Gear Up for 'Inside Out 2'

28 children's books for all the feels

Since the original Inside Out came out in 2015, audiences have been clamoring for a sequel. Kids and adults alike were charmed by the effective concept of creating a cast of entertaining characters who personified the emotional state of an eleven-year-old girl named Riley as she adjusts to her family's cross-country move. The original set of emotion characters included Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Tony Hale), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Liza Lapira).

Inside Out 2 hit theaters last June. Riley is thirteen now and four more big emotions have joined Headquarters: Anxiety (voiced by Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser). If you're as excited as we are, here are some books you might enjoy:

• Inside Out by Andrea Posner-Sanchez (Ages 2–5): A Little Golden Book retelling the story of the original film.
• Meet the Emotions: Inside Out 2 (Ages 2–5): Get acquainted with all the feels from both the first and second movies.
• The Art of Inside Out 2: Aspiring artists and fans of all ages will enjoy this collectible book offering a peek into the creation of the new film.

Read on for a set of reads—from board books to middle-grade novels—related to every emotion from Inside Out 2.

Joy 

My Heart Fills With Happiness by Monique Gray Smith (Ages 0–3)
The sun on your face. The smell of warm bannock baking in the oven. Holding the hand of someone you love. What fills your heart with happiness? This board book, illustrated by award-winning artist Julie Flett, is perfect for the youngest readers.

Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson (Ages 4–7)
A little girl collects wildflowers as she walks with her distracted father. Each flower becomes a gift and both giver and recipient are transformed by the exchange. It's an ode to the importance of small things, small people, and small gestures.

Rebound by Kwame Alexander (Ages 10–12)
In the summer of 1988, twelve-year-old Chuck Bell is sent to stay with his grandparents, where he discovers the joys of jazz and basketball and makes a connection with his family's past.

Sadness 

When Sadness Is at Your Door by Eva Eland (Ages 3–7)
Children who are feeling down may feel pressured to just cheer up or get over it. This gorgeous book imagines sadness as a visitor and helps children (and their adults) get more comfortable with difficult feelings.

A Blue Kind of Day by Rachel Tomlinson (Ages 4–8)
Coen is having a sniffling, sighing, sobbing kind of day. His family tries to cheer him up with suggestions, jokes, and gifts. Nothing helps. But one by one, they get quiet and begin to listen. Finally, Coen is able to show them what he needs.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (Ages 8–12)
After Leslie, a new girl at Jess's school, beats him in a foot race, the two fifth graders become best friends, creating an imaginary kingdom in the woods. When Leslie dies in a tragic accident, Jess must learn how to deal with his grief.

Fear

Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna (Ages 3–7)
When a young immigrant girl starts at a new school in a new country, she is accompanied by her Fear, growing bigger and bigger every day with questions that make her doubt herself. But this little girl is stronger than her Fear.

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall (Ages 4–8)
Working up the courage to take a big, important leap is hard, but Jabari is almost absolutely ready to make a giant splash. He just has a few things to figure out before he climbs up onto the diving board.

Better with Butter by Victoria Piontek (Ages 8–12)
Twelve-year-old Marvel is afraid of absolutely everything. But when she stumbles on a group of older kids teasing a baby goat that shows up on the soccer field, she momentarily forgets to be afraid and rescues the frightened animal.

Anger 

A Little Spot of Anger by Diane Alber (Ages 3–7)
It can be really hard to handle big emotions, especially anger. Kids experience frustrating situations everyday. This story teaches them that instead of yelling or stomping their feet, they can practice strategies to stay calm.

Like Lava in My Veins by Derrick Barnes (Ages 4–8)
Bobby's psyched to go to a new school to help him learn about his sizzling superpowers. But when his hot temper gets him in trouble, an understanding teacher helps him see that staying calm will only make him more powerful.

The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall (Age 10+)
Arthur is facing juvie after losing his temper and hurling a brick at the trash picker. Amazingly, it's the Junk Man himself who offers him an alternate way to make things right—120 hours of community service . . . working for him.

Disgust 

Dog Breath: the Horrible Trouble with Hally Tosis by Dav Pilkey (Ages 2–8)
Hally Tosis is a great family dog, but there is one rotten thing about her: her breath. With their parents threatening to find her a new home, the children try everything to cure her stinky stench. But Hally's putrid panting persists.

The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff (Ages 4–10)
It's the summer of 1858, and London's River Thames stinks. What is creating this revolting smell? The answer is gross: the river is full of poop. Discover the true story about the engineer determined to fix London's pollution problem.

Don't Read This Book Before Dinner: Revoltingly True Tales of Foul Food, Icky Animals, Horrible History, and More by Anna Claybourne (Ages 8–12)
From wretched rodents and beastly bugs to putrid plants and muck-filled moats, find out about the icky, sticky world around you. This fun book pairs gloriously gross stories with eye-popping pictures, fun facts, and hilarious quizzes.

Anxiety

Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival (Ages 3–7)
When Ruby first meets the Worry, it's so small that she barely notices it. But over time, it gets bigger and bigger, until it starts getting in her way. Then one day, she learns that talking about your worries can help keep them in check.

Worry Says What? by Allison Edwards (Ages 5–11)
With a relatable story and beautiful artwork, this powerful book gives a glimpse into the ways that worries can overwhelm young minds and offers a tool that children (and adults) can use to silence those fears.

Guts: A Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier (Ages 8–12)
Raina's got tummy trouble and it isn't clearing up like the stomach bug she thought it was. It soon becomes clear that her upset tummy coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships. What's going on?

Envy 

Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea (Ages 3–5)
After Unicorn arrives in the neighborhood, Goat feels like he can't compete. Goat thought his bike was cool. But Unicorn flies to school. Goat made marshmallow squares, but then Unicorn made it rain cupcakes. Unicorn is such a show-off!

Those Shoes by Maribeth Boelts (Ages 5–8)
When his old shoes fall apart, Jeremy is determined to get a pair of those shoes, the ones everyone at school seems to be wearing. But his grandma can only afford the thrift-shop pair that are much too small. And sore feet aren't much fun.

Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina (Ages 9–12)
Merci's life is different from other kids at her private school, because she's on scholarship. Even so, when a classmate crushes on the boy who happens to be Merci's school-assigned buddy, she becomes the target of the other girl's jealousy.

Ennui 

I Am So Bored! by Henrike Wilson (Ages 3–6)
A little bear is bored and has no idea what to do with himself. He tries to find a friend to play with him, but no one is available. Dejected, the little bear lays down on the ground with nothing to do but to stare at the sky or the grass. How boring!

My Teacher is a Robot by Jeffrey Brown (Ages 4–8)
Fred does not want to go to school because it's boring. Plus, he thinks his teacher is a robot. If only Fred could imagine a way for his day to be more exciting. This inventively funny book celebrates the boundlessness of a child's imagination.

All Summer Long by Hope Larson (Ages 10–14)
With her best friend, Austin, away at camp, thirteen-year-old Bina has a long summer ahead of her. At first it's a lot of guitar playing, boredom, and bad TV, but things look up when she finds an unlikely companion in Austin's older sister.

Embarrassment 

Something's Wrong!: A Bear, A Hare, and Some Underwear by Jory John (Ages 3–6)
Jeff the bear has definitely forgotten something. He ate his breakfast, he watered his plant, he combed his fur. What could it be? It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that he's wearing underwear . . . over his fur—could it?

Son of Happy by Cary Fagan (Ages 6–9)
The boy in this story never wants to go to his friends' birthday parties, because Happy the Clown is always there. And Happy is his dad. He never minded his dad being a clown when he was a little kid. But now it's just embarrassing.

The Humiliations of Pipi McGee by Beth Vrabel (Ages 10–12)
The first eight years of Penelope (Pipi) McGee's education have been a curriculum in humiliation. Determined to wipe the slate clean before starting high school, Pipi embarks on a quest for redemption, and maybe a little bit of revenge.

Get in touch with your emotions with these great reads focused on all the feels.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon