Books
In My Heart: A book of Feelings by Jo Witek
Happiness, sadness, bravery, anger, shyness … our hearts can feel so many feelings! In My Heart explores a full range of emotions, describing how they feel physically, inside.
Recommended Age: 2-6 Years
Available at: Kmart Australia, Amazon AU, QBD Books
There's a Bully in my Brain by Lauren Thompson. Lauren explores negative self-talk and the impact it can have. Her words, paired with Kayla Lee’s illustrations effectively communicate valuable messages in a way which is easy to understand for children of all ages.
Ages 3+
Available from Amazon AU and Booktopia
Be With Me by Lorren Arezio follows the story of Echidna, as he tries to work through his big feelings. Sometimes he wakes feeling confident and happy, but other days he wakes feeling cross and grumpy. Sometimes something has happened to make him feel this way, but other days, it is just a feeling that is hanging over him.
Ages 0-12
Available from Lorren’s website
The Colour Monster by Anna Llenas
One day, Colour Monster wakes up feeling very confused. His emotions are all over the place; he feels angry, happy, calm, sad and scared all at once! To help him, a little girl shows him what each feeling means through colour. A gentle exploration of feelings for young and old alike.
Age: 3-7 Years
Available at: Dymocks, Crow Books Perth, Amazon AU, QBD Books
The Brand-New, Never Used, Perfect Crayons by Leanne Hutch
The Brand-New, Never-Used, Perfect Crayons, Leanne Hatch taps into the joy of sharing, creating, and letting go of perfectionism
Recommended Age: 4-8 years
Available at: Amazon AU, The Nile Books
Kevin the Unicorn: It’s Not All Rainbows by Jessika Von Innerebner
Everyone knows that unicorns are perfect. They are glamorous and glittery, and their smiles make rainbows appear! But Kevin is having a less than perfect day. First, he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed… on the floor. Then he discovers that his mane is so wild that even his Super-Perfect-Hair-Day-Spray can’t tame it. And the day just gets worse from there. Kevin does his best to keep his outlook sunny, but its hard to keep smiling when everything goes horribly wrong!
Age: 3-7 years old
Available at: Amazon AU, QBD Books
Ms Mali: A is for Attitude is a children's picture book written by Rachael Burgess that focuses on emotional development and positive self-talk.
Ages 3-9yrs
Available from https://msmaliworld.com/products/a-is-for-attitude
I Am Stuck by Julia Mills
A tender (and humorous!) look at the way tough emotions can make us feel stuck and how the presence of a good friend and a deep belly laugh can make it easier to get through stormy feelings. This story reminds us that when we’re feeling down, sometimes what we need most is a friend by our side – and a deep belly laugh – to help us get back on our feet.
Age: 4-8 years
Available at: Amazon AU
Greenlight by Breanna Carzoo - A Children’s Picture Book About an Essential Neighbourhood Traffic Light.
Meet Greenlight! Greenlight has an important job to do, but every time its her turn to shine … everyone drives away! The cars stop for Redlight and slow for Yellowlight, so why do they leave Greenlight all alone? When Greenlight decides to stop shining altogether, will she be able to find the power and connection of her own light?
Age: 4-8 Years
Available at: Amazon AU, Harper Collins Australia, Dymocks, BigW
Just a Thought: Exploring Your Weird, Wacky, and Wonderful Mind by Jason Gruhl
The story helps to teach self-awareness by recognising negative self-thought and recurring thought patterns. Regardless of whether you have happy, weird, or mean thoughts – they are all just thoughts, and no single thought can define you. The magic of mind is that it’s a space where anything is possible!
Age: 4-8 Years
Available at: Amazon AU, Booktopia
The Book of Mistakes by Corinne Luyken
Creative processes and how “mistakes” can blossom into inspiration. One eye was bigger than the other. That was a mistake. The weird frog-cat-cow thing? It made an excellent bush. And the inky smudges … they look as if they were always meant to be leaves floating gently across the sky.
Age: 4-8 Years
Available at: QBD Books, Amazon AU, Big W Marketplace
The Perfect Place by Matt de la Peña
Lucas goes to the perfect school, in the perfect neighbourhood. And when he gets perfect grades, he feels like he fits right in. But life at home is not so perfect, his dads old work truck keeps breaking down. One night, Lucas is awakened by a strange light, which he follows all the way to the place where the perfect people live. But the longer Lucas stays, the more he wonders what it really means to be perfect.
Age: 4-8 Years
Available at: Amazon AU, Booktopia
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst, a mother reassures her two scared children during a thunderstorm that they are never truly alone. She explains that everyone is connected by an unbreakable invisible string made of love that reaches anywhere, bridging separation, loneliness, grief, and loss.
Ages 4-7yrs
Available from Kmart, Big W, Target, AmazonAU, Booktopia
The Magic Coat is a popular children's resilience and wellbeing book written by Australian author and former teacher Di Wilcox. It uses the visual analogy of a bright yellow coat with magical pockets to help children manage their emotions, build confidence, and handle everyday challenges.
Ages 4-7yrs
Available from https://magiccoatfoundation.com.au/
Ups and Downs by Karen Young An important, engaging, practical book for young people (and their important adults)
All feelings are important – the magical, the messy, and the in-between
Ages 5+
Available from Hey Sigmund, QBD Books, Abbeys Bookshop, The Nile Books
Hey Warrior by Karen Young is a bestselling children's book that explains the science of anxiety in simple terms. It personifies the amygdala as a fierce inner "warrior" trying to protect the body, helping kids aged 5–12 understand their physical symptoms, find calm, and build brave behaviour.
Available from Amazon AU, Booktopia and QBD Books
The Hey Warrior Workbook by Karen Young and Norvile Dovidonyte is an interactive guide for children aged 5–12 to help them understand, manage big feelings, and build emotional resilience.
Available from Amazon AU, Booktopia and QBD Books
The Big, Big Feelings Activiy Book
Everyone has feelings, but big emotions like anger, sadness, jealousy, embarrassment, and fear can be hard to process. Finding different ways to work through each emotion helps kids identify, regulate, and cope.
Ages for 5-8yrs
Available from Amazon AU, Dymocks, Booktopia and QBD Books
Big by Vashti Harrison
Once there was a girl with a big laugh, big heart and big dreams, who was polite and tidy and ate all her food. She grew and grew and grew and it was all good until one day it wasn’t. When something awful happens in the playground, she becomes more aware of her size and how people are now reacting to it differently, which has an impact on her self-esteem until one day, she decides to make space for herself…
Age: 5-10 years
Available at: Amazon AU, Booktopia, Dymocks, Fishpond
Me and My Feelings by Vanessa Green Allen is an interactive guide for children aged 7 to 10. It helps kids validate, understand, and manage complex emotions like anger, sadness, and anxiety through practical coping tools.
Available from online stores like Amazon AU, BIG W Marketplace and Booktopia
Trying by Kobi Yamada
This is a story for anyone who has ever felt like a beginner, or had doubts, or worried they weren’t good enough. It’s a story for those who have experienced the pain of trying something new and not having it turn out as they hoped.
Age: 7+ Years
Available at: Penguin Random House, Dymocks, Amazon AU
Positive Minds – Mental Health by Sarah Davis
Helps young readers to learn about and understand how their mind works, what mental health is and how to build and maintain good mental health.
Age: 7+ Years
Available at: Amazon AU, Booktopia, Dymocks, eBay Australia, QBD Books
Positive Minds – Emotions by Sarah Davis
Helps young readers to learn about and understand how their mind works, what emotions are and how to manage them.
Age: 7+ Years
Available at: Booktopia, Blackwell’s, Amazon AU
Positive Minds – Psychology by Sarah Davis
Helps young readers to learn about and understand how their mind works. This book is a positive, age-appropriate and reassuring look at psychology for young readers.
Age: 7+ Years
Available at: Amazon AU, The Nile Australia, Dymocks, Booktopia
QBD Books
The Kids' Guide to Staying Awesome and In Control by Lauren Brukner is a practical, fun guide for children aged 7 to 14. It teaches kids how to use sensory and emotional regulation strategies—like breathing tricks, pressure holds, and body breaks—to feel calm, confident, and "just right" at home or school.
Available from Amazon AU, Booktopia and QBD Books
I Can’t Go to School! by Suzy Rowland
Your parents and teachers might be having a hard time understanding why going to school is tricky for you. But don’t worth, there are things you van do and there are things people can help do to help you. By working through this book, we can explore some of the words you can use to help and activities you can try that will make being at school feel better.
Age: 8 - 14
Available from: Amazon AU, Big W Marketplace, SuzyRowland.com
A Tween Girl's Guide to Puberty by Abby Swift is an essential handbook designed for girls aged 8 to 13. It helps preteens navigate physical and emotional changes with confidence, featuring practical tips, relatable illustrations, and positive advice on self-care, friendships, and growing up.
Available from Readings Books, Amazon AU, The Nile Books and Booktopia
"A Tween Girl's Guide to Feelings and Emotions: Mastering Self-Love and Building Self-Esteem" by Abby Swift is an essential wellness handbook. It helps young girls aged 9 to 12 navigate puberty, social dynamics, and big emotional shifts with practical tools and engaging activities.
Available from Amazon AU, The Nile Books, Booktopia, Angus & Robertson
A Tween Girl's Guide to Friendships: How to Make Friends and Build Healthy Relationships by Abby Swift outlines a complete handbook helping young girls navigate complex social dynamics, peer pressure, digital interactions, and emotional changes during the tween years.
Ages 9-12
Available from Amazon AU, Booktopia, MightyApe, Bookloop, The Nile Books.
The Ultimate 3-in-1 Guide for Tween Puberty, Friendships, and Emotions by Abby Swift Help your tween girl navigate the tween years with confidence and joy using this all-in-one guide. This comprehensive book combines three essential guides into one, offering a complete resource to support your child through puberty, friendships, and emotional growth.
Ages 8-12
Available from AmazingMe , Booktopia, Amazon AU, Wheelers Books, The Nile Books
The Complete Girl's Guide to Confidence: How to Feel Empowered, Build Self-Esteem, and Celebrate Your Awesomeness by Abby Swift is an uplifting handbook for girls aged 9–14. The book teaches that confidence is about knowing your worth, trusting your instincts, and showing up as your true self.
Available from Amazon AU & The Nile Books
"A Tween Boy's Guide to Puberty: Everything You Need to Know About Your Body, Mind, and Emotions When Growing Up" by Abby Swift is guide for boys aged 8-13 that acts as a companion through the, at times, challenging journey of adolescence, offering simple advice, illustrations, and relatable stories to help navigate the changes.
Available from Kogan, Amazon AU, The Nile Books & Booktopia
"Mindfulness for Kids" by Abby Swift is the perfect guide to introduce your child to the transformative practice of mindfulness. This book is crafted to help tweens and teens develop the skills they need to handle life's ups and downs, from everyday stresses to major changes, with a sense of calm and self-assurance.
Ages for 8-12yrs
Available from Amazon AU, Booktopia and The Nile Books
Social Skills for Teens with Anxiety by Emily Davenport
Feeling anxious about meeting new people, speaking in class, or making small talk is tough, but you do not have to face it alone. This practical guide helps teenagers understand social anxiety, manage stress, and build real confidence to make friends and navigate everyday social situations with ease.
Ages 12-16yrs
Available from Booktopia, Amazon AU, The Nile Books & BigW Marketplace
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Workout for Teens by Paula Nagel is an engaging guide. It uses ACT and CBT techniques to help teens ages 12–18 build a personal mental health "workout" plan to handle stress and negative thinking.
Available from Booktopia, Amazon AU, Kogan, Sanity, eBay
You Can Do All Things by Kate Allan
Struggling with depression or anxiety? You Can Do All Things is filled with affirmations and mindfulness exercises, this beautifully illustrated collection offers self care affirmations and drawing affirmations designed to help you manage difficult emotions and nurture your mental health.
Age: 13+
Available from Amazon AU, Big W Marketplace
Thoughts and Feelings for Teens offers by Elisa Nebolsine offers essential skills from cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) to help empower you to take control of your thoughts, feelings, emotions—and your life. This essential guide will show you, step by step, how to improve your mood, reduce your anxiety, and manage your emotions effectively. You’ll also learn that while you can’t necessarily change a situation, you can change how you react and respond. The ability to change your perception is an immensely powerful tool—and it’s one you already possess.
Ages 13-19yrs
Available from Booktopia, QBD Books, Amazon AU, The Nile Books
The Trans and Gender Diverse Teen Resilience Guide by Deb Coolhart describes it as a teen-friendly manual offering trauma-informed skills to help transgender and nonbinary youth embrace their identities, manage stress, build community, and thrive.
Ages 12-19yrs
Available from Booktopia, Amazon AU, The Nile Books, eBa
The Queer Mental Health Workbook by Dr Brendan Dunlop Designed to specifically help LGBTQ+ people navigate and manage the messy world that we live in. The book is split into two sections. The first section is aimed at improving general mental health and wellbeing, exploration of identity and intersectionality, and consideration of relationships. The second section discusses specific mental health challenges such as feeling anxious, feeling low, self-harm, eating difficulties, sleep difficulties, trauma, shame and suicide. There are numerous activities and exercises throughout for you to complete if you like, plus extra downloadable copies of all worksheets and exercises online.
Ages 16+
Available from Bookloop, Dymocks, The Nile Books,eBay, Amazon AU
Supporting Your Teen’s Mental Health by Andrea Temkin-Yu
An easy-to-read workbook for parents and caregivers looking to support teenagers who are facing mental health challenges. Teen mental health issues are rising at an alarming rate, and many families are unsure of how to best help their children. Supporting Your Teen's Mental Health is an essential resource for parents and caregivers looking to support teenagers who are struggling with mental health concerns.
Available from Amazon AU, Booktopia, Readings Books,The Nile Books
Navigating Teen Mental Health – An Experts Guide for Parents
Dr. Tyish Hall Brown has written this first-of-its-kind book, providing practical step-by-step guidance for parents to best support their teens’ mental health and wellness. Dr. Hall Brown provides concrete answers to questions such as “what is normal?” “when is it time to seek help?” “how do I know if a therapist is a good fit?” “how do I get on the same page as my co-parent?” and “how do I know if things are getting better?” Each accessible, plainly written chapter of Navigating Teen Mental Health is accompanied by talking points to help parents jumpstart those difficult conversations with confidence.
Available from Booktopia, Amazon AU
Start Here: A Parent’s Guide to Helping Children and Teens through Mental Health Challenges by Pier Bryden M.D & Peter Szatmari M.DS
From two of the top child and adolescent psychiatrists at The Hospital for Sick Children comes an accessible guide to common mental health struggles, such as anxiety and depression, for any parent wondering how to help their child. Using their combined six decades working with families and kids—and their own experiences as parents—they break down the stigma of mental health illness and walk parents through the warning signs, risk factors, prevention strategies, and the process of diagnosis and treatment for mental health challenges arising from:–Eating disorders–Anxiety– Psychosis–Sleep Disorders–Substance Use Disorders–ADHD– Autism–Depression–Trauma–Suicidal thoughts and behaviours
Available from Amazon AU & Booktopia
Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child’s Mental Health is a 2024 book by developmental paediatrician Dr. Billy Garvey. It teaches parents that behaviour is communication, emphasizes early intervention because most adult mental illness starts in childhood, and reassures caregivers that there is no such thing as a bad child.
Available from Booktopia, Amazon AU, Big W, Dymocks, Fishpond & The Nile Books
101 Ways to Conquer Teen Anxiety: By Dr Thomas McDonagh & Jon Patrick Hatcher
Simple Tips, Techniques and Strategies for Overcoming Anxiety, Worry and Panic Attacks
Available from Amazon Au, Abe Books, Goodreads
Kids These Days by Will Dobud, Nevin Harper
Discover why most attempts to fix teenagers fail and what to do about it. Anxiety, depression, self-harm, substance use disorders, and teen suicide—despite having more counselors, educators, experts, and medications than ever before, today's young people are said to be suffering from a mental health epidemic. Exploring a range of factors contributing to this wicked problem—from social media, overprotection, and environmental toxins to the erosion of connection—Kids These Days clearly identifies what works for raising happy and healthy youth, and what does not.
Available from Amazon Au, Booktopia, NewSouth Books
The Resilience Project: Finding Happiness through Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness by Hugh van Cuylenburg is a self-improvement book about how to build mental resilience and find happiness through three daily practices.
A great book to read with your tween/teen!
Ages 12+
Available from Booktopia, Dymocks, Fishpond, Amazon AU, Bookloop, https://shop.theresilienceproject.com.au/
Where The Light Gets In by Ben Crowe
In this book, he reveals nine simple-yet-profound perspective shifts that will change the way you see the world and yourself.Showing how these nine perspective shifts are relevant to every human being, Ben demonstrates how self-compassion, imagination and appreciation can turn adversity into possibility, remove pressure and help us find that elusive balance between confidence and happiness, achievement and fulfillment.Move from fearful to playful, from human doing to human being, and from fitting in to truly belonging. Even small perspective shifts can lead to massive breakthroughs, creating the freedom to redefine what it means to live a life true to yourself. Because that's where the light gets in.
Ages – Young Adults+
Available from Kmart, Fishpond, Big W, Amazon AU, Booktopia, The Nile Books
