BLOGS > DECEMBER 16, 2021
BY JILLIAN HEISE
Some of the most common requests I see in conversations from those looking for new picture books for #ClassroomBookADay read-alouds are related to social and emotional topics. Let’s be real: we’re all working with children in confined settings, so there are bound to be interpersonal issues that arise. It’s the nature of what we do as educators.
Along with that, it is part of our job to help those same children figure out how to handle these types of situations. And that is when I turn to books.
But what does social and emotional learning really mean? What books should we be looking for to support these life skills? The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines social and emotional learning (SEL) as “the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”
Clearly these are also goals for our classrooms and several are goals I established early on for #ClassroomBookADay: building community, developing empathy, and helping process emotions and reactions.
Soon after I committed to reading aloud a picture book each day, back when I was teaching seventh and eighth grade, I started to see the community being built around the stories that we were sharing. Not only that, but I saw how fluid and targeted I could be with my book selection as I was able to immediately respond to things I saw happening in the classroom, the hallways, the school, the town, the country and the world. Small and big, those things that happened could be addressed by the books I chose to share.
Whether trauma or drama, celebration or grieving, needing to be brave or needing to deal with emotions, history or current events, there was a book I could choose to help my students, and sometimes myself, work through it.
Picture books are valuable because they become the extra teacher in our classroom. They are the lessons to be learned about life. They are the lens through which we can see ourselves more clearly.
CASEL delineates five core competencies for SEL: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. Many picture books, since they are targeted for younger children as a general rule, deal with SEL topics because picture books are designed to teach through story, and young children (and the not-so-young) then have a less intimidating way to learn them.
SEL is about figuring out how to be human. And with these 20 picture book recommendations, I hope they will help your students as much as they have helped my students, and me as well.
Read all Jillian Heise #ClassroomBookADay articles on Follett Community.
Watch webinar recording presented by Jillian Heise, Building Community: #ClassroomBookADay Read Alouds.
Jillian Heise
Jillian Heise is a Grade K-5 Library Media Teacher in southeastern Wisconsin. She previously taught Grades 7-8 ELA in the Milwaukee area for 11 years and is board certified. Jillian is a passionate advocate for student choice in reading and the power of shared stories through #ClassroomBookADay picture book read-alouds. She brings her literacy expertise and knowledge of books to her role as Chair of the WSRA Children’s Literature Committee. You can find Jillian talking books and education at Heise Reads & Recommends and on Twitter at @heisereads.
2026 ALA Youth Media Award Winners: Find the Best Children's & YA Books of the Year
January 26, 2026
On their 150th anniversary, the American Library Association (ALA) revealed the ALA YMA 2026 winners and honorees on January 26, 2026, honoring the year’s most exceptional books and media for children and teens. Recognized globally for their impact and excellence, the...
Read more
An Author Interview with Jennie Wood
January 9, 2026
From non-binary author Jennie Wood, creator of the acclaimed graphic novel series Flutter, comes I Didn't Ask For This, which follows a group of kids who share one thing in common: their parents are social media influencers who’ve shared their...
Read more
An Author Interview with Don Everts
December 17, 2025
What peculiar thread connects secret superpowers, chicken farming, Victorian architecture, and the impossible awkwardness of being 14? Debut middle grade author Don Everts weaves it together for us in this conversation about his new book, Oscar and the Mystery of...
Read more
An Author Interview with Sara Amini and Illustrator Shadia Amin
December 17, 2025
Author Sara Amini and artist Shadia Amin team up for this charming, semi-autobiographical middle grade graphic memoir that explores evolving friendships, puberty mishaps, and finding a place to belong. Navigating life as a multiracial girl has never been more hilarious...
Read more
An Author Interview with Katherine Applegate
December 17, 2025
Go behind the scenes with Newbery Medal-winning author and literary superstar Katherine Applegate as she discusses her returns with two exciting new titles releasing in spring! First up is The Littlest Elephant, a picture book adaptation of the best-selling middle grade...
Read more
An Author Interview with Amy Timberlake and Illustrator Jon Klassen
December 17, 2025
Award-winning author Amy Timberlake and illustrator Jon Klassen team up to bring you the latest in the Skunk and Badger trilogy. Rock Paper Incisors follows odd-couple roommates Skunk and Badger as they explore the complexity of friendship and the meaning...
Read more