Book Recommendations: Picture Books for Mental Health Awareness Month

Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month with these amazing picture books! Explore a diverse array of neurodivergent experiences, and the unique challenges (and triumphs) that come with them. While many children’s titles address juvenile mental health issues broadly (for instance, personifying anxiety as a monster), the entries on this list deal more specifically with symptoms of depression, anxiety and related disorders, and may even model helpful coping mechanisms. Whether these stories serve as a reflection of your child’s own mental health journey, or simply a reminder to treat those different from us with empathy and respect, they are definitely worth the read!

A Case of the Zaps by Alex Boniello and April Lavalle

Featured Experience: Panic attack
Quote: “The Zaps can happen to anyone. Big or small, Windows or Mac, old or fresh off the assembly line.”

Recommendation: A Case of the Zaps explores the sensations of a panic attack through the eyes of a young robot named Pi. At first, Pi is elated when their teacher announces a class trip to Olde Silicon Valley—but soon, Pi finds themself fixating on the many things that could go wrong. What if they encounter pop-up ads or contract a virus? As Pi’s anxieties continue to grow, they begin to experience a surprising (and frightening) array of symptoms: their arms tingle, their “defense mechanisms [jolt] on” and “their cooling fans kick into overdrive.”

“My danger sensors feel like they’re turned up to eleven!” Pi confides in their parental units, prompting a swift trip to the family psychiatrist. Dr. Bleep Bloop explains that the Zaps “activate your FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT sensors, even when there’s no danger present.” While there is no “cure” for the Zaps, Dr. Bleep Bloop assures Pi that these feelings can be managed through the use of healthy coping mechanisms. Pi’s story nicely illustrates the physical symptoms of anxiety, which are all too often overlooked.

For instance, humans may experience neurological symptoms (such as tingling or numbness) during a panic attack—just like Pi! But A Case of the Zaps offers young readers more than the simple catharsis of relatability, assuming a refreshingly realistic approach to chronic anxiety—or in Pi’s case, the Zaps. The adults in Pi’s life (Mother-Board, Father-Board and Dr. Bleep Bloop) never attempt to “fix” Pi, but rather to arm Pi with the necessary tools to manage anxiety symptoms as they arise, empowering children and their caregivers to do the same.

For parents and guardians seeking further information, A Case of the Zaps lists a variety of mental health resources in its afterword, including the Child Mind Institute, the Anxiety & Depression Association of America and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

Anxious Charlie to the Rescue by Terry Milne

Featured Experience(s): Compulsions/repetitive behaviors
Quote: “Charlie did everything the same, every day. He was afraid something bad would happen if he didn’t.”

Recommendation: Anxious Charlie to the Rescue follows Charlie, a daschund who feels compelled to adhere to a strict daily routine. Each morning, Charlie hops like a flea, balances his toast and walks “once around the fire hydrant on his way to the market.” But when Charlie is called to help a close friend in crisis, his careful routine is suddenly disrupted. Charlie’s journey is likely to resonate with children who grapple with compulsions and repetitive behaviors—a symptom often associated with anxiety disorders like Panic Disorder and OCD. What’s more, Charlie appears to continue engaging in repetitive behaviors (or “rituals”) even after our story concludes—however, Charlie’s experiences impart a valuable lesson: that it is possible to deviate from his routine without repercussions. In this way, Milne’s story demonstrates that stress-inducing patterns of thought can be managed with patience, determination and support from family and friends!

It’s So Difficult by Raúl Nieto Guridi

Featured Experience(s): Overstimulation, selective mutism
Quote: “They say that, with time, I’ll get better. But I see older people who can’t say what they feel or what they think. People who prefer not to speak or smile.”

Recommendation: Like Guridi’s signature scribble-style illustrations, It’s So Difficult is deceptively simple and highly evocative. The story follows an unnamed boy who struggles to speak in social situations outside the home. “When I leave the house, everything is so difficult for me,” he explains. “I feel a prickling that won’t go away, and every step I take is a triumph.”

His condition, an anxiety disorder commonly referred to as “selective mutism,” makes many aspects of his daily routine—from riding the bus to attending school—seem daunting. While he finds comfort in certain distractions (like counting street signs or gazing out the bus window), our young protagonist is forever on edge, dreading the moment when someone will attempt to engage him in conversation he’s unable to reciprocate. Worse, the constant cacophony of overlapping voices and noises overwhelms him, making it impossible to focus.

Like many entries on this list, It’s So Difficult depicts the experiences of its protagonist with extraordinary care, detail and understanding. Readers truly feel the boy’s frustration through Guridi’s descriptions: “In a quiet voice I can say little things,” he writes, “but my heart beats very fast and I feel afraid.” And later, as he gathers the courage to greet his neighbor: “Right now, my hands are sweating. It’s hard for me to breathe.” Unlike other entries, it’s so difficult is not a “prescriptive” story; adult figures featured in the story offer no suggestions or solutions. Instead, Guridi’s focus is entirely on the protagonist and the way he views the world around him. A unique and valuable read, it’s so difficult acts as a poignant reminder to give others grace, as what comes easily to one person may pose an intense emotional challenge for another.

A Blue Kind of Day by Rachel Tomlinson

Experience: Depressive episode
Quote: “Coen felt like a lost kite: loose in the breeze, with feelings that tangled like string. He couldn’t find the words to describe why everything felt so wrong, so instead he tucked safely into himself like a turtle.”

Recommendation: In A Blue Kind of Day, a young boy named Coen wakes one morning with no desire to get out of bed; in Tomlinson’s words, Coen is having “a blue kind of day…a slumping, sighing, sobbing kind of day.” Naturally, his family does their best to cheer him up. Coen’s Mum encourages him to get out of bed: “It can’t be that bad,” she says; Coen’s Dad invites him to play football (“I always feel better when I get some fresh air.”) while little-sister Junie just wants to play (“You don’t look sick. What’s wrong with you?”) As Coen’s family soon learns, the cause of a depressive episode isn’t always readily apparent—even to the person experiencing it.

And as Tomlinson, a registered psychiatrist, notes in her afterword to Coen’s story, big emotions tend to “zap our energy, so young people might want to rest quietly or engage their senses with positive things (like cuddling a favorite teddy or listening to a favorite song).” The author’s note also includes common examples of depressive symptoms in children, as well as tips and tricks for helping your child safely manage them—but Coen’s story speaks volumes in itself, as Mum, Dad and even little Junie come to better understand his emotional needs. Ultimately, A Blue Kind of Day reminds children and caregivers alike that feelings can’t be rushed—and that sometimes, the best balm for sadness is time, space and understanding.

See below for a few honorable mentions, all of which are available through OCLS. Happy (and healthy) reading!
Captain Starfish by Davina Bell
Go to Sleep, Anxiety! by Luna Chi
Into the Mighty Sea by Arlene Abundis
My Thoughts Have Wings by Maggie Smith
Olivia Wrapped in Vines by Maude Nepveu-Villaneuve
Pilar’s Worries by Victoria M. Sanchez
Ruby’s Tools for Making Friends by Apryl Stott
No Huddles for Heloise by Deborah Kerbel
Neat Nick’s Big Mess by Chad Otis
Malik’s Number Thoughts: A Story About OCD by Natalie Rompella

Christine is a library information associate at OCLS.