School Counseling Books For January
Using picture books in your school counseling lessons is a simple way to keep your students learning and engaged in meaningful conversation. There are so many great books to choose from that have strong social-emotional themes. Keep reading for my favorite school counseling books to use in January that cover important social-emotional topics while having seasonal themes that your students will love!
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Winter Themed Books
Pip And Posy: The Snowy Day by Axel Scheffler
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 1
Topics it covers: Friendship and conflict resolution
Pip and Posy are friends who love having fun together. One day, they are playing in the snow and come to a something that they can’t agree on. After trying a few conflict resolution strategies that don’t quite work, they are able to make a compromise that makes everyone happy!
Hot Cocoa Calm by Kira Willey
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 1
Topics It Covers: Mindfulness
In this book, kids will follow along as fox takes some deep breaths to cool down his hot chocolate. They will also practice their own deep breathing while they enjoy the beautiful imagery of the book. Kids will love this interactive mindfulness book this winter.
Bear And Bird Learn To Share by Jonny Lambert
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 1
Topics it covers: Generosity, Friendship
When it was time to prepare for winter, Bear gathered all the berries he could find, leaving little for the other forest animals. Bird tried to encourage him to share, but Bear wouldn’t listen. The next day, when Bear couldn’t find Bird, he began to worry. He put some berries in the snow in hopes of finding his friend. Finally, bird found the berries, and the other animals did too. They were happy that Bear decided to share, and Bear was too!
The Most Perfect Snowman by Chris Britt
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Topics it covers: Kindness, friendship and generosity
Drift’s goal in life is to be accepted by the other snowmen. He desperately wishes he could have a scarf, hat, and a carrot nose like all the others. One day, Drift finally gets the beautiful accessories he wants. However, he ends up learning that it’s not what he has, but what he’s willing to give up that makes him the most perfect snowman of all.
Snowmen At Work by Caralyn Buehner
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Topics it covers: Careers
How do the sidewalks get shoveled at night? The snowmen, of course! Being part of the snowman shoveling team is just one of the many careers that snowmen have. This is a fun read about all of the different jobs that snowmen do, and it will get your students thinking about which career they would like to have one day too!
Kiki’s Hats by Warren Hanson
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Topics It Covers: Generosity and the power of kindness
Kiki loves to make hats. Instead of keeping them for herself, she gives them away to the people who need them. She wants everyone to experience the warmth of a hat, so instead of giving out one hat to each person, she gives out two - one for the person to keep and one for the person to give away.
Spike: The Penguin With Rainbow Hair by Sarah Cullen and Carmen Ellis
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Topics it covers: Self-Esteem and positive body image
Spike was a penguin born with rainbow hair. He hated standing out, so he tried different things to help himself blend in. Eventually, his friends help him realize that his rainbow hair is something to be proud of! This is a great read to remind your students that being different is a good thing.
Rabbit’s Gift by George Shannon
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Topics it covers: Generosity, Kindness
Rabbit finds an extra turnip on a snowy night and decides to share with his friend Donkey. When Donkey finds the turnip, he decides that he doesn’t need it and that it’d better for him to give it to someone who does. The turnip ends up traveling among the friends in the forest, and eventually makes it’s way back to Rabbit. Rabbit knows just what to do with it - share it!
Brave Irene by William Steig
Recommended Grades: 1 to 3
Topics it covers: Perseverance
In this classic tale, Irene is entrusted to deliver the dress her sick mother made to the duchess. Irene is determined to get to her destination, even though she is traveling in the middle of an intense snowstorm. Irene’s persistence and perseverance will inspire your students to never give up!
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Recommended Grades: 1 to 3
Topics it covers: Perseverance
Wilson Bentley was fascinated by snow. He was determined to capture the beauty of snowflakes so that he could share it with others. He tried to draw them, but found that they melted too quickly. When he finally got a camera, he worked tirelessly every winter to perfect his craft. This is a great read about following your passion and never giving up!
Jenny’s Winter Walk by Giselle Shardlow
Recommended Grades: 1 to 4
Topics it covers: Yoga
In this story, readers will follow Jenny and her mom as they take a walk through the winter forest. Each page includes a yoga pose that goes along with the story. This book is a fun way to keep kids engaged while helping them learn and practice yoga.
Holiday Themed Books
Squirrel’s New Year’s Resolution by Pat Miller
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Topics it covers: Kindness and goal setting
Squirrel and her friends are working hard to come up with a resolution for the new year. While Squirrel thinks about what she wants her resolution to be, she helps her friends accomplish theirs. In the end, she realizes that helping someone every day is a great resolution to make!
Grab these activities that can be used with the book.
Shante Keys and the New Year’s Peas by Gail Piernas-Davenport
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Topics it covers: Diversity
Shante Keys is helping her family make dinner for their New Years celebration. They find that they are missing one important ingredient - black-eyed peas. Shante goes around to her neighbors to ask if anyone has peas her family can borrow. Along the way, she learns about all of the different ways her neighbors celebrate the holiday. This is a great book to help your students talk about diversity in holiday celebrations.
Robin Hill School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Margaret McNamara
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
Topics it covers: Goal setting
As the students at Robin Hill School learn about Martin Luther King Jr., they consider their own dreams. This is a great book to get students thinking about their dreams and how they can make a real difference in the world.
When Martin Luther King Jr. Wore Roller Skates by Mark Andrew Weakland
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Topics it covers: General character education
In this book, your students will get to learn about Martin Luther King Jr. from a different perspective. They will get to glance into his childhood and learn about many of the things that led to his success as a civil rights activist. This is a great book for encouraging students to have great character while they are still children, and for getting them to think about the impact they could have as an adult.
These books are an easy way to tie in seasonal fun as you engage your students in important social-emotional conversation during your January school counseling lessons. If you are looking for more book ideas, you’ll want to sign up below to get your free list of 120 social-emotional picture books that cover a variety of topics!
