Helping Toddlers Understand and Work Through Their Emotions with Picture Books

​We’ve discovered the “Terrible Twos” in my household. I recently read a list of picture books for Little Kids with Big Emotions. Some of the books were a little too abstract for my 2-year old so I’ve created my own list with a focus on the grumps to help us deal with the roller coaster of tears we’re experiencing. 

​Grumpy Pants (2016) by Claire Messer
Wash the attitude away with simple text and illustrations that pack a punch!

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​Field Guide to the Grumpasaurus (2016) by Edward Hemingway
I love this fresh approach to big emotion and the way the illustrations reveal the cat’s parallel story so a child can see consequences for his/her actions. It should be sold with a dinosaur costume! 

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​Maya Was Grumpy (2013) by Courtney Pippin-Mathur
Absolutely love how Maya’s hair shows an escalation of her mood, while grandma’s imaginative redirection leads to a clever culmination!

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​BE QUIET! (2017) by Ryan T. Higgins
While this book does have a grumpy character, it actually makes the list for another reason…the onomatopoeia line that brings my daughter to hysterics no matter her mood!

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​Augustus and His Smile (2006) by Catherine Rayner
Beautiful illustrations reveal a sad tiger’s journey to reclaim his smile, which could lead to a fun scavenger hunt to banish the toddler blues! 

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​A couple other books that my daughter enjoys and are particularly fitting with her stage of development include: 

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​Jabari Jumps (2017) by Gaia Cornwell
A great book about overcoming fear and a repeated read-aloud requested by my daughter!

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Music Class Today! (2015) by David Weinstone, art by Vin Vogel
Rhyming text and song guide a child through the uncertainty of new experiences, resulting in trying new things. 

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I read this great parenting post on avoiding the Terrible Twos label and using the term “Boundary Stage” instead because, “The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice.” (Peggy O’Mara) I’ve seen this with my daughter as she reflects my words back to me daily. I try to label her emotions and identify her frustrations, no matter how trivial they seem to me. This sets the foundation for how she will handle frustration in the future, just as picture books do! As a writer, I’m looking at this developmental stage for inspiration – a new picture book idea has sprouted already! For anyone in the trenches with me, here’s another parenting post on this period of self-discovery…for both toddler and parent.