Everyone gets in a bad mood sometimes. These picture books for teaching about mood are a great tool for explaining what a bad mood is and strategies for getting out of it. This post shares popular chilren’s books for teaching about bad moods that elementary teachers often use as read alouds. All of the picture books on this list lend themselves to this topic really well. Take a peek below to learn more about these picture books for teaching about mood!
6 Books for Teaching about Bad Moods
Below is a list of some of our favorite picture books about bad moods. Check them out below!
1. Alexander and The Terrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
Alexander and The Terrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst tells the story of a boy named Alexander. From the moment Alexander wakes up, everything goes wrong! He wakes up with gum in his hair, fights with his friends, and has to eat lima beans for dinner. At the end of his rough day, Alexander learns some days are just like that.
Check out these Alexander and The Terrible, No Good Very Bad Day Lessons and Activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
2. Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang
Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang is a story about how Jim Panzee wakes up one morning feeling grumpy. He is very confused and doesn’t know why he feels this way. The other animals in the jungle try to cheer him up, but Jim keeps insisting that he is not grumpy.
Eventually, the other animals push Jim too far trying to make him happy, and he explodes and runs off. It isn’t until he finally admits that he is feeling grumpy, that he begins to feel better.
Check out these Grumpy Monkey Lessons and Activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
3. Crankenstein by Samantha Berger and Dan Santat
In the story Crankenstein by Samantha Berger and Dan Santat, there are a lot of things that Crankenstein does not like. You would know if you have ever seen Crankenstein. He does not like standing in long lines and he doesn’t like bedtime. Crankstein does not like when it is too cold on Halloween or when it is too hot for popsicles. He definitely doesn’t like bedtime or drinking cough syrup.
You might think that Crankenstein would be that way forever. But, when Crankenstein sees another crankenstein, it actually makes him laugh! Of course Crankenstein will be back someday, but not after laughing so much!
Check out these Crankenstein Lessons and Activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
4. The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland
In the story The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland, it was a cold and rainy day and Zebra, Lion, Moose and Sheep found their way into a cave to play a game of cards. Each friend had something special about them: Zebra had stripes, Lion had a mane, Moose had antlers but Sheep was plain.
Suddenly, the friends realized they were not alone in the cave. They heard a loud ROAR and a bear chased them out of the cave. The friends concluded that the bear must be feeling cranky. The friends decided they would try and cheer him up. Zebra made stripes, Lion created a mane, and Moose made antlers for bear. The three brought their creations into Bear while sheep waited in the cold.
Again, the friends were chased out of the cave by the cranky bear. The friends were confused about why Bear was still cranky. Bear turned to Sheep and said he wanted a quiet place to sleep. Sheep decided to cut off some of her wool to make Bear a pillow. This allowed him to fall asleep and the four friends were able to resume their game inside the cave.
Check out these The Very Cranky Bear Lessons and Activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
5. The Bad Mood and The Stick by Lemony Snicket
The Bad Mood and The Stick by Lemony Snicket starts with a girl named Carly who is not in a good mood because she saw an ice-cream store but wasn’t allowed to stop and get ice-cream. Carly sees a stick on the ground and uses it to poke her brother. That makes Carly feel better but the bad mood travels to Carly’s mother.
The bad mood and the stick take turns traveling to different characters. The characters are affected by the bad mood and make interesting choices because of it. Readers learn an important lesson that everyone has bad moods, and how to cope with it.
Check out these The Bad Mood and The Stick Lessons and Activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
6. Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival
Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival is about a boy named Ravi who is the smallest and youngest in his family. Normally being small doesn’t bother Ravi, until one day when his family goes to the park.
They race to the train to go to the park and he is last so he has to be squished in a seat with his dad and dog. Then when they are at the park he can’t find anyone when they play hide and seek, can’t reach the monkey bars or jump between the logs, and is unable to go down the big slide. Ravi gets really really angry and his dad says they should go get ice cream.
Ravi is last in line for the ice cream and there isn’t any left. He gets so angry that he turns into a tiger. When he is a tiger he can roar and growl at anyone and get what he wants. Soon Ravi realizes no one wants to play with him or be around him. He apologizes and his family forgives him and he never turns into a tiger again.
Check out these Ravi’s Roar Lessons and Activities to help you plan and deliver highly engaging interactive read aloud lessons!
Grab the Free Reading Resources!
In closing, we hope you found this list of picture books for teaching about mood helpful! They are part of our Starts With a Story collection. If you want to get more book ideas to read aloud to your elementary students, then grab this reading freebie. It includes read aloud books lists, reading logs, and reading challenges for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom teachers. It will have you covered for the entire school year, as well as the summer months! Grab this free elementary reading packet now!
