouble with Heroes has received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly, among other sites.
Recommended by A.W. James
Ages 12 to 18
Shoot the Moon – novel by Matt Beam (Published April 2025)
The main character of Shoot the Moon is 16-year-old Charlie. Charlie lives with and helps take care of her father, who experiences depression and mood swings. One day, Charlie’s father goes missing, and she sets out to find him. Along the way, explains the review on the website 49thshelf, “she meets people who help her understand not only where he might be but also who he really is. As she discovers the truth, her search takes on greater urgency and scope.”
Kirkus Reviews describes Shoot the Moon as “[An] accessibly written story that centers on the emotional costs of trying to take on too much responsibility. Beam leaves readers with food for thought about the roles they should–and perhaps should not—be expected to take within their families. An absorbing, intensely felt, occasionally scary novel that will hook reluctant readers.”
Recommended by S. Miller
Ages 14 and up
Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes – anthology edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter, Rocky Callen (Published in 2023)
This anthology of 16 works is likely to appeal to older children and families who are dealing with mental health challenges. Contributors share stories about their lived experiences through different written formats including a play script, graphic narrative, and short stories.
Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes covers such topics as bullying, grief, depression, and PTSD. And resources for parents and educators are available through the editor’s website.
CommonSense Media notes that, in a ‘Parents’ Guide’ to the book, “Despite references to traumatic experiences and significant mental health struggles (including suicidal ideation), this book is brimming with messages of hope for the future, courage, strength, and perseverance. Characters seek professional and personal support as well as explicitly model healthy ways to manage and improve mental health.”
In its writeup, Kirkus Reviews notes “The book’s main lessons include the messages that you are not alone and should reach out for help and follow a treatment plan.”
Recommended by F. Farokhi
Contributors
Thanks go to the children’s book specialists for their book suggestions. Abbie Werner James is a Licensed Behavior Specialist working in youth services at a public library, who reads and writes fiction for middle grade children. F. Fallon Farokhi is an educator and school librarian who blogs about teaching and books at TheStory Spectator blog (TheStorySpectator.blogspot.com). And Spencer Miller is Digital Media Coordinator for The Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC). The remaining recommendations are from Anne Elliott, publisher of Menderist.
