Youth Books on Emotions

People often have difficulty processing, or even talking about, emotions. In this segment, Carol Roberts, head of Young People’s Services at Troy Public Library, suggests five books for kids and teens that can help readers explore various feelings. She calls the picture book “Goodbye: A First Conversation About Grief” (Madison & Ralli, 2023) a must-have for parents to help children deal with inevitable loss. “Evergreen” (Cordell, 2023), another picture book, tells how a squirrel learns to deal with fear. Two books are part of the “Read It Forward” program that gives free books to teens: “Elatsoe” (Darcy Little Badger, 2020) is the story of an Apache girl who explores her cousin’s death in a town of gruesome secrets. The YA graphic novel “Hollow” (Watters & Boyer-White, 2022) retells the Legend of Sleepy Hollow set in current times. The final book, “Something Like Home” (Arango, 2023), portrays in verse the story of a Latina girl who is forced to live with her aunt after finding her parents have overdosed on drugs. Carol suggests this would be a helpful read for any youth in or facing foster care. For more details, stop by the main branch at 100 Second Street, or visit www.thetroylibrary.org. To find other libraries in New York State, see www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/libs/#Find. Produced by Brea Barthel for Hudson Mohawk Magazine.