Anno’s Peekaboo by Mitsumasa Anno. Philomel. Clever book design allows the young reader to turn the pages (in the shape of hands) to reveal pictures of animals and people. A good way to help young children deal with fears about separation—and just plain fun.

Chicken Little by Steven Kellogg. Morrow. A fresh and lively retelling of an old favorite, about a group of barnyard animals who are afraid the sky is falling. The humor is helpful in diffusing anxiety and could be helpful getting children to talk about fears.

Feelings by Aliki. Morrow. Using poetry, stories and expressive cartoon illustrations, the author gives examples of various emotions—anger, joy, sadness, fear, jealousy, embarrassment, love. Children too young to read words will be able to read the pictures. Children might enjoy acting out some of the emotions as they enter into a conversation with you about feelings.

Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Ed and Anne Miranda Emberly. Little, Brown. Friendly monsters talk about their feelings, explaining what makes them feel glad, sad, worried or scared. Pages fold out to form masks that children can later wear, encouraging them to talk about feelings.

Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley, Little, Brown. With the help of die-cut pages, children can assemble and disassemble a monster at will, and show the scary thing just who’s really in charge. A clever way to soothe fears.

Henny-Penny by Jane Wattenburg. Scholastic. Shake, Rattle and Roll! The Sky Is Falling! A jazzy and hip retelling with Henny-Penny and her barnyard companions traveling to exotic locations to alert the king of impending disaster. Kids will goggle-gobble this one up! The humor is helpful in diffusing anxiety and could be helpful in talking about fears.

How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers. Scholastic. Children are encouraged to guess the moods on the faces of a some very expressive and colorful vegetables This innovative book will stimulate discussion about feelings and facial expressions.

Mommy, What if…? A Pop Book by Varla Dijs. Little Simon. Mama elephant always pops up with a reassuring response to Little elephant’s worries.

Oh My Baby, Little One by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by Jane Dyer. Harcourt. Saying goodbye is hard for Baby Bird and his working mother, but it is made easier by Mama Bird's assurance that her love will stay with her child every minute of the day. Lyrical, comforting and endearing!

Peek-a-boo, You! by Roberta Grobel Intrater. Scholastic. Where is baby hiding? Lift the flap and find out. A great way to help children play with their separation anxieties.

Promises by Elizabeth Winthrop, illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Houghton. While Sarah's mom, who is in and out of the hospital, can't promise that she won't ever be sick again—she can make other promises. A loving, hopeful and comforting book.

Sam Worries by Maryann MacDonald, illustrated by Judith Riches. Hyperion. Sam is very busy worrying. He worries about earthquakes, monsters and assorted disasters. He is so busy worrying that he can’t fall asleep until his teddy bear offers to worry in his place so that Sam can sleep. A reassuring discussion starter.

Scared Stiff by Katie Davis. Harcourt. A little girl turns herself into a witch in order to conquer her fears. Lively, funny and clever approach to handling monsters and other bugaboos by a Westchester artist.

Sometimes I’m Bombaloo by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Yumi Heo. Scholastic. Katie is really a good kid, who smiles a lot and gives excellent hugs—but sometimes she looses her temper and goes Bombaloo.

Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods that Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis, illustrated by Laura Cornell. HarperCollins. Whether happy or sad, cranky or glad—the lively red-haired little girl knows what she's feeling in this exuberant story by actress Jamie Lee Curtis, who is also a talented and insightful writer for kids.

Wally the Worry-wart by Barbara Shook Hazen, illustrated by Janet Stevens. Houghton. Wally is busy worrying about everything, including scary Wilberforce—until he discovers that Wilberfroce is also afraid.

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes. Greenwillow. With the help of understanding parents and a clever teacher, Wemberly, a young mouse who worries about everything, finds that going to school is nothing to worry about. A comforting story about managing feelings.

What If It Never Stops Raining? by Nancy Carlson. Viking. Things may not always work out perfectly, but then again, they don’t usually turn out as disastrously as Tim expects. A reassuring and humorous story of a boy who worries about everything from homework to the baseball game and the weather.

What Makes Me Happy: a Book About Feelings by Catherine & Lawrence Anholt. Candlewick. In rhyming verse, six boys and girls describe what makes them happy, sad, angry, shy, etc. Detailed water colored illustrations help to dramatize the emotional life of young children.

When Sophie Gets Angry—Really, Really Angry… by Molly Bang. Scholastic. When Sophie gets really angry, she sees red. Can she also see a way to calm down? A great way to start a discussion on managing anger. A Caldecott Honor book.

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. HarperCollins. Max journeys to the land of the Wild Things, where he tames them (and his own feelings). This magnificent classic retains its magical powers to soothe and delight the beast in all of us.

Who’s Going to Take Care of Me by Michelle Magorian, illustrated by James Graham Hale. HarperCollins. When Eric’s older sister enters kindergarten and leaves him behind in day care, he worries who will take care of him. He finds relief from his worries by helping another child who is also afraid.

You Go Away by Dorothy Corey, illustrated by Diane Paterson. Albert Whitman. You go away...and you come back. Young children experience brief separation, and with the turn of the page—they are reunited with their caretaker. The predictability of the refrain is very reassuring.