Social Emotional Books for the Classroom: Building Your Classroom Community

Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationally bestselling and celebrated creator of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Owen, and Kitten's First Full Moon, Chrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, self-esteem, and acceptance to share all year round. Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect--until her first day of school. "You're named after a flower!" teases Victoria. "Let's smell her," says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?

Justin is his group leader for a research project in the library! He has a lot of ideas in mind, but he quickly learns that being a good leader means being fair to everyone in his group. Justin must figure out how to make sure everyone can work together. Find out how Justin learns about fairness to help his group complete their project.

Miles McHale is a tattletale. And everybody knows it. But he's not the only one who needs help, so his teacher decides: it's time to fight the Tattle Battle! But will Miles figure out the right time to tell a grown-up about another person's behavior, or is he doomed to be a tattletale forever?

Maria is from Spain, Jin is from Korea, and Fatima is from Somalia. All three are new to their American elementary school, and each has trouble speaking, writing, and sharing ideas in English. Through self-determination and with encouragement from their peers and teachers, the students learn to feel confident and comfortable in their new school without losing a sense of their home country, language, and identity. Young readers from all backgrounds will appreciate this touching story about the assimilation of three immigrant students in a supportive school community.

Are you new here? Do you know someone new? In I'm New Hereand Someone New, young readers explore the immigrant experience through both "windows" and "mirrors." In I'm New Here, readers meet three recent immigrants trying to adjust to a new country and school. InSomeone New, the same story is told from the perspective of the students who welcome the newcomers. An honest and heartwarming look at diversity, inclusion, and friendship.

The first day of school can be lonely and scary, especially when you don't speak the same language as everyone else. Sumi only knows one phrase in English, "Hello, my name is Sumi." This doesn't seem nearly enough to prepare her for a big school with wide stairs, noisy children, and a mean classmate.

It's the first day of school at Frederick Douglass Elementary and everyone's just a little bit nervous, especially the school itself. What will the children do once they come? Will they like the school? Will they be nice to him? The school has a rough start, but as the day goes on, he soon recovers when he sees that he's not the only one going through first-day jitters.

Ming goes to school, where she learns to say hello and good-bye. She meets new friends and introduces them to old friends (including her favorite teddy). She builds sandcastles and makes snow angels; she traces, glitters, and glues. She is so fearless that when held at sword point, she even walks the plank! And when she's playing in the mud, she reaches out and touches the worms with her bare hands. But despite those brave deeds, she isn't quite ready for the big red slide--not yet.

You can call her Ally-SAURUS! When Ally roars off to her first day at school, she hopes she'll meet lots of other dinosaur-mad kids in class. Instead, she's the only one chomping her food with fierce dino teeth and drawing dinosaurs on her nameplate. Even worse, a group of would-be "princesses" snubs her! Will Ally ever make new friends? With its humorous art, appealing heroine, and surprise ending, this fun picture book celebrates children's boundless imagination.

A child-friendly story about the trials and triumphs of starting over in a new place while keeping family and traditions close. When Hee Jun's family moves from Korea to West Virginia, he struggles to adjust to his new home. His eyes are not big and round like his classmates', and he can't understand anything the teacher says, even when she speaks s-l-o-w-l-y and loudly at him. As he lies in bed at night, the sky seems smaller and darker. But little by little Hee Jun begins to learn English words and make friends on the playground. And one day he is invited to a classmate's house, where he sees a flower he knows from his garden in Korea -- mugunghwa, or rose of Sharon, as his friend tells him -- and Hee Jun is happy to bring a shoot to his grandmother to plant a "piece of home" in their new garden.

Louis is back And this time, he's learning all about personal space. Louis, a self-taught space expert is delighted to learn that his teacher has sent him to the principal's office to attend personal space camp. Eager to learn more about lunar landings, space suits, and other cosmic concepts, Louis soon discovers that he has much to learn about personal space right here on earth. Written with style, wit, and rhythm, personal space camp addresses the complex issue of respect for another person's physical boundaries.

All of Louis' thoughts are very important to him. In fact, his thoughts are so important to him that when he has something to say, his words begin to wiggle, and then they do the jiggle, then his tongue pushes all of his important words up against his teeth and he erupts, or interrupts others. His mouth is a volcano My Mouth Is A Volcano takes an empathetic approach to the habit of interrupting and teaches children a witty technique to capture their rambunctious thoughts and words for expression at an appropriate time.

Through a fun and whimsical story, children will learn the concept of ownership and how it feels when someone doesn't respect what is yours. Meet Ricky! A cute little boy that just can't seem to figure out that stealing is wrong.

Owen McPhee doesn't just like to talk, he LOVES to talk. He spends every waking minute chattering away at his teachers, his classmates, his parents, his dog, and even himself. But all that talking can get in the way of listening. And when Owen wakes up with a bad case of laryngitis, it gives him a much-needed opportunity to hear what others have to say. A bright and lively picture book that captures the social dynamics of a busy classroom while delivering a gentle message about the importance of listening.

There's a new car on the playground. Ken is having trouble letting others use it. Can he learn how to take turns?

Anya becomes frustrated while working on a project. Can she calm down enough to complete it?

Eva feels that rules are getting in the way of her fun at school. Will she discover that classrooms have rules fro a reason?

Jack has a difficult time listening to others. When he almost misses his favorite activity during class, he has to figure out how to pay attention and listen.

Kim wants the kids at her new school to like her, so she tells a teeny, tiny, bitty lie. She says her name is really K.I.M.for Katherine Isabella Marguerite and that she comes from a royal family! Pretty soon all the students know there is a princess in the school. Kim wears her golden tiara from dance class and a big fancy ring she won at the arcade. Her little lie grows and grows.

Who knew that cakes were so rude?! In this deliciously entertaining book, a not-so-sweet cake--who never says please or thank you or listens to its parents--gets its just desserts.

If you drop just one soda can out the window, it's no big deal ... right? But what if everybody did that? What if everybody broke the rules ... and spoke during story time, didn't wash up, or splashed too much at the pool? Then the world would be a mess. But what if everybody obeyed the rules so that the world would become a better place? Using humorous illustrations rendered in mixed media, these questions are answered in a child-friendly way and show the consequences of thoughtless behavior.