Bell Let’s Talk, taking place on January 31, 2018, is a wide-reaching, multi-year program designed to break the silence around mental illness and support mental health all across Canada. In honour of this day, we bring you a list of Canadian books for kids and teens that broach various topics relating to mental health. Pick up one of these great books at your local bookstore or library.
Picture Books |
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Ira Crumb Makes a Pretty Good Friend Anxiety | Friendship | School Life This book puts an endearing spin on the anxiety that accompanies change and making friends. Ira thinks that because he is the new kids, he won’t have friends at school. Ira launches a campaign to befriend the neighbourhood kids. He meets Malcolm, who was new last year. Ira and Malcolm become friends. |
Margo Thinks Twice Imagination | Fears | Anxiety | Pets | Dog Adoption Margo is an imaginative, adventurous little girl who sometimes feels nervous and uncomfortable, especially inside the wild world her imagination sometimes creates. Margo’s mind turns everyday advice into worries and worst-case scenarios. Luckily, Margo’s mom comes up with an idea to ease her daughter’s anxieties and encourage her inventive spirit in a positive way. |
Noni Is Nervous Self-Confidence | Anxiety | Worries | Independence Noni is nervous about a lot of things, like play dates, bossy friends and global warming. But she’s mostly nervous about her first day of school. Who will she sit with? What will she wear? And worst of all — what if the teacher is mean? As Noni learns how to navigate through her first day of school, her nerves dissipate and she ends up having a great time. This title is also available in French as Ninon s’inquiète. |
Virginia Wolf Sisters | Depression | Art One day Virginia wakes up in a wolfish mood, and when her sister Vanessa tries to cheer her up, nothing works — not even making funny faces at their brother. Finally Vanessa decides to bring the outside inside by painting trees, strange candy blossoms, green shoots and frosted cakes on the walls of their room. This is a tale that looks at depression and celebrates the transformative power of art. |
Junior & Intermediate Fiction |
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The Best Mistake Mystery Friendship | Anxiety | Mystery | Dogs | Sleuthing | Middle School Dog walker extraordinaire Stephen Nobel calms his anxiety by counting his daily mistakes. When two crazy events happen in one day, Stephen can’t leave it alone. But his curiosity gets him, his friend Renée and his doggy clients involved in a dangerous mystery! How can Stephen save everyone? To solve the mystery, Stephen will have to count on all of his new friends. |
OCDaniel Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder | Mystery | Self-Acceptance | Mental Health | Identity | Friendship | Humour Thirteen-year-old Daniel — a budding author, friend and second-string football player — is plagued by “Zaps,” triggers such as an unlucky number that compel him to repeat certain actions — rituals that leave him exhausted and positive he is crazy. His life gets weirder when Sara, a selectively mute schoolmate, sends him a mysterious note and draws him into a mystery that just might change everything. |
The Sewing Basket Mental Illness | Family | World Events It is 1967, and 12-year-old Ruth Iverson’s world pretty much revolves around her friends, a boy she likes, the Monkees and spending time with her dad, doing special stuff like watching the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. But she is soon to realize that her mom’s strange behaviour, which has become an embarrassment, is a symptom of a disease that will affect the family’s life, and possibly Ruth’s future. |
Timo’s Party Cooking | Parties | Friendship | Animals | Anxiety | Courage Big parties make Timo’s fur stand on end. But hosting an apple festival in his orchard and inviting Madame LaPointe, a famous food critic, might help his friend Hedgewick make his culinary dreams come true! Timo’s friends help with all the invitations, preparations and decorations. But, when the big day arrives, will all their work and Timo’s belief in Hedgewick’s cooking be enough to impress Madame LaPointe? |
Young Adult Fiction |
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10 Things I Can See From Here Teen Romance | Anxiety | Family | Relationships | Acceptance | LGBTQ Maeve struggles with severe anxiety, and it’s not something she can just talk herself out of. Now she is moving to Vancouver to live with her dad. Between her dad’s wavering sobriety, her pregnant stepmom’s home-birth plans and a new relationship with Salix, a carefree local girl, can Maeve navigate through all the potential catastrophes to be there for the people she loves? |
Faerie Anorexia | Mental Illness | Family | Control | Loss The horror of becoming an adult, and leaving childhood behind, has broken Lila’s heart. She likens herself to a half-human faerie creature not belonging to the earthly world; in reality, she is a psychiatric patient, being treated for anorexia — her sickness driven by the irrational need to undo nature and stop time. Lila is desperate to escape her body, to set the faerie inside her free. |
Identify Gender Identity | Sexuality | Anxiety | Friendship | Mental Health | Drugs | Bullying Ethan, an anxiety-ridden loner, is befriended by Gabriella, or Gabe, as she prefers to be known. When Ethan discovers that Gabe is under pressure to act and dress more “like a girl,” and is being threatened at school, he finds the courage to confront her tormentor. A plan to set things right ends up helping them both discover who they really are. |
The Most Dangerous Thing Desire | Sexuality | Depression | Judaism | Family | Romance | Anxiety | Mental Illness Sydney hates to talk about sex. She’s also secretly fighting depression, and she’s sure she’ll never have a boyfriend. When her classmate Paul starts texting her, she is caught off guard by his interest and the unfamiliar desire it has awakened. Sydney begins to re-examine her relationship with her body and grapple with what she calls the most dangerous thing about sex: female desire. |
Non-Fiction |
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Anxiety: Deal With It Before It Ties You Up in Knots Anxiety | Mental Health | Coping Strategies This accessible title helps kids understand anxiety and offers practical ideas for coping. Filled with information, quizzes, definitions and helpful hints, this book helps young people identify and deal with the different ways that anxiety is expressed, from phobias to panic attacks, in settings as diverse as home, the schoolyard and the mall. Strategies for kids coping with anxiety are included. |
Depression and Other Mood Disorders Mental Health | Depression | Mood Disorders Depression and mood disorders are common but serious mental illnesses that occur across all age groups, genders, economic classes and ethnic groups. This enlightening title examines the causes and symptoms of depression and other mood disorders and provides information about treatment options. There is a chapter on caregiver support as well as one titled “Depression Toolbox” that offers useful coping strategies for daily challenges. |
Don’t Stress: How to Handle Life’s Little Problems Stress | Control | Relaxation | Activities | Self-Help | Empowerment Stay in the Moment. Breathe. Don’t Stress. Being a kid can be stressful and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and out of control. Award-winning author Helaine Becker has created this playbook for managing stress with light-hearted tone. Explore common, stress-inducing scenarios, then discover techniques to help manage emotions and make calmer choices. Learn to take a more relaxed approach to dealing with school, friendship, parents, homework and more! |
Stress Less! A Kid’s Guide to Managing Emotions Stress | Anxiety | Feelings | Mental Health | Healthy Lifestyle Good mental health is as important as good physical health to our overall fitness. This timely title helps young readers understand signs of stress and offers strategies to manage their emotions and help reduce feelings of anxiety. Simple activities such as breathing exercises help children learn how to relieve tension and improve concentration. |