Social-Emotional Learning Read Aloud List

Social-emotional learning (SEL) plays a critical role in children’s long-term wellness and academic success. SEL incorporates five key competencies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making

Click the image below for a complete list of SEL Read Aloud Books by competency:

Self-Awareness

Developing Self-Awareness

• The Way I Feel by Janan Cain

• Giraffes Can’t Dance By: Giles Andreae

• It’s Okay to be Different By: Todd Parr

• Hooray for You! By: Marianne Richmond

• The Name Jar By: Yangsook Choi

Confidence Building

• Amazing Grace By: Mary Hoffman

• The Little Yellow Leaf By: Carin Berger

• Brave as Can Be By: Jo Witek

• There Might be Lobster By: Carolyn Crimi

• Jabari Jumps By: Gaia Cornwall

• I Like ME! By: Nancy Carlson

Emotion Recognition

• Visiting Feelings By: Lauren Rube stein

• The Way I Feel By: Jonan Cain

• The Color Monster By: Anna Llenas

• In My Heart By: Jo Witek

Positive Character Traits

• Great Joy By: Kate DiCamillo

• The Lion and the Mouse By: Jerry Pinkney

• Call it Courage By: Armstrong Sperry

• A Day’s Work By: Eve Bunting

Growth Mindset

• The Dot By: Peter H. Reynolds

• Ish By: Peter H. Reynolds

• The Most Magnificent Thing By: Ashley Spires

• Beautiful Oops By: Barney Saltzberg

• The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes By: Kobi Yamada

Positive Mindset

• Be Positive! By: Cheri J. Meiners & Elizabeth Allen

• I Think, I Am! By: Louise Hay

• A Handful of Quiet By: Thich Nhat Hanh

Hopes, Goals, and Dreams

• Oh, the Places You’ll GO! By: Dr. Seuss

• Big Orange Splot By: Daniel Pinkwater

• A World of Their Own By: Laura Carlin

• Rosie Revere, Engineer By: Andrea Beaty

• Hiromi’s Hands By: Lynne Barasch

Responsible Decision-Making

Being Responsible

• Franklin Wants a Pet by Paulette Bourgeois

• The Paperboy By: Dav Pilkey

• The Way I Act By: Steve Metzger

Decision Making

• What if Everybody Did That? By: Ellen Javernick

• Making Smart Choices By: Lucia Raatma

• Land of Or By: Katie Mullaly

Accountability

• I’m in Charge of Me! By: David Parker

• Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed By: Emily Pearson

• Two Bad Ants By: Chris Van Allsburg

Peer pressure/influence

• The Juice Box Bully By: Bob Samson & Maria Dismondy

• One By: Kathryn Otoshi

• A Bad Case of the Stripes By: David Shannon

• Bully on the Bus By: Carl W. Bosch

Problem-Solving Skills

• What Do You Do with a Problem? By: Kobi Yamada

• Your Fantastic Elastic Brain By: JoAnn Deak

• Not a Box By: Antoinette Portis

• Iggy Peck By: Andrea Beaty

Self Reflection

• David Gets in Trouble By: David Shannon

• Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse By: Kevin Kenkes

• Beautiful Oops! By: Barney Saltzberg

• After the Fall By: Dan Santatt

Relationship Skills

Forming Friendships

• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

• Making Friends is an Art By: Julia Cook

• Jessica’s Box By: Peter Carnavas

• Louise and Andie By: Kelly Light

Communication Skills

• Amelia Badelia By: Peggy Parish

• Why Should I Listen? By: Clair Llewellyn

Inclusivity

• My Name is Sangoel By: Karen Williams

• If you Plant a Seed By: Kadir Nelson

• If the World were a Village By: Joy McDonald Coltvet

• Stone Soup By: Jon J. Muth

• Maybe Something Beautiful By: Isabel Campoy & Theresa Howell

• A Sick Day for Amos McGee By: Philip C. Stead

• The Invisible Boy By: Patrice Barton

• Same Same but Different By: Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

Working well with Others/Classroom agreements

• Do Unto Otters By: Laurie Keller

• Swimmy By: Leo Leonni

• Stone Soup By: Jon J. Muth

• Yes we Can! By: Sam McBratney

Getting Along with Others who are Different

• Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun By: Maria Dismondy

• Pass It On By: Sophy Henn

• Red: A Crayon’s Story By: Michael Hall

• We Can get Along By: Lauren Murphy Payne

Conflict Resolution

• Eat your Peas By: Kes Gray

• There’s a Bear on my Chair By: Ross Collins

• Where the Wild Things Are By: Maurice Sendak

• Sharing a Shell By: Julia Donaldson

Repairing Harm

• Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse By: Kevin Henkes

• Martha Doesn’t Say Sorry By: Samantha Berger

• Zach Apologizes By: William Mulcahy

• I did It, I’m Sorry By: Caralyn Buehner

Social Awareness

Social Expectations

• Time To Say Please By: Mo Willems

• Manners By: Aliki

• How To Speak Politely and Why By: Munroe Leaf

• I Want to Win By: Tone Ross

• The Thingumajig Book of Manners By: Irene Keller

Social Cues

• Personal Space Camp By: Julia Cook

• Clark the Shark By: Bruce Hale

Respect

• David Goes to School by: David Shannon

• The Way I Act By: Steve Metzger

• Respect and Take Care of Things By: Cheri J. Meiners

Perspective-Taking

• Just Because: Where Seeing Another Point of View Makes a Better You By: Amber Housey

• How Do I Stand in Your Shoes? By: Susan DeBell

• The Girl Who Thought in Pictures By: Julia Finley Mosca

Empathy

• The Invisible Boy By: Trudy Ludwig

• The Bicycle Man By: Allen Say

• Do Unto Otters By: Laurie Keller

• Stand in my Shoes By: Bob Samson

• Zen Ties By: Jon J. Muth

Showing Kindness

• Each Kindness By: Jacqueline Woodson

• Those Shoes By: Maribeth Boelts

• Good People Everywhere By: lynea Gillen

• Kindness Starts with you By: Jacquelyn Stagg

• A Chair For My Mother By: Vera B. Williams

Celebrating Diversity

• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

• Strictly No Elephants By: Lisa Mantchev

• If the World Were a Village By: David J. Smith

• Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon By: Patty Lovell

• Smoky Night By: Eve Bunting

• Wings By: Christopher Myers

Self Management

Self-Control

• Interrupting Chicken By: David Ezra Stein

• How to Be a Superhero Called Self-Control By: Lauren Brukner

• What If? By: Collen Doyle Bryant

Emotional Regulation

• Millie Fierce By: Jane Manning

• Llama Llama Mad at Mama By: Anna Dewdney

Mindfulness Strategies

• My Very Own Space By: Pippa Goodhard

• Puppy Mind By: Andrew Jordan Nance

• When Sophie Gets Angry By: Molly Bang

• Meditation is an Open Sky By: Whitney Stewart

• Stress Can Really Get on Your Nerves! By: Trevor Romain

• You Get What you Get By: Julia Gassman

• I Can Handle It! By: Laurie Wright

Goal Setting

• Salt in His Shoes By: Deloris Jordan

• The Little Engine that Could By: Watty Piper

• A Chair for My Mother By: Vera B. Williams

• Ruby’s Wish By: Shirin Yim Bridges

Grit, Perseverance and Resilience

• Wilma Unlimited By: Kathleen Krull

• Salt in His Shoes By: Deloris Jordan

• Brave Irene By: William Steig

• Unstoppable Me! By: Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

• The Most Magnificent Thing By: Ashley Spires