Grangehurst Primary School

The Huge Bag of Worries written by Virginia Ironside is a brilliant book exploring emotions and wellbeing. Worry follows Jenny in a big blue bag, it's around wherever she goes, even when relaxing and watching TV! Will Jenny get the help she needs to rid of the worry?

Angry Octopus....

An anger management story for children written by Lori Lite. Children relate to the angry octopus in this story as the sea child shows him how to take a deep breath, calm down, and manage his anger. Children love to unwind and relax with this fun exercise known as progressive muscular relaxation. This effective stress and anger management technique focuses awareness on various muscle groups and breath to create a complete resting of the mind and body. This is a great little story to help children understand that they are in control of their emotions. It focuses on the ownership of feelings and emotions and taking command of the situation. We use this book in ELSA sessions and is fun and very effective!

Rory Red...

This book uses CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) at its core to help younger children understand their angry feelings and make the necessary changes to regulate their emotions. The book was written by Luke Baker, a former ELSA! The book is about The Red family and their youngest member Rory. Rory Red is very angry all of the time. He wants to change but is told by both parents that ‘It is just who you are.’ Rory wants to change and one day meets a new friend Yasmine Yellow. Yasmine shows him the way and helps him to understand how he can change.

The book leads the child through the different stages of anger such as triggers: ‘someone being mean to him’, ‘when he can’t go out to play because it is raining’, ‘when he isn’t allowed his dessert’. It takes the child through the physical effects of anger such as breathing heavier, his heart beating harder and faster. It also looks at Rory’s thoughts such as: ‘hit them!’ ‘break something!’ ‘say bad words!’. Yasmine helps him by suggesting different calming techniques to help him cope with his anger.

Delightful, simple illustrations that children will love. The language is simple and easy to understand. This book would be perfect for EYFS, KS1 and possibly even Lower KS2.

Muddles and Puddles....

This book offers a structure and an outlet for the many difficult feelings which inevitably follow when someone dies. It aims to help children make sense of their experience by reflecting on the different aspects of their grief, whilst finding a balance between remembering and having fun. This book is a useful companion in the present, and will become an invaluable keepsake in the years to come.

Sticky Brains....

Did you know that bad thoughts are stickier than good ones? It's true! Our brains see them more and remember them longer. In Sticky Brains, Aria learns that it's not her fault when she gets stuck on the bad stuff; sometimes her brain shows her only part of the whole picture. She also discovers that she has brain-changing powers! Sticky Brains uses kid-friendly language to teach kids (and the adults who love them) about mindfulness and to change their brains to find more peace and happiness in their lives. 

A shelter for sadness...

A small boy creates a shelter for his sadness, a safe space where Sadness is welcome, where it can curl up small, or be as big as it can be, where it can be noisy or quiet, or anything in between. The boy can visit the shelter whenever he needs to, every day, sometimes every hour, and the two of them will cry and talk or just sit, saying nothing.

And the boy knows that one day Sadness may come out of the shelter, and together they will look out at the world, and see how beautiful it is.

Happy...

We breathe deep and expand like the galaxy, 

We breathe out many thousands of stars, 

And if ever we start to feel panicky, 

This reminds us of just who we are.  

The perfect soothing read for quiet time, Happy gently encourages young readers to explore their emotions and the beautiful world around them. This poetic journey to a place of happiness and calm will inspire and empower your child to enjoy the practice of mindfulness.

Feelings....

What you feel is who you are... Explore a world of emotions with this stunning peep-through picture book. Richard Jones' enchanting illustrations and the lyrical text make each and every feeling come to life to help children understand the emotions they experience.

Sully the Sea Horse (Natalie Pritchard) - A heart-warming, beautifully illustrated rhyming picture book which encourages children to believe in themselves and to be proud of who they are.