SEL Books Recommendations

[RodneyBarksdale]

Ludlow Laughs, by Jon Agee, is about Ludlow who was born with his mouth in a downward curve and would never smile. As he grew older the downward curve never left and grew with him. He worked in a complaint department where his downward curve-shaped mouth easily fit in.  Until one day, Ludlow had a funny dream that made him giggle and laugh in his sleep so loud that the neighborhood could hear him. His laugh was so contagious the neighborhood couldn't help but laugh too. When Ludlow would go to sleep, after having a usual day of grumbling, he would sleep and have dreams that would make him laugh. The laughter spread through the whole country by a local radio station broadcasting Ludlow's laughter. Night after night Ludlow would share his laughter, while dreaming, until one night there was no laughing and Ludlow slept quietly. Ludlow wakes up and for once his downward curve mouth turned into a smile.  This SEL book for children ages 5 - 8 years teaches readers how infectious our emotions are.  It also teaches how quickly your emotions can change. 

Agee, J. (1985) Ludlow Laughs. Collins Publishers

Coat of Many Colors, by Dolly Parton, is a book about a time in Dolly Parton's life as a young girl when her mother made a coat out of old rags that had been given to the family. Growing up poor with not a lot of money, this young girl just knew she was rich with the coat her mother made for her, because it was made out of love. When young Dolly goes to school she is teased and made fun of because of the coat. She tries to explain to her peers how special the coat is and how rich she was because the coat was stitched with love.  She told them of the story her mother had told her while stitching the coat about a man from the bible who wore a coat of many colors. Her classmates failed to understand, but it did not change how Dolly felt.  Feeling rich and being poor are mindsets that only occur if you choose to be. This SEL book for readers 5 - 7 years of age and speaks to the social aspect of being made fun of and being bullied.  Dolly was able to look past the remarks and maintain the mindset of being rich, inside, and just because you don’t have much, shouldn’t change the way you feel about yourself.   

Parton, D. (1999) Coat of Many Colors. HarperCollins Publishers

I Was So Mad, by Mercer Mayer, is a book about a young little critter getting frustrated and mad. Everything the little critter wanted to do he was told no by his parents and grandparents.  All he wanted to do was just play, but his wanting to play involved either playing with something that was not appropriate or getting in the way of someone's progress. He is provided with options that were appropriate, but he declines them all.  He gets so mad that he decides he is going to run away. As he walks out of the house with his bags packed with food and toys, he is approached by friends asking him if he wants to go play. He decides that it is a better option for him to go play with his friends and makes the judgment to run away tomorrow if he is still mad. This SEL book is for readers from the ages 5 - 7 years of age and is about how being mad or frustrated, we can make choices that are not goo choices and decisions shouldn't be made on emotions. 

Mayer, M. (1983) I Was So Mad. Golden Books.