The Coalition recently donated children’s books with storylines related to mental health to all 14 Washington County libraries.  This is part of the Coalition’s children’s mental health prevention efforts.

Expert volunteers choose 22 books
This is the fourth time the Coalition has taken on a literature project like this and made library book donations. Other projects dealt with bullying at all ages; these books will help children ages 5-12 consider their own mental well-being. As with the other projects, the Coalition gathered experts ¬– from librarians to child development specialists to mental health providers to parents ¬– to identify a range of print books that met the above criteria.
The group ultimately selected 22 books to cover topics like depression, anxiety, autism, and mindfulness, Orban notes. “Each library didn’t get all 22 books; a library might have some of them already, for example. But each received some books to build out their collections.” Families can request all titles through the libraries interlibrary loan CLAN system. Many of the titles also are available on youtube.
The donated books are or will go into circulation according to each library’s COVID regulations.

The 22 recommended titles addressing mental health issues
• A Friend Like Simon by Kate Gaynot (ages 3-6)
• A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers by Holly Brochmann and Leah Bowen (ages 3-6)
• I See Things Differently: A First Look at Autism by Pat Thomas (ages 3-6)
• Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival (ages 3-6)
• I Wish Daddy Didn’t Drink So Much by Judith Vigna (ages 3-8)
• Shelley, The Hyperactive Turtle by Deborah Moss (ages 4-7)
• Hector’s Favorite Place by Jo Rooks (ages 4-8)
• I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds (ages 4-8)
• Mr. Worry: A Story about OCD by Holly L. Niner (ages 4-8)
• Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing by Christopher Willard (ages 4-8)
• The Goodnight Caterpillar: The Ultimate Bedtime Story by Lori Lite (ages 4-9)
• The Princess and the Fog: A Story for Children with Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones (ages 5-7)
• This Morning Sam Went to Mars by Nancy Carlson (ages 5-9)
• A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M. Holmes (ages 5-9)
• A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold (ages 6-10)
• What Happens When A Loved One Dies by Dr. Jillian Roberts (ages 6-8)
• Up and Down the Worry Hill by Aureen Pinto Wagner (ages 7-10)
• Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook (ages 7-11)
• The Dragon Who Lives at our House by Elaine Mitchell (ages 8+)
• What to do When You’re Sad and Lonely by James Crist PhD (ages 8-11)
• The Survival Guide for Kids with ADHD by John F. Taylor, PhD (ages 8-12)
• Guts by Raina Telgemeir (ages 10+)
Download a copy of the list here.

Orban thanked AmeriCorps service member Allison Landis for managing the project. She also credited The Friendship Fund for generously supporting this and each of the previous library book donations.