Protective Factors Around Suicide

PreK - 3rd grade

• When I'm Feeling Angry by Trace Moroney (PreK-1st) (Explains that feeling angry is OK, but that it isn't okay to hurt others with those feelings, and some ways to handle the feelings constructively)
• Cool Down and Work Through Anger by Cheri Meiners (PreK-1st) (How to handle anger without hitting)
• The Busy Beaver by Nicholas Oldland (PreK-2nd) (How to take care with others, as well as the world around us)
• Making a Difference: Teaching Kindness, Character and Purpose by Cheri J. Meiners (PreK-2nd)
• Zach Gets Frustrated by William Mulcahy (PreK-2nd) (Relationship skills around anger and learning responsibility for their actions when dealing with everyday situations)
• The Way I Feel by Janan Cain (PreK-3rd) (Feelings) (*may be a great resource for a student with autism)
• F Is for Feeling by Goldie Millar and Lisa A. Berger (PreK-3rd) (Uses "feeling" words in an alphabet format)
• When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang (PreK-3rd) (What to do when you experience anger)
• How are You Peeling? Food with Moods by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers (PreK-3rd) (Helps with identifying and verbalizing feelings)
• Hold On To Your Horses by Sandra Tayler (K-2nd) (Impulse control and how to constructively use ideas)
• Let's Be Enemies by Janice May Udry (K-2nd) (Conflict Resolution and the importance of friendships)
• Talk and Work It Out by Cheri Meiners (K-3rd) (Conflict Resolution)
• The Quarreling Book by Charlotte Zolotow (K-3rd) (Grumpiness happens in families, but a little kindness can go a long way.)
• I Can Handle It by Laurie Wright (K-4th) (How to handle tricky situations)
• The Worry Glasses: Overcoming Anxiety by Donalisa Helsley (K-4th) (Taking control of your own anxiety)
• Bucket Dippers and Lids by Carol McCloud (2nd-7th)(understanding, kindness, self-control, resilience, empathy, and forgiveness)
• What Were You Thinking: A Story About Learning to Control Your Impulses by Bryan Smith (3rd-6th) (Impulse control) (Recommended for students with ADHD)
• The Blue Day Book for Kids by Bradley Trevor Grieve (Any age) (How to handle "blue" days and turning them around)
• A Handful of Quiet by Thich Nhat Hanh (For Teachers/Staff)

4th- 6th grade

• The Worry Glasses: Overcoming Anxiety by Donalisa Helsley (K-4th) (Taking control of your own anxiety)
• I Can Handle It by Laurie Wright (K-4th) (How to handle tricky situations)
• Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook (2nd-5th) (Tools for anxiety)
• Bucket Dippers and Lids by Carol McCloud (2nd-7th)(understanding, kindness, self-control, resilience, empathy, and forgiveness)
• What Were You Thinking: A Story About Learning to Control Your Impulses by Bryan Smith (3rd-6th) (Impulse control) (Recommended for students with ADHD)
• What to do When You Are Scared and Worried: A Guide for Kids by James J. Crist (4th-8th) (A book for advice, reassurance, and ideas with fears and anxiety)
• The Blue Day Book for Kids by Bradley Trevor Grieve (Any age) (How to handle "blue" days and turning them around)

Middle and High School

Disclosure: Some middle/high school readings contain language and/or sensitive topics that need previewing by school before given to youth.

• Bucket Dippers and Lids by Carol McCloud (2nd-7th)(understanding, kindness, self-control, resilience, empathy, and forgiveness)
• What to do When You Are Scared and Worried: A Guide for Kids by James J. Crist (4th-8th) (A book for advice, reassurance, and ideas with fears and anxiety)
• Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig (9th-12th) (A personal story about depression and the tools used to overcome it)
• Bullycide: True Stories Exposing the Influence Bullying has on Youth Suicide Vol. 2 by Alexander Scott
• Beyond Surviving: A Compilation of Stories from Survivors of Suicide Loss by Survivors of Suicide Loss
• Rage: True Stories by Teens About Anger by Laura Longhine

Staff/Parents

• 49 Phrases to Calm an Anxious Child