School Counseling Books For November
Using books in school counseling lessons are a great way to help your students further understand and explore various social-emotional topics. They are perfect because they are easy to use and can lead to great conversation with your students.
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The only tricky part of using books in your counseling lessons is finding which books will meet your needs. Today, I want to share my favorite social emotional books to use during the month of November. Check out my favorite books that will help you celebrate Thanksgiving and Veteran’s Day with your students, as well as encourage conversation about gratitude.
Thanksgiving Books
Thank You, Thanksgiving By David Milgrim
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to K
Topics it covers: Gratitude
In this sweet book, the main character is sent on an errand by her family. As she goes to the general store, she takes time to acknowledge all of the great things she can be thankful for.
Porcupine’s Pie by Laura Renauld
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 1
Topics it covers: Friendship, Generosity
Porcupine is making her famous cranberry pie for Fall Feast Day. As she travels to the river to wash her cranberries, she meets her friends along the way who are all in need of ingredients for their own creations. Porcupine is eager to give what she has to help her friends, and when she finds herself in need of a very important ingredient, her friends return the favor!
Holly’s Thanksgiving Wish by Kaine and Duds
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
Topics it covers: Perseverance and Goal Setting
Holly the hedgehog had a dream to have balloons at Thanksgiving. The only challenge was that the balloons always got popped by the spikes on Holly and her family members. With some encouragement from her dad and some perseverance, she was able to make her dream come true in a special way!
Duck For Turkey Day by Jacqueline Jules
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Topics it covers: Diversity, Self-esteem
Tuyet is worried about what her friends and teacher will think when they find out that her family eats duck at Thanksgiving dinner instead of turkey. She desperately wants to eat turkey so she can fit in, but later learns that she has more in common with the people around her than what she thought. Check out these activities that can be used with the book.
A Little Thanksgiving Spot by Diane Alber
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Topics it covers: Gratitude
In this book, Thankful Spot and his friends practice being thankful and help the readers learn about why gratitude is important and how to practice it. This book has a great Thanksgiving message and your students will love how funny the turkey is!
Thanksgiving For Emily Ann By Teresa Johnston
Topics it covers: Gratitude, coping skills
Emily was not feeling thankful on Thanksgiving day. In fact, she was feeling sad and alone. To help herself feel better, she decided to play a trick on her family by hiding the turkey. Right as she went to take the turkey, she realized that she has a lot to be thankful for, and that practicing gratitude is what she needs to start feeling better!
Cranberry Thanksgiving By Wende Devlin
Recommended Grades: 2 to 5
Topics it covers: Friendship, Empathy, Kindness
Grandmother is not excited that her granddaughter invited Mr. Whiskers over for Thanksgiving. She was suspicious of Mr. Whiskers because he was poor and lowly, and was nervous that he would try to steal her secret cranberry bread recipe. As it turns out, Grandmother learns that outward appearances aren’t always what they seem!
Gratitude Books
The Thankful Book By Todd Parr
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to K
This simple book is perfect for little learners as they read about all of the things that they can be thankful for!
Thankful By Eileen Spinelli
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 1
This simple book outlines what people in various professions can be thankful for. It is a great way to help students practice empathy while they learn about careers and gratitude!
Bear Says Thanks By Karma Wilson
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 1
When Bear is lonely, he decides to have a big feast for his friends. The only problem is that he has no food! One by one, his friends show up with food to share. Bear still is sad that he has no food to share, but his friends assure them that it’s alright, and they all feast with a thankful heart.
The Secret Of Saying Thanks By Douglas Wood
Recommended Grades: 1 to 4
There are so many things all around us to be thankful for. As we practice gratitude for the simple things, we can learn that the true secret to being happy is to be thankful for what we have.
Last Stop On Market Street by Matt de la Peña
Recommended Grades: 1 to 4
After church, CJ is on the bus with his grandma and finds himself wishing that he had the things that the other kids had. Throughout the ride, CJ begins to see the beauty of his own situation and how much he has to be thankful for.
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga by Traci Sorrell
Recommended grades: 3-5
In this book, readers will follow a year of Cherokee celebrations as they learn about all the things to be thankful for as the seasons change. This is great book for helping students learn about the traditions of the Cherokee Nation.
Veteran’s Day Books
The Poppy Lady by Barbara Walsh
Topics it covers: Kindness, goal setting, perseverance
This book tells the true story of Moina Belle Michaels, who established the use of the poppy flower to honor and remember soldiers. Moina worked tirelessly to care for the soldiers who were overseas in World War 1, and would not give up until she felt that they were properly honored and supported.
Veterans: Heroes In Our Neighborhood By Valerie Pfundstein
This book tells the story of a boy who learns that there are veterans all around him! He reflects on the people all through his town who have a military past that he never knew about. This is a great story to encourage students to consider the untold stories of those around them.
These books are a great way to talk incorporate seasonal fun into your counseling lessons this November! 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.
