Summer SEL Reading

Grades: K-2

Topics covered: Worry and Courage

Jabari passed his swim test, and is excited to jump off the big diving board at the school. When it is time for him to take the big jump, he gets a bit nervous. His dad helps him to take deep breaths and reframe his thinking, and then Jabari is ready! This is a great book to help kids overcome any fears they may have.

Grades: K-2

Topics covered: Worry and Courage

Sukie the dog was scared at the beach. She was small, and everything else was so big. Plus, there might be lobsters. When her beloved pal, Chunka Munka, was floating out to sea, Sukie knew it was the time to be brave. She jumped right in and brought Chunka Munka to safety. Young children will identify with Sukie’s fear, and hopefully with her act of courage as well.

Grades: K-3

Topics covered: Compassion and End of year sadness

It is the end of the year for Ms. Hartwell’s class. The students are worried about how much Ms. Hartwell will miss them, and school, over the summer. They work together to come up with the perfect gift to help cheer her up. This story shows that it is normal to feel sad about the end of the school year, and that teachers and students have more in common than what you might think!

Grades: K-3

Topics covered: Teamwork and Cooperation

Beaver, moose, and bear decided to go canoeing. On their trip, they all had different ideas about what to do. They learn that if they want to successfully canoe, they are going to have to work together.

Grades: K-3

Topics covered: Friendship and Acceptance

The boy in this story is helping Dragon, who is new at summer camp. He is excited for his new buddy, until things don’t exactly go as planned. The boy is frustrated with Dragon because Dragon can’t do a lot of the camp activities well. In the end though, the kids at the camp realize that Dragon isn’t so bad after all!

Grades: K-3

Topics It Covers: Mindfulness

Emma is busy, but she knows it’s important to stop and rest sometimes. Her brother Henry doesn’t. He goes and goes until he turns into a hurricane. Emma helps her brother learn to practice mindfulness to control himself better. When they are both calm, they have more fun.

Grades: K-3

Topics It Covers: Self Esteem

Sully the seahorse was deemed a loser by the kids at school. He was not excited for the Sea School Stars event at his school. He watched as other animals won each of the competitions, and he started to be discouraged. Just then, a diver came to the ocean looking for seahorses. As Sully was avoiding the diver, he did something extraordinary - he camouflaged himself! After that, he became confident that he was special after all.

Grades K-3

Topics It Covers: Cooperation, Responsibility

In this spin on a classic tale, Ruby does everything by herself while her brothers avoid doing any work. When she makes a fun fort, they want to be able to enjoy it. When Ruby doesn’t let her brothers play in her fort, they realize that it’s time to help out.

Grades: 1-3

Topics It Covers: Diversity

Rashin recently moved to Brooklyn from Iran. As she takes her first trip to the beach in the United States, Coney Island, she reflects on what it was like to go swimming in the Caspian Sea. She wonders how it will be different than Coney Island. As it turns out, she has fun at the Coney Island beach too, even though there are some things that are different.

Grades: 1-3

Topics It Covers: Anxiety

It was time for Rick to go to summer camp, but he was feeling nervous. When he got there, he didn’t know any of the kids and he missed his mom. His camp counselor noticed he was feeling worried and reminded him that he wasn’t alone in feeling this way. This book is a great way to normalize any worries students may have this summer when they take on new experiences.