If you have a toddler, you know the array of big emotions they can express in a day, not to mention in five minutes. From unbridled enthusiasm to tears and tantrums, it’s all part of a toddler’s emotional journey. One way to help kids this age is to normalize those emotions and offer them relatable, repeatable self-soothing and coping techniques, like calm breathing and little rhyming affirmations.

Related: 15 TV shows about kindness for kids

The following books for toddlers feature plenty of these, from Cookie Monster using belly breathing to stay patient to a ninja dealing with anxiety. You’ll find these books a comfort to your children and yourself. Pull these books out for bedtime reading or even when your little one needs a reset. Add these books to your cart to give them a gentle reminder on how to deal with their big emotions.

Here are 10 wellness books for toddlers:

I AM book

I Am! Affirmations for Resilience by Bela Barbosa, illustrated by Edel Rodriguez

Teach your toddlers mindfulness with this brightly colored book featuring ten different emotions, each one followed by an exercise and an affirmation. Encourages toddlers to recognize emotional responses in their bodies and teaches affirmations for calmness, bravery, and more. 

breathe deep, little sheep book

Breathe Deep, Little Sheep: A Calm-Down Book for Kids by Jessica Lee, illustrated by Lucia Wilkinson

An early guide to self-soothing, the book demonstrates how to work through common anxious situations by pairing adorable illustrations of baby animals with simple coping suggestions. The little rhymes become mantras for you and the kids to repeat when situations come up in real life.

anxious ninja book

Anxious Ninja: A Children's Book About Managing Anxiety and Difficult Emotions by Mary Nhin, illustrated by Jelena Stupar

Told with humor and cute ninja illustrations, this book teaches children that having anxiety is normal and shows clever ways to cope with feeling anxious. All the books in Mary Nhin’s creative Ninja Life Hacks series tackle common issues young children face and teach positive coping skills.

the abcs of calm book

The ABCs of Calm: Discover Mindfulness from A-Z by Rose Rossner and Brooke Backsen, illustrated by AndoTwin

A soothing board book that teaches critical social-emotional skills to help children learn to calm themselves down in anxious situations. Brooke Backsen is a pediatric occupational therapist and yoga instructor, so her suggestions are practical and easy for kids to follow. 

breathe like a bear book

Mindfulness Moments for Kids: Breathe Like a Bear by Kira Willey, illustrated by Anni Betts

The board book version of this popular book for kids teaches toddlers how to control their breath, just like the sweet little bear in the book, and use breath control to soothe themselves to sleep, calm anxiety, and gain control of their bodies when emotions are running high, no matter where they are.

i feel sad book

I Feel Sad: Why do I feel sad today? by DK

Part of DK’s First Emotions series aimed at normalizing emotions; this one stars a relatable little cloud character. Babies and toddlers learn that sadness is an emotion everyone feels. It gives toddler-specific examples of situations that can make us feel sad (a broken toy, a friend is leaving) and suggestions for helping to cheer yourself up. 

calm with the very hungry caterpillar book

Calm with the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Instead of following the familiar caterpillar on his trek from egg to beautiful butterfly, kids will follow him on a mindfulness journey, learning how to use breathing techniques to regain focus as they process confusing emotions and big feelings.

monster meditation book

Being Patient with Cookie Monster: Sesame Street Monster Meditation by Random House Editors

Based on the popular Sesame Street Monster Meditation video made in collaboration with Headspace, a mindfulness app, this board book shows kids how to stop and take big belly breaths when things get overwhelming. The first of six books in the Monster Meditation series focuses on patience: Cookie Monster learns a calming game to help him wait patiently for his cookies to finish baking.

i am human book

I Am Human: A Book of Empathy by Susan Verde, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

A sweet board book that shows very young children that everyone makes mistakes. It teaches compassion and kindness when making decisions and encourages children to act with empathy for themselves and others to make good choices.

the feelings book

The Feelings Book by Todd Parr

Todd Parr’s board books have become staples in every toddler-parent bookshelf for almost twenty years, thanks to his ability to illustrate realistic situations with a combination of quirk and compassion. The sweet humor and simple text stay with kids as they face those situations in the real world. In this one, he helps kids and their parents discuss the gamut of emotions we all feel.