ADHD
80HD: A Child's Perspective on ADHD
Author: Dr. Trish Wood
Keywords: ADHD, School, Family
Summary:
Written from the point of view of Parker, the author uses colorful illustrations and simple language to talk about ADHD and its impact on her son's life. The intent of the book was for it to be used by parents to talk about ADHD with their children, and explain what it means.
Audience: Young children (age 4-8)
Category: ADHD
A Bird's-Eye View of Life with ADD and ADHD: Advice From Young Survivors
Author: Chris A Zeigler Dendy and Alex Zeigler
Keywords: ADHD, school, family, coping strategies
Summary:
The authors compiled a collection of advice and words of wisdom from teenagers and young adults who struggle with this disease. The intent of the book is to offer firsthand experience, helpful hints, and facts about ADHD to adolescents and their families from the people who know it best: those with ADHD.
Audience: Adolescents, Young adults
Category: ADHD
ADD and Me: Forty Years in a Fog
Author: Ken Patterson
Keywords: ADHD, school, work, some sexual content, drug and alcohol use
Summary:
This book is a first-hand account of living life with ADHD. Mr. Patterson describes how ADHD affected his ability to succeed in education, employment, a military career, and relationships as an adult and learning to handle his symptoms and achieve his goals.
Audience: Young adult (College students) due to mature themes and advanced language
Category: ADHD
ADHD and Me: What I Learned From Lighting Fires at the Dinner Table
Author: Blake E.S. Taylor
Keywords: ADHD, School, Bullying, Medication, Symptoms
Summary:
This book was written by the author, Blake Taylor, when he was 17. It chronicles his life starting from his early childhood, after his diagnosis of ADHD, and follows him through his elementary, middle, and high school years. The book highlights his personal point of view, his struggles, and the lessons he learned.
Audience: Young adult (Adolescents and older) due to advanced language; Parents of individuals with ADHD
Category: ADHD
Cory Stories: A Kid's Book about Living with ADHD
Author: Jeanne Kraus
Keywords: ADHD, School, Family, Treatment
Summary:
Although not a first-person account, this book follows a little boy named Cory as he talks about how ADHD affects his family, his schoolwork, and himself. It also covers diagnosis of ADHD and medication, explained through simple and clear language. It can be used by parents to explain ADHD to their children.
Audience: Young children (age 4-8)
Category: ADHD
How to Do Homework Without Throwing Up
Author: Trevor Romain
Keywords: Homework, Learning
Summary: Short positive book about reasons to get homework done
Audience: 8-13
Category: ADHD
One Boy's Struggle: A Memoir (Surviving Life with Undiagnosed ADD)
Author: Bryan L. Hutchinson
Keywords: ADHD, Symptoms, Medication, Treatment
Summary:
In his memoir, Bryan Hutchinson describes his personal experience with symptoms of inattention, focus, and impulsivity, and how it affected not only his schooling, but his work and home life as well. He talks of his life pre-diagnosis, as well as his treatment and eventual understanding of what was going on with him.
Audience: Young Adults (Adolescents or older) due to advanced language, mature themes; Parents of individuals with ADHD
Category: ADHD
Putting on the Brakes: Young People's Guide to Understanding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (3rd Edition)
Author: Patricia Quinn, MD, and Judith M. Stern, MA
Keywords: ADHD, School, Coping Strategies, Symptom Control, Medications, Treatment
Summary:
Although not a first-person account, this book was written as a guide to help students and parents understand ADHD, ways to control symptoms, and coping skills. Some sections do appear more appealing to school-aged children, but the sections talking about using meditation or relaxation exercises, medication descriptions, and glossary of medical terms are all clear and understandable. The resources and website links at the end are also helpful to continue educating the audience.
Audience: School Aged Children, Adolescents, Young Adults, Parents of Children with ADHD
Category: ADHD
Shelley, the Hyperactive Turtle
Author: Deborah Moss
Keywords: ADHD, School, Family
Summary:
The story follows Shelley in his day-to-day life, including his first visit to the doctor's because mom is worried about his behavior. The storyline then goes through a clinical interview with the doctor, as well as diagnosis and treatment.
Audience: Young children (age 3-7)
Category: ADHD
The Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD
Author: John F. Taylor, PhD
Keywords: Kids, ADHD, Tips
Summary: This 100+ page book is written with a direct and casual tone that children with ADHD will appreciate. While some pages are text-heavy, there are funny pictures intermixed. Dr. Taylor, the author, provides a ton of psychoeducation about ADHD and lots of practical tips for school and social situations.
Audience: Child, Adolescent
Category: ADHD
You Mean I'm Not Lazy, Stupid, or Crazy?! (Revised Edition)
Author: Kim Kelly and Peggy Remundo
Keywords: ADHD, ADHD in Adults, Coping with ADHD
Summary:
This book, written by two members of the ADD Adult Support Group of Ohio, reviews what ADHD looks like in adults compared to children and teenagers, and includes sections that address different issues that come up in daily life at home and at work. It is not a light read at 450+ pages, but the authors do offer a “How to Use This Book” section to give the reader as much information as they want to read. The medication section is not completely updated, but the information offered for coping with ADHD can be valuable.
Audience: Young Adults, Parents of Young Adults
Category: ADHD
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain
Author: JoAnn Deak, PhD
Keywords: Brain
Summary: A cute book with humorous illustrations describing the structure, function, and development of the brain
Audience: Child
Category: ADHD
Anger
A Volcano in My Tummy: Helping Children to Handle Anger
Author: Eliane Whitehouse and Warwick Pudney
Keywords: Anger, Aggression, Therapy, Self esteem
Summary: Workbook for teachers, parents to work with kids with anger issues, aggression issues. Some lessons are for multiple kids, some for small groups, some for individuals. Multiple ways to help kids deal with anger and frustration.
Audience: 7-12
Category: Anger
Angry Octopus: A Relaxation Story
Author: Lori Lite
Keywords: Anger, feelings, relaxation
Summary:
A story of an octopus getting angry and then learning how to relax his anger away. It could be used as a script for guided relaxation.
Audience: Parent & Child, Therapist and Child
Category: Anger
Cool Down and Work Through Anger
Author: Cheri J Meiners. M.Ed
Keywords: Anger, Anger in Children
Summary:
This is a well written and thoughtful guide to help children work through their anger. It provides helpful strategies for children to work through their anger including talking with friends, drawing and over 30 other activities to distract the child from acting out their angry feelings in unhealthy ways.
Audience: Children and Advice for Parents to help children
Category: Anger
Hands are not for hitting
Author: Maritne Agassi
Keywords: School violence, prevention, juvenile justice, anger, juvenile literature, hand, early childhood literature
Summary:
This is a thoughtful guide to help children work through their anger. It explains to children the healthy ways to use their hands.
Audience: Children and Advice for Parents to help children
Category: Anger
How to Take the Grrrr Out of Anger
Author: Elizabeth Verdick and Marjorie Lisovskis
Keywords: Emotions, Feelings, Anger
Summary: Excellent resource for children, families, and therapists to help child work and develop coping strategies when angry. Provides education around the emotion of anger and tools to use when angry
Audience: All
Category: Anger
Sam's Pet Temper
Author: Sangeeta Bhadra and Marion Arbona
Keywords: Mood, Emotion, Anger, Temper
Summary:
A lovely story a parent could read to a child about temper, with “temper” filling the role of an imaginary friend. The book spends a bit too long on giving examples of how temper gets Sam in trouble, but not enough on how he is able to say goodbye to Temper.
Audience: Parent reading to a child
Category: Anger
When I feel Angry
Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman
Keywords: Anger, Anger in Children
Summary:
This describes a very basic understanding of anger as a feeling and identifies things that commonly provoke anger. It provides options for what to do when angry feelings happen and emphasizes doing something healthy instead of acting out on anger.
Audience: Children
Category: Anger
Zach Apologizes
Author: William Mulcahy
Keywords: Anger, Apologizing, 4 square apology technique
Summary:
This helps the child understand how to use the four square apology technique: 1.What I did to hurt somebody 2. How the person felt 3. What I can do next time 4. How I'll make it up to the person. This book can be used by elementary school teachers and parents to help children learn to apologize for mistakes, while keeping their dignity and not feeling overly shamed. It is an excellent book.
Audience: Children
Category: Anger
Zach Gets Frustrated
Author: William Mulcahy
Keywords: Frustration
Summary:
This helps the child understand how to handle frustration by using the frustration triangle: 1.Name It 2. Tame It 3. Reframe It. This book can be used by elementary school teachers and parents to help children learn to reframe their frustration. This is an excellent book.
Audience: Children
Category: Anger
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Anxiety
All Birds Have Anxiety
Author: Kathy Hoopman
Keywords: Anxiety, Mindfulness
Summary: This book features whimsical photographs of all sorts of birds with anxious expressions on their faces. Accompanying each photo is a narrative of how anxiety affects human beings and strategies to combat these feelings. While the book has more pages than most children's books, the text on each page is short, and the photos are entertaining enough to make the story (which is more like clinical information for kids) easy to breeze through
Audience: Elementary School
Cool Cats, Calm Kids: Relaxation and Stress Management for Young People
Author: Mary L. Williams
Keywords: Stress, Calm, Cats
Summary: Cute little book using cats to help kids learn how to become calm, stay calm, have fun, and express themselves
Audience: Children 7-12
Category: Anxiety
Frog's Breathtaking Speech: How Children (and Frogs) Can Use the Breath to Deal with Anxiety, Anger and Tension
Author: Michael Chissick and Sarah Peacock
Keywords: Worry, Anxiety, Relaxation, Meditation, Breathing, Yoga
Summary: This is a fun book teaching different yoga breathing techniques to help with emotional difficulties.
Audience: Children
Category: Anxiety
Ladybird's Remarkable Relaxation: How children (and frogs, dogs, flamingos and dragons) can use yoga relaxation to help deal with stress, grief, bullying and lack of confidence
Author: Michael Chissick and Sarah Peacock
Keywords: Worry, Stress, Anxiety, Yoga, Breathing, Relaxation
Summary: This is a great book to help teach relaxation to worried kids in a fun and interesting way.
Audience: Children
Category: Anxiety
Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety
Author: Daniel Smith
Keywords: Anxiety, Understanding anxiety, Coping strategies
Summary:
This book is written by an individual who suffered severe anxiety throughout his life, with the symptoms peaking in his adolescence. The book is very much about his personal journey towards an understanding of his anxiety and how important it was/is for him to learn skills to manage it. Although he doesn't talk about medicine or therapy, he does mention briefly about how certain things he learned were helpful. As the author is now successful in his career, it is a great book to show how anxiety doesn't have to affect your life negatively.
Audience: Young Adults or Adults due to many mature themes (not for the sensitive or squeamish); Parents of Individuals with Anxiety
Category: Anxiety
Please Explain "Anxiety" to Me!: Simple Biology and Solutions for Children and Parents
Author: Laurie Zelinger, PhD, and Jordan Zelinger, MS Ed
Keywords: Anxiety, Biology, Your Body
Summary:
Dr. Zelinger uses a story about dinosaurs and explains how your body changes when you get nervous. There are simple tips for children on how to recognize and deal with anxiety at the end of the book.
Audience: Middle to Late Elementary School
Category: Anxiety
Warnings: Consider child's vocabulary level
Scaredy Squirrel
Author: Melanie Watt
Keywords: Anxiety, Worry
Summary:
This is the story of Scaredy Squirrel, who prefers to stay home and do the same things every day, and what happens to him when he accidentally does something different. It's a fun book with cute pictures and easy to read story.
Audience: Young Children
Category: Anxiety
The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
Author: Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
Keywords: Anxiety, Worry, Perfectionism
Summary:
This book tells the story of Beatrice, a girl who has never made a mistake and does everything perfectly until one fateful day. This is a great resource for parents who have young children that feel like they have to do everything right, and it gives them an example of how something that seems terrible can turn out to be okay.
Audience: Young Children
Category: Anxiety
Wemberly Worried
Author: Kevin Henkes
Keywords: Anxiety
Summary:
Wemberly Worried is about a little mouse with many worries. The book describes many of Wemberly's worries and also how Wemberly worries all the way to nursery school but then has a fantastic first day. The author/illustrator has a light touch with cheerful illustrations. This would be a great book to read to or with a sophisticated pre-schooler or a child in early elementary school if you would like to let them know about others who experience anxiety.
Audience: Early elementary
Category: Anxiety
What to Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety
Author: Dawn Huebner, PhD
Keywords: Anxiety, Worry, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Self-Help, Workbook
Summary:
Dr. Huebner introduces children and parents to the techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety through easy to understand examples and pictures. Each chapter introduces a specific tip or idea, and leaves blank pages at the end for children to write on for practice.
Audience: Child with Parental Guidance
Category: Anxiety
What You Must Think Of Me: A First Hand Account of One Teenager's Experience with Social Anxiety Disorder
Author: Emily Ford
Keywords: Anxiety, Personal Story, Tips for Recovery
Summary:
This is an account by Emily Ford of her anxiety disorder written in the 1st person. She describes her feelings and thoughts as she lived through her adolescence. The book includes the theories and science on anxiety and offers practical tips on medications, therapies and coping strategies.
Audience: Young adolescent, Adolescent, Adult
Category: Anxiety
When I Feel Scared
Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman
Keywords: Anxiety, Fear
Summary:
This book is a good way to introduce and talk about scary things or fear with young children who are just learning to read. It gives examples of things you can be scared about, as well as some general ideas on how to feel better when you're scared.
Audience: Young Children
Category: Anxiety
When I Feel Worried
Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman
Keywords: Anxiety, Worry
Summary:
This book is a good way to introduce and talk about anxiety with young children who are just learning to read. It gives examples of types of worries, as well as some basic things that can be done to help make it better.
Audience: Young Children
Category: Anxiety
Wilma Jean the Worry Machine
Author: Julia Cook
Keywords: Anxiety, Worry, School Stress, Social Stress
Summary:
Ms. Cook tells the story of a little girl named Wilma Jean who is constantly worried about different things. This book goes over both the thoughts and the physical changes your body goes through when you get anxious, and offers a few simple ways to manage it.
Audience: Elementary School
Category: Anxiety
Warnings: Pictures might be scary to some young children
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Autism
Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant
Author: Daniel Tammet
Keywords: High functioning autism, Aspergers, Synesthesia
Warnings: This book provides opportunity to understand the thinking and reactions of a brilliant man with autism spectrum disorder. He does also discuss recognition of his sexual identity and the role of his male life partner.
Summary:
This is a memoir written by a brilliant man with high functioning autism spectrum disorder and gives a vivid view into his struggles, preferences of solitude, fixations, and synesthetic experiences. He is able to put into words what we often observe in children with autism spectrum disorder; the role of stereotypies for him, the comfort of his “imaginary” friends/companions, the resiliency imbued by his family, and his journey in adulthood. This book would likely be a comfort for any adolescent struggling with Asperger's disorder or a family member/teacher wondering about the possible role of some of the observed symptoms. What the book does not include is how he came to be diagnosed and any accommodations he needed.
Audience: Young Adults, Adults
Category: Autism
Emergence: Labeled Autistic
Author: Temple Grandin and Margaret M. Scariano
Keywords: Autism, Aspergers, Developmental Disabilities, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder
Summary:
In her first and lesser-known book, Temple Grandin powerfully describes her experiences growing up with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This book allows the reader an important look into the experiences that explained much of Grandin's emotions and behavior and may help a parent or caregiver better understand their child's experiences. An appropriate book for parents of children with ASD, family members and older children with ASD, this book is an easy read and gives a unique perspective into the potential of individuals with autism.
Audience: Adolescents, Young Adults, Adults
Category: Autism
Warnings: This is a dated book, originally published in 1986 with several revisions in the 1990s. As such, it provides information that is not always up to date. Treatment, therapies and diagnoses may not be accurate and always must be discussed with your health care provider.
Freak, Geeks & Asperger Syndrome: A user guide to Adolescence
Author: Luke Jackson
Keywords: Asperger Syndrome, Autism
Summary:
Written by a teenager with autism for other teenagers of autism. This book is educational, witty and provides helpful tips for coping with some of the difficulties faced by adolescents with autism.
Audience: Adolescents with Asperger, Parents and teachers working with adolescents, with Asperger syndrome, Clinicians
Category: Autism
Ian's Walk, a sisters story about her brother with Autism
Author: Laurie Lears
Keywords: Autism
Summary:
This 15 page beautifully illustrated book speaks to the social discomfort a person with Autism creates for the viewer. His sister, a preteen, takes him along on a walk sharing the experience through her eyes and his, as they go to the park. Along the way he stops to sniff bricks of the post office building, watches the ceiling fan in the soda shop, and eventually succeeds in getting lost at the park. His sister then has to think like Ian, to find him lying under the large bell at the center of the park, ringing it with content. Lovingly, she understands after fearing for his life. The walk home is enjoyed as all the same encounters occur, this time with patience and acceptance of Ian's different world.
Audience: Elementary school children, Parents, Elementary school teachers
Category: Autism
I Am Utterly Unique: Celebrating the Strengths of Children with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism
Author: Elaine Marie Larson
Keywords: Asperger syndrome
Summary:
The book focuses on "the strengths of children with high functioning autism". Although beautifully illustrated, makes some assumptions about characteristics of children with Asperger that are not universal. For example: " I have an XXL Memory ... I have fantastic focus”.
Audience: (all, child, adult)
Category: Autism
Opportunities: Can be used by parents to help their child with ASD to identify personal strengths.
Little Rainman: Autism--Through the Eyes of a Child
Author: Karen L. Simmons
Keywords: Autism
Summary:
This book was written by a mother of a five-year-old boy with autism to help teachers and caretakers understand autism. The symptom descriptions are very accurate and are useful for parents who are suspecting that their children may have autism. The symptom descriptions are in words that a child can also understand. This book may be helpful for parents of children with autism who may have difficulty describing their child's unusual behaviors.
Audience: Parents and children with autism.
Category: Autism
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's
Author: John Elder Robinson
Keywords: Asperger Syndrome, High functioning autism
Summary:
Poignant, firsthand account of growing up with Asperger's disorder. Insightful and humorous accounts of difficulties making friends and author's innovative compensation strategies. Will be very helpful for young individuals with high functioning autism who recognize that they are"different" but cannot express or understand why they cannot fit in.
Audience: Teen, Adult
Category: Autism
Opportunities: Excellent reading material for adult and child psychiatry trainees to understand challenges faced by individuals with Asperger's.
Nobody Nowhere: The Remarkable Autobiography of an Autistic Girl
Author: Donna William
Keywords: Autism
Summary:
This eloquently written autobiography by a woman diagnosed with high functioning autism provides a look at the world from her perspective. She describes the difficulty that she experiences in sustaining relationships with family members and others because of her difficulty with appreciating social nuances. Some descriptions of the risky encounters experienced by the author because of her difficulty setting limits with others are disturbing. The last chapter explaining the motives behind the authors' more classical autism symptoms such as clapping and spinning is interesting for clinicians. The author has an imaginative quality in describing her view of the world that is sometimes difficult to follow. The book does not have the humor that balances some of the more disturbing descriptions and frankly is somewhat depressing.
Audience: Health care practitioners
Category: Autism
A Special Book About Me: A Book for Children Diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome
Author: Josie Santomauro
Keywords: Asperger Syndrome, Autism
Summary:
This book was written to help children with Asperger identify their symptoms and provide tips for management. The author's use of symptoms to make a Case for Asperger syndrome seems contrived. The recommendations provided for coping with change are not appropriate for the age level targeted because insight would be required.
Audience: Parents of children with Asperger Syndrome
Category: Autism
Strange Son: Two Mothers, Two Sons, and the Quest to Unlock the Hidden World of Autism
Author: Portia Iversen
Keywords: Autism, Advocacy, Family Burden
Warnings: This book offers a window into the world of a mother struggling to unlock her son's verbal and behavioral challenges with autism. At times is a graphic picture of the harrowing experiences living with a child and adolescent with autism. The book is long; 378 pages, but has a “notes” section at the end with both references and explanations. There are also lengthy, scientific descriptions of brain functioning and theories about autism and the brain. At times the book is a memoir and at other times a scientific treatise.
Summary:
The book describes a mother's journey to unlock the mysteries of her son's autism, seeking the miracle of a cure, and the work she and her husband did creating Cure Autism Now (CAN). Understanding how nonverbal children communicate is one of the core themes of the book focusing on Tito, a brilliant autistic boy from India and his mother Soma who teaches him to communicate. Soma's methods were the cause of 60 minutes special and caused thousands of families with autism to seek her support. Eventually, the author's son, Dov, develops rudimentary communication skills.
Audience: Young Adults, Adults
Category: Autism
The Ride Together: A Brother and Sister's Memoir of Autism in the Family
Author: Paul Karasik and Judy Karasik
Keywords: Autism, Siblings of Autistic Individuals, Family Member with Autism
Summary:
Written from the first person perspectives of siblings who have an older brother with autism, Paul and Judy Karasik describes the challenges and difficulties of growing up with a family member with this lifelong disorder. Going from childhood into adolescence and adulthood, both authors offer well written descriptions of their feelings and experiences over the years. The book is an insightful read for anyone with a sibling who has autism.
Audience: Pre-teen, Adolescents, Young adults, Adults
Category: Autism
Thinking In Pictures
Author: Temple Grandin
Keywords: Autism, Aspergers, Developmental Disabilities, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Sensory Integration Disorder
Summary:
Temple Grandin's most famous book, Thinking In Pictures is a detailed account of her life, focusing mainly on her development as an adult suffering from Asperger's disorder. The author is a well-known agricultural designer and this book describes in detail how she has used her disorder to develop her career. Though her first book, Emergence, describes in more detail her childhood and the ways autism affected every experience she had, this book focuses more on an integration of her adult life with a review of the scientific information available today. Best suited for parents, late high school students who are affected by autism and providers caring for patients with these disorders, this is an advanced book that can provide much detail about the possibilities of working with autism and Asperger's disorder.
Audience: Adolescents, Young Adults, Adults
Category: Autism
Warnings: This book has many recent additions and discusses at length different treatment options, theories and current research. Those reading are advised to discuss any treatment or diagnosis questions with a health care provider.
What it is to be me! An Asperger Kid Book
Author: Angela Wine
Keywords: Asperger Syndrome, Autism
Summary:
An excellent book for the child with Asperger syndrome to understand some of the symptoms that he may be struggling with. Bold text and colorful pictures make the book engaging.
Audience: Children and Parents
Category: Autism
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Bipolar Disorder
An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
Author: Kay Redfield Jamison
Keywords: Bipolar, Psychosis, Depression, Mania
Summary:
From the time she was a small child, Kay Jamison knew that she was different. Her moods were unlike other children and her experience of the world was at times confusing. This book charts her course from a young girl with unstable moods, to an adult diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Dr. Jamison eventually became a successful professor at Johns Hopkins University while battling her moods and seeking treatment with medication, therapy and supports. The book documents honestly some of the dangerous pitfalls of mania and depression and should be read by patients with a caregiver's guidance but can provide hope and inspiration for anyone living with a mood disorder.
Audience: High School, Adults, Patients, Caregivers, Providers
Category: Bipolar Disorder
Warnings: This book discusses frankly the author's own suicide attempt and though it is handled well, parents should know that it is a topic that occurs in a detail.
Brandon and the Bipolar Bear: A Story for Children with Bipolar Disorder
Author: Tracy Anglada
Keywords: Bipolar, Child, Mood swings
Summary: This is a short story about a boy with bipolar disorder. When the boy goes to see his doctor, the doctor provides a nice description of the illness. The book can help a child understand his or her illness and feel less alone.
Audience:
Category: Bipolar Disorder
The Dark Side of Innocence
Author: Terri Cheney
Keywords: bipolar disorder, depression
Summary:
The author writes of her experience as a child and adolescent struggling with mood problems.
Audience: Late high school, college
Category: Bipolar Disorder
Sugar and Salt: My Life with Bipolar Disorder
Author: Jane Thompson
Keywords: Personal memoir, bipolar disorder
Summary:
This is a historical life journey of one woman's experience with lifelong mental illness. It addresses some of the biases and stigma associated with mental illness. There are only brief anecdotes of symptoms during childhood and adolescence. This book would not likely appeal to an adolescent struggling with evolving mental illness or a parent with questions about their child or adolescent. It would most likely appeal to an older adult with a history of bipolar disorder or a family member of an older adult with bipolar disorder or a historian.
Audience: Adult, Older adolescent
Category: Bipolar Disorder
Warnings: The book comprises a different historical era from 1950's to 1980's. Strong Catholic influence.
Turbo Max: A Story for Siblings and Friends of Children with Bipolar Disorder
Author: Tracy Anglada
Keywords: Bipolar, Child, Siblings, Mood swings
Summary: This is a short but wonderful book about a young boy whose big sister has bipolar disorder and needs to go to the hospital. It thoughtfully describes the impact of the illness on the boy and his family.
Audience: All
Category: Bipolar Disorder
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Borderline Personality Disorder
Get Me Out of Here: My Recovery From Borderline Personality Disorder
Author: Rachel Reiland
Keywords: borderline personality disorder, self-destructive behavior, substance abuse, anorexia, therapy
Reading Level: late high school, college
Summary:
Rachel Reiland writes about her struggle with, treatment for and recovery from borderline personality disorder. Her account of her provocative, manipulative and dangerous behavior may help readers recognize typical behavior and mood reactiveness seen in borderline personality disorder. She relates the effect it had on her husband, children and extended family, giving caregivers who read this novel a window into similar experiences they likely face with the individual with borderline personality disorder in their lives. Ms. Reiland's detailed scripted account of her therapy sessions with Dr. Padgett could be used as an excellent teaching tool for clinicians interested in treating individuals with borderline personality disorder.
Audience: Older adolescent, Adult
Category: Borderline Personality Disorder
Warnings: dangerous self-destructive behavior, sexual themes, provocative and manipulative behavior, suicidal thoughts
Girl, Interrupted
Author: Susanna Kaysen
Keywords: borderline personality disorder, depression, suicidality, non-suicidal self-injury, sexual promiscuity, McLean Hospital, 1960's, stigma, inpatient psychiatry, depersonalization, thorazine, chlorpromazine
Summary:
Susanna Kaysen was diagnosed at eighteen with borderline personality disorder. She spent two years on and off the inpatient psychiatric ward at McLean Hospital. This memoir chronicles her time on the ward and describes the personalities and psychological make-up of the other patients she lived with in the hospital. It serves as an excellent psychoeducational tool for learning about borderline personality disorder and what psychiatric treatment was like in the 1960s at one of the most famous mental hospitals in the country. Girl, Interrupted is an excellent first-hand account of one young woman's mental health struggles and a fascinating example of how borderline personality disorder was conceptualized some 40 years ago.
Audience: Adult, Older adolescent
Category: Borderline Personality Disorder
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Depression
Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness
Author: William Styron
Keywords: Depression, Suicide
Summary:
A true story, the author discusses his sufferings of depression, including both psychological and physical symptoms. He covers his thoughts of suicide, hospitalization, and eventual recovery journey.
Audience: Adolescents, Adults
Category: Depression
Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression
Author: Brooke Shields
Keywords: Depression, postpartum, perinatal, therapy
Summary:
Well-known actress Brooke Shields discusses her experiences with postpartum depression following the birth of her first child in this memoir. This memoir helped to increase the public's awareness of mental health issues during and after pregnancy. She discusses the impact of motherhood on her relationship and career and the role mental health treatment played in her recovery.
Audience: Young adults, adults
Category: Depression
Warnings: Contains discussions of suicidal thinking that may be upsetting for some readers.
Monochrome Days: A First-Hand Account of One Teenager's Experience With Depression
Author: Cait Irwin, Dwight L. Evans, Linda Wasmer Andrews
Keywords: Depression
Summary: This book delves into the disease of major depression from a teen’s point of view. The book offers facts and FAQs, in addition to the author’s firsthand account, to help others cope with depression. A psychiatrist and journalist assisted the teenager in writing this book.
Audience: Adolescents
Queen Bees, Drama Queens, Cliquey Teens
Author: Anita Naik
Keywords: Depression, Anxiety, and Teens
Summary: Recommended for middle school and teenage girls who are struggling with peer relationships and desire to fit in and be popular in school. There are useful tips on how to recognize a supportive friendship versus a destructive self- esteem lowering relationship. The short book is a fast read and helps teens to identify their own friendship building styles and how to distance themselves from inappropriate friendships. Book also discusses how to cope with being excluded from groups and hurtful friends. It's a valuable resource for teen girls navigating the social world.
Audience: Middle School and High School
The Princess and the Fog: A Story for Children with Depression
Author: Lloyd Jones
Keywords: Childhood Depression
Summary: This is an excellent storybook about a princess developing depression. It contains great use of metaphor and also provides psychoeducation about the development of depression and the ways to move beyond depression. This book would be a wonderful waiting room book and is recommended reading for a parent and a child.
Audience: Adult Reading to a Child
Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America
Author: Elizabeth Wurtzel
Keywords: Depression, Medication, Prozac
Summary: This book is a firsthand account of the author’s experience with depression medications, including her fears about taking them, their side effects, and the results of going off them. It also covers abuse of unprescribed drugs. It discusses self-harm, suicide attempts, and therapy sessions in detail. She touches on her financial struggles to cover treatment.
The author was one of the first individuals to be prescribed Prozac; the book describes her journey to this point, her experience since, and the overall rise of mental illness diagnoses and Prozac prescriptions. Please note this book was first published in 1994, and many changes and updates have occurred in the specialty since then.
Audience: Adolescents, Adults
Trouble in my Head: A Young Girl's Fight with Depression
Author: Mathilde Monaque
Keywords: Depression, anorexia, depression with psychosis, inpatient stay
Summary:
Trouble in My Head is a book written by a young woman in her own words, post treatment for very severe depression with reality distortion and anorexia. She deftly explains her rationale, distorted thought processes when she was at her most ill and her experience on an inpatient unit. She begins to integrate into the treatment, accept medication, and through her eyes, we watch her improve, her depression and body distortions become less severe, and Ms. Monaque reconnect with her family and the world. The ending is uplifting and shows how severe mental illness can be treated. This is well written and eye opening from a first person perspective.
Audience: adolescents, adults, mental health providers
Category: Depression
Warnings: This could be a trigger for those with emerging restrictive eating issues and could also increase ideas about why not eating could make sense–especially initially as the author is very ill. Toward the end, the patient does talk about having gone off of her medication without talking to her MD and does qualify this by saying anyone should first speak with their doctor. This could inadvertently encourage patients to change or drop medications without collaborating with their team. This book is from the U.K. There may be some terminology that could be confusing, but it's not extensive.
Undercurrents: A Life Beneath the Surface
Author: Martha Manning
Keywords: Depression, Women
Summary: This book covers a year in the life of a female psychologist who suffers, and eventually recovers, from depression. The entries are easy-to-read recaps of various days which reveal the progression of the illness.
Audience: Adolescents, Adults
Unholy Ghost: Writers on Depression
Author: Nell Casey
Keywords: Depression, Suicide, Melacholy
Summary: This collection of essays illustrates depression and suicidal thoughts through different voices. It includes the pairing of essays, written by husbands and wives as well as sisters, to show different viewpoints of the illness. The book covers a spectrum of experiences, from spiraling into a depression for the first time to living with it to recovering.
Audience: Adolescents, Adults
What to Do When you Grumble Too Much: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming Negativity
Author: Dawn Huebner, PhD
Keywords: Negativity, Emotions, Negative thinking
Summary: Workbook for kids who use a lot of negative thinking to help them to learn techniques to see more positive aspects of life and cope with negative things that occur
Audience: Children 6-12
Category: Depression
When I Feel Sad
Author: Cornelia Maude Spelman
Keywords: Sadness
Summary: A simple picture book about sad feelings. Appropriate to encourage discussion/expression in young children
Audience: Child
Category: Depression
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Eating Disorders
Andrea's Voice: Silenced by Bulimia: Her Story and Her Mother's Journey Through Grief Towards Understanding
Author: Doris Smeltzer and Andrea Lynn Smeltzer
Keywords: Bulimia, Eating, Treatment, Family
Summary:
This book is told through the eyes of Doris, the mother of 19 year old Andrea, after she has been devastated by the news that her daughter has passed away in her sleep after a year-long battle with bulimia. The author intertwines Andrea's own diary and journal entries, along with self-penned poetry, to reveal the story of their struggle to deal with bulimia and the ultimate consequence of their fight.
Audience: Young adult (Adolescents and older) due to mature themes; Parents of individuals with bulimia
Category: Eating Disorders
Biting Anorexia: A First-hand Account of an Internal War
Author: Lucy Howard-Taylor
Keywords: Anorexia, Eating, Recovery, Treatment
Summary:
In this autobiography, Lucy chronicles her own experiences as she enters the early stages of anorexia, struggles with her symptoms, and eventually makes her way into recovery. Many of the pages are narrative, but also include first-hand journal entries from her own diaries at that time.
Audience: Young Adults (Adolescents or older) due to advanced language, mature themes; vivid descriptions
Category: Eating Disorders
Diary of an Anorexic Girl
Author: Morgan Menzie
Keywords: Anorexia, Eating, Recovery
Summary:
Viewed through a series of diary entries, the author exposes Blythe's journey through anorexia, and how it affected her self-esteem, her relationships, and her ultimate recovery from the illness. At the end, the author includes tips and inspirational items from her own struggle with anorexia.
Audience: Young adult (Adolescents and older) due to mature themes, vivid descriptions, strong language
Category: Eating Disorders
Homesick: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Finding Hope
Author: Jenny Lauren
Keywords: Eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, sexual content, drug and alcohol use
Summary:
This memoir follows Jenny Lauren, the niece of Ralph Lauren, the fashion designer, through her formative years, during which she developed anorexia and bulimia, and eventually required significant medical treatment to deal with the consequences of her illness.
Audience: Young adult (College students) due to mature themes, vivid descriptions, and profane language
Category: Eating Disorders
Second Star to the Right
Author: Deborah Hautzig
Keywords: Anorexia, Eating, Recovery
Summary:
This follows the story of Leslie, a successful, popular teenage girl, as she develops and struggles with anorexia, and how it affects not only her, but all those around her. The story is fiction, but written by an author who had a personal struggle with anorexia, which she details in the foreword and afterword of the book.
Audience: Young adult (Adolescents and older) due to mature themes, vivid descriptions
Category: Eating Disorders
Slim to None: A Journey Through the Wasteland of Anorexia Treatment
Author: Jennifer Hendricks
Keywords: Eating disorder, anorexia, sexual content, sexual abuse, death
Summary:
This is the story of Jennifer Hendricks, who was diagnosed with anorexia at age fourteen, and passed away at age twenty-five. The book is narrated through the recollections of her father, and Jennifer's personal journal entries. It follows her journey into illness and her eventual death as a result of struggling with an eating disorder.
Audience: Young adult (Older adolescents, College students) due to mature themes
Category: Eating Disorders
Solitaire
Author: Aimee Liu
Keywords: Eating disorders, anorexia, sexual content, trauma
Summary:
In this book, the story outlines the life of Aimee, a young multiracial girl growing up in the 1970s, who develops anorexia nervosa following a difficult transition into a new life in the United States and trauma at age seven. Aimee describes her path to recovery after a long fight with her own mind and body.
Audience: Young adult (College students) due to mature themes, vivid descriptions, and advanced language
Category: Eating Disorders
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia
Author: Mayra Hornbacher
Keywords: Eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, sexual content, drug and alcohol use
Summary:
This book chronicles Mayra's development of bulimia at age nine, followed by anorexia by age fifteen, and her long struggle with self-image, medical complications, and acting out, along with her eventual recovery from eating disorders.
Audience: Young adult (Older adolescents, College students) due to mature themes
Category: Eating Disorders
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Miscellaneous
A Child's First Book about Play Therapy
Author: Marc A Nemiroff, PhD, and Jane Annunziata
Keywords: Child Play Therapy
Summary:
This is a book to be read to younger children about therapy, which can apply to therapies other than just play therapy. It has nice pictures and understandable text as well as a much needed section on confidentiality.
Audience: Younger child with parent or therapist or PCP office staff reading to child
Category: Miscellaneous
Warnings: Play therapy may be not first choice for an evidence-based therapy
Bullies, Cyberbullies and Frenemies - Teen Life Confidential
Author: Michele Elliot
Keywords: Bullying, Cyberbullying
Summary: Part of the Teen Life Confidential series, this chapter book features information and strategies for children who are being bullied. Chapters include details about how to deal with being bullied, how to understand what causes others to bully, what to do if you are a bully, and important tips like developing self-assertiveness and more self-awareness as well as how to make friends. Chapters include some self-help type questions and guided exercises appropriate for pre-teens.
Audience: Middle School
Feeling Better: A kid's book about therapy
Author: Rachel Rashkin
Keywords: Child psychotherapy
Summary:
This is a story of a 12 y.o. girl going into therapy. It describes the problems and reasons for going into therapy, a little about the therapy she is involved in, some definitions, and whether to tell friends about being in therapy. It's a bit wordy at times but may help a depressed and anxious tween understand therapy.
Audience: Middle school or tween
Category: Miscellaneous
Some Bunny To Talk To: A Story About Going to Therapy
Author: Cheryl Sterling, Paola Conte, and Larissa Labay
Keywords: Therapy
Summary: Short, concise, positive book for children starting therapy. Helps them understand why therapy may be helpful to them and what therapy can consist of
Audience: Young Children (4-8)
Category: Miscellaneous
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OCD
Blink, Blink, Clop, Clop: An OCD Storybook
Author: E. Katia Moritz, PhD
Keywords: OCD
Summary: This is a funny, farm-friendly book about OCD. It is written for very young children who love animals. It helps kids learn how to externalize the OCD by fighting "OC Flea."
Audience: Children
Category: OCD
Devil in the Details
Author: Jennifer Traig
Keywords: OCD, Symptoms and Treatment, Coping with OCD
Summary:
In her memoir, author Jennifer Traig describes firsthand her own difficulties with developing neuroses and compulsive behaviors related to obsessive compulsive disorder from age twelve to college. Using funny anecdotes and humor, Traig brings the reader into her world in detailed descriptions of her experiences.
Audience: Young Adult, Parents of Adolescents, Parents of Young Adults
Category: OCD
Up and Down the Worry Hill: A Children's Book about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and its Treatment
Author: Aureen Pinto Wagner, PhD
Keywords: OCD, CBT, ERP
Summary:
This is a great introductory book on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and its effective treatment. It is meant to be read by a child who is struggling with obsessions and compulsions. It is very encouraging and informative.
Audience: Elementary, Middle School
Category: OCD
What to Do When Your Brain Gets Stuck: A Kid's Guide to Overcoming OCD
Author: Dawn Huebner, PhD
Keywords: OCD, CBT, Exposure Response Prevention
Summary: This is a great book explaining how to fight OCD. It has clinical exercises and drawing space to emphasize the therapeutic take-home points. It's a great way to help kids conceptualize how to fight OCD.
Audience: Children
Category: OCD
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Schizophrenia
The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness
Author: Elyn R. Saks
Keywords: Psychosis, Schizophrenia
Summary:
A personal memoir of Dr. Elyn Saks, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Southern California and her experience of living with schizophrenia. From her youngest memories to embarking on a career and managing her illness as an adult, this is an inspiring story about one woman's ongoing battle with psychosis and how she was able to work with her illness to lead a successful life
Audience: Young Adolescents, Adolescents, Adults
Category: Schizophrenia
Divided Minds: Twin Sisters and Their Journey Through Schizophrenia
Author: Pamela Spiro Wagner and Carolyn S. Spiro, M.D.
Keywords: Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Impact on families
Summary:
This book chronicles the lives of identical twin sisters Pammy (author Pamela) and Lynnie (Carolyn) as their lives are turned upside down by Pammy's descent into psychosis during their adolescence. As the previously eclipsed sister, Lynnie finds herself in the conflicted position of surpassing Pammy as the illness progresses. The authors are frankly honest about how their lives are impacted by schizophrenia.
Audience: Young adult to Adult due to mature themes, vivid descriptions, foul language, advanced language
Category: Schizophrenia
The Quiet Room: A Journey Out of the Torment of Madness
Author: Lori Schiller and Amanda Bennett
Keywords: Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Impact on families, Recovery
Summary:
Told through the viewpoints of the author, Lori, her family members, her doctors, and her friends, Ms. Schiller pieces together the account of her personal struggle with schizophrenia, starting in her seventeenth year. Her first personal accounts reveal the depth of the pain and conflict within a person with schizophrenia, but also the unintended consequences of the illness on those around her.
Audience: Young adult (Adolescents and older) to Adult due to mature themes, vivid descriptions, foul language, advanced language, scary situations
Category: Schizophrenia
Welcome to My Country: A Therapist's Memoir of Madness
Author: Lauren Slater
Keywords: Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Personality disorders, Depression, Abuse
Summary:
This novel follows the early career of the author, Ms. Slater, as a psychologist at the Bate House, a residence for chronic schizophrenics, and an outpatient clinic therapist. Ms. Slater unflinchingly describes both the struggles of her patients, but also her own difficulties in her attempts to help them. Schizophrenia, personality disorders, depression, and abuse are all revealed through the eyes of Ms. Slater and her patients.
Audience: Young Adults (Adolescents or older) due to foul language, mature themes, vivid descriptions
Category: Schizophrenia
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Self Injurious Behavior
Skin Game: A Memoir
Author: Caroline Kettlewell
Keywords: cutting, self-mutilation, non-suicidal self-injury
Summary:
Caroline Kettlewell writes in Skin Game about her struggles with cutting. She gives a well-written and thoughtful account of the issues she faced in childhood and adolescence and how they might have led to her eventual use of non-suicidal self-injury as a form of fascination, self-punishment and maladaptive coping skill. Ms. Kettlewell also explains how she eventually was able to stop cutting, which could be helpful to individuals who struggle with this issue. Her account is remarkably honest, and really makes the reader understand what cutting did for her and why she eventually gave it up.
Audience: Late Adolescent, Adult
Category: Self Injurious Behavior
Warnings: Explicit and sometimes gory descriptions of cutting, should probably be read with the assistance of a knowledgeable therapist.
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Substance Use
Chasing the High: A Firsthand Account of One Young Person's Experience with Substance Abuse
Author: Kyle Keegan
Keywords: Addiction, Substance Use, Recovery
Summary:
The introduction discusses the concept of the the Adolescent Mental Health Initiative (AMHI) which coalesced to create an informative reference regarding mental disorders, which present between the ages of 10 and 22 years old. The Annenberg Foundation created a series of mental health books. The first series is heavy in science and research. The second prong of the series is dedicated to smaller books for general readers. The third prong is two websites: 1) www.CopeCareDeal.org and 2) www.oup.com/us/teenmentalhealth.
Kyle takes the reader through the prejudices of society's view of an addict and then through the trip from the normal angst of adolescence to the devastating destruction of heavy addiction and how he decided to allow the choice to become a compulsion. This books includes the science of addiction terminology all in reader-friendly verse.
This journey continues with his “desperate moves” to get and stay addicted to drugs and the pursuit of recovery. He decribes the multitude and the lack of resources to help an addict recover - the trials, failures and successes.
This book has frequently asked questions, a glossary, resources, and a blbliography at the back, making this a great resource tool with clear, concise, and reliable information.
Audience: Adolescents, Young Adults, Adults
Category: Substance Use
Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction
Author: David Sheff
Keywords: Addictions, Substance Use, Heroin, Methampetamine
Warnings: Frank discussions of substance use, descriptions of life threatening situations, profanity, discussion of sexual themes
Summary:
The author provides a candid account of the impact of his son's drug addiction on him and his family. His son also wrote a memoir from his perspective, Tweak, and these two books can be read independently or can together provide a rich portrayal of the development and treatment of substance use disorders. The author also includes evidence-based scientific information regarding substance use disorders and their treatment.
Audience: Young Adults, Adults
Category: Substance Use
Tweak: Growing up on Methamphetamines
Author: Nic Sheff
Keywords: Addiction, Substance Use, Heroin, Methamphetamine, Family issues
Warnings: Frank discussions of substance use, descriptions of life threatening situations, profanity, discussion of sexual themes
Summary:
This is the memoir of a young adult who went from a seemingly well-adjusted high school student to a man fighting addiction to methamphetamine and heroin. The author wrote this book as a companion to his father's memoir, Beautiful Boy, which is an account of the same situation told from a parent's perspective.
Audience: Young Adults, Adults
Category: Substance Use
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Suicide
Eight Stories Up: An Adolescent Chooses Hope Over Suicide
Author: Dequincy A. Lezine, Ph.D., with David Brent M.D.
Keywords: Suicide, Depression, Treatment, Recovery
Summary:
This is the story of DeQuincy Lezine and is written in the 1st person. DeQuincy documents using his journals the lead up to his suicidal plans and the treatment phases he went through to reach his present state. The book is full of references to treatment strategies, medications, pros and cons and documents with matter of fact intent the intensity of the work and practice DeQuincy had to do to obtain relief and stability from suicidal thoughts and depression.
Audience: Adolescent, Adult
Category: Suicide
In Her Wake: A Child Psychiatrist Explores the Mystery of Her Mother's Suicide
Author: Nancy Rappaport, M.D.
Keywords: suicide, survivor, memoir
Summary:
Nancy Rappaport, a prominent child psychiatrist, was 4 years old when her mother committed suicide. In this book she explores her mother's life and death in a search for meaning and understanding – both in terms of her mother's state of mind and the impact of her loss on the author's own life and family. Rappaport offers important insights and validation for individuals and families dealing with suicide.
Audience: Teen, Young Adult, Adult
Category: Suicide
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Trauma
After a Murder: A Workbook for Grieving Kids
Author: The Dougy Center
Keywords: Murder
Summary: A unique workbook by and for kids who have witnessed or been exposed to murder. Utilizes an interactive format to encourage expression. A useful resource to help kids work through a difficult experience.
Audience: Child, Adolescent
Category: Trauma
Gran-Gran's Best Trick: A Story for Children Who Have Lost Someone They Love
Author: L. Dwight Holden, MD
Keywords: Death, Loss, Child, Cancer
Summary: This is a touching story about a little girl whose grandfather died of cancer. They had a very close relationship. The reader learns about how she struggles to process his death and resolves to keep him alive in her memory.
Audience: All
Category: Trauma
Lucky
Author: Alice Sebold
Keywords: trauma, rape, survivor, recovery, memoir
Summary:
This book is a memoir that describes the author's experience of being raped as an eighteen-year-old college freshman at Syracuse University. In is titled Lucky because a policemen told her that she was lucky to be alive; shortly before her attack, another young woman had been killed and dismembered in the place. Sebold describes the devastating effects that this rape had on her life, but also how she was able to overcome much of this adversity and ultimately make sure her attacker was arrested and convicted.
Audience: teen, young adult, adult
Category: Trauma
Warnings: Story contains a description of the author's brutal rape and beating
A Place for Starr: A Story of Hope for Children Experiencing Family Violence
Author: text by Howard Schor; Illustrated by Mary Kilpatrick
Keywords: domestic violence, trauma, abuse, shelter
Summary:
A Place for Starr is a children's book written in poem form and is an easy to read and well-done account of one family's experience with domestic violence. The illustrations are beautiful and it takes a difficult topic and appropriately touches on the emotions and consequences of experiencing domestic violence. At the end of the book, the family leaves the home and goes to a shelter to get away from the abuser, so it ends on a positive note.
Audience: child, adolescent
Category: Trauma
Warnings: This book contains is about domestic violence, an inherently terrifying theme, but it explains it without any gratuitous drama and it is appropriate and well-written.
After Charlotte's Mom Died
Author: Cornelia Spellman; illustrated by Judith Friedman
Keywords: death, parent, parental bereavement, grief, therapy
Summary:
This is a story about a little girl named Charlotte, who lost her mother in a car accident when she was five and a half years old. Charlotte and her father are sad and Charlotte feels afraid at night. Additionally, she worries about what will happen to her if her father dies and is sensitive when a friend makes an unkind comment. As a result, her father brings her to a therapist to get help. The therapist helps Anna voice some of her fears and improves Anna's relationship with her father.
Audience: child
Category: Trauma
Warnings: This book is an excellent book to ease the child's fears before a first visit to a therapist for parental bereavement.
I Miss You: A First Look at Death
Author: Pat Thomas; Illustrated by Lesley Harker
Keywords: death, soul, funeral, grief
Summary:
This book is a simple explanatory account of what a child might feel and think when a loved one dies. It touches on the unknown and issues children may be curious about without subscribing to a certain spiritual belief system. It would be appropriate for a parent and child to read together after the death of a pet, a friend or a relative.
Audience: child
Category: Trauma
Considerations: This book does not subscribe to any one religion's beliefs about death. It only mentions that most people believe that the soul goes somewhere to join other souls of those who have passed away.
My Daddy's Cancer: An interactive book for children
Author: Cindy Klein Cohen, MS, CCLS, and John T. Heiney
Keywords: Cancer, Illness
Summary: 1st hand short book on a child's dad being diagnosed and treated for cancer. Book includes lots of questions kids may ask and gives calm but factual answers. The book ends with some fun stress relieving activities for the child.
Audience: Children 5-8
Category: Trauma
Please Tell! A Child's Story About Sexual Abuse
Author: Jessie, 9 year-old survivor of sexual abuse
Keywords: sexual abuse, trauma
Summary:
Jessie is a nine-year-old girl who was sexually abused by her uncle when she was four-and-a-half. She explains what it was like to be abused and what happened when she told her parents and saw a therapist. Jessie explains how she felt as a result of the abuse and what helped her get through it.
Audience: child
Category: Trauma
Warnings: This story is incredibly powerful as it is a rare firsthand account of early childhood sexual abuse written by a 9-year-old survivor. It gives excellent advice and could serve as a useful tool so that other child victims do not feel like they are the only ones who have been abused in this way.
Bomji and Spotty's Frightening Adventure: A Story About How to Recover from a Scary Experience
Author: Anne Westcott and C.C. Alicia Hu
Keywords: Trauma, Cognitive processing therapy
Summary: Part of the Hidden Strengths Therapeutic Children’s Book Series, this picture book features a short story about two friends who have a scary experience and the negative behavioral changes that ensue for one of the friends. The pictures help emphasize the mental states of the characters with an easy-going comic book style. While directed at children, the story might also provide parents with a framework to understand how trauma can affect their children. Additionally, the book also includes a guide for parents at the end of the book to help structure discussion of these scary experiences with their children using the story, including using several ‘hidden strengths’ to process their feelings and behaviors.
Audience: Elementary School with Instructions for Parents
Sad Book
Author: Michael Rosen
Keywords: Parental Grief, Loss, Sadness
Summary: This is a nice psychoeducation about loss and sadness and reactions to loss and sadness. It contains brief sentences/statements but many pictures. The challenge is it appears to be a children's picture book but seems more geared towards adults. It also offers some protective factors and hope towards the end.
Audience: Elementary School and Middle School
A Terrible Thing Happened
Author: Margaret M. Holmes; Illustrated by Cary Pillo
Keywords: Trauma, Witnessing Violence, PTSD
Summary:
In this book, Sherman the raccoon witnesses something terrible (which is not described further) and begins to have intrusive thoughts, trouble sleeping, somatic complaints, anxiety, anger and sadness. After he began getting into trouble at school, he went to see Ms. Maple (a therapy bear). Ms. Maple helps him process his feelings through talking and drawing and he feels much better as a result.
Audience: child
Category: Trauma
Considerations: Could serve as an introduction to therapy after a child has witnessed something terrible.
Samantha Jane's Missing Smile: A Story About Coping with the Loss of a Parent
Author: Julie Kaplow and Donna Pincus; illustrated by Beth Spiegel
Keywords: Parental Bereavement, Loss, Grief, Depression
Summary:
Samantha Jane is a young girl whose father has recently died. She is sad, does not want to talk about or feel her sadness and so stops doing things she formerly enjoyed. A neighbor notices her sadness and uses a stick in water as a parallel to what happens when you try to push your feelings down—they pop back up! The neighbor facilitates a healthy discussion between Samantha Jane and her mother about missing Samantha Jane's dad and how the two of them can help each other with their grief.
Category: Trauma
Audience: child
Warnings: This book can be read with a parent to help normalize a child's natural reactions to the loss of a parent.
Sammy's Mommy Has Cancer
Author: Sherry Kohlenberg
Keywords: Cancer, parents
Summary:
The author of this book was diagnosed with breast cancer when her son was 18 months old. The Introduction (for adults) has a useful and thoughtful explanation of her experience and how the book was helpful to her family. The picture book portion describes Sammy and his family as well as what happens to his mother during the course of her treatment, for example, what is cancer, how she experiences chemotherapy, how Sammy hugs his mother when she feels sad. It uses simple and clear language that is appropriate for a preschooler or child in early elementary school.
Audience: Elementary, to be read with parents
Category: Trauma
The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
Author: Judith Viorst; illustrated by Erik Blegvad
Keywords: Death of a pet, grief, bereavement
Summary:
This book is about a little boy whose cat, Barney, dies. He and his parents bury him in the garden and he wonders what will happen to Barney: will he go to heaven or stay in the ground. He eventually comes to terms with the uncertainty of what will happen to Barney and is comforted by the idea that Barney will help the plants grow in the garden.
Audience: child
Category: Trauma
Considerations: This book can be read with the help of a parent to help process the natural feelings a child has when a pet dies.
Tell Me Papa: A Family Book for Children's Questions About Death and Funerals
Author: Joy and Marv Johnson
Keywords: death, funerals, coffin, graveyard, memorial service, grief
Summary:
This book is an excellent nuts and bolts play-by-play of exactly what happens when a person dies, from the mechanics of the body dying, to exactly where the body goes and how it is prepared for burial. In addition, a step-by-step sequence of events is explained from memorial service to visitation, to burial and then visits to the house by friends and family. This book is especially helpful for children going to their first funeral so they know what to expect. Additionally, it explains very well the difference between sleeping and dying.
Audience: child (elementary and middle school)
Category: Trauma
Considerations: Excellent as an introduction to first-time funeral attendance for children.
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Tic Disorders
Hi! I'm Adam, a child's story of Tourette Syndrome
Author: Adam Buehrens
Keywords: Tourette's disorder
Summary:
This short single sided 35 page book is written by a 10 year old to elaborate the challenge of growing up with a problem like Tourette's disorder and no understanding of how to treat it. He deals with the complexity of being a person with bad behavior that his body makes him do, the misunderstanding that people have of his illness, and the frustration of his parents, teachers, doctors, and self. He felt so out of control that at times he wanted to die. Once a diagnosis and treatment were obtained, he began to educate teachers and peers and advocate that others do the same.
Audience: Elementary school children, Parents, Elementary school teachers
Category: Tic Disorders