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Parenting Collection | Goldfields Library Corporation

Our Parenting Collection

Our Parenting Collection is a curated selection of kids’ picture books that can be of use to parents and carers when they need to have various ‘life conversations’ with their young children. Children are learning everything about their world, and helping them learn can be a big job: What will my new sister be like? Why do I have to brush my teeth? How do I know if I’m angry or sad? What does it mean if my friend is different to me? How did Grandpa die? What is death? How big is space? Why isn’t the moon made of green cheese? 

We’ve selected books that can help with these questions and many more, and divided them up into five sections, grouping them for easy use:

  • Day to day and new experiences
  • Wellbeing and emotional intelligence
  • Diversity and diverse families
  • Difficult feelings and emotions, and
  • The big questions.

See below for more information about each section. 

And the best news is these books are available to borrow like any other picture books, so take them home, introduce them into your reading time and conversations with your kids, and learn together. 

Day to day and new experiences

The books in this section help you and your child talk about the common experiences that children between 0 and 6 have to deal with: visits to doctors, brushing your hair, new baby brothers etc. These books are excellent tools for preparing children for upcoming and predictable changes or for managing regular tasks or situations: for helping them be ready to overcome small and tricky hurdles, basically. 

The internet is like a puddle and There's going to be a baby

Wellbeing and emotional intelligence

The books in this section help you and your child get to grips with their growing emotional life, the natural ups and downs that come with their emerging personality and sense of self. Research shows that children who are better able to recognise, accept, and regulate their emotions, can enjoy positive lifelong benefits in every aspect of their lives. And parents and carers can grow along with them!

It's okay to make mistakes  Anger is like armour

Diversity and diverse families

The books in this section help you and your child understand and accept, and even celebrate, difference between themselves and others on a range of spectrums: race, disability, skin colour, neurodiversity, religion, family structure etc. Full of ‘Own Voices’ picture books this sub-collection allows parents and carers to feel on safe ground when attempting introducing the idea of difference positively to their children.

living with mum and living with dad   Understanding Sam   My two super mums and My two super mums

Difficult Feelings and Situations

The books in this section help you and your child grapple with the most difficult emotions and experiences: grief, loneliness, isolation, and pain. If your child has encountered the death of a grandparent, parent, or sibling or friend, or even pet, or if they have moved house and lost a beloved home, or had a traumatic experience of illness, or if a difference or disability is leaving them overwhelmed or unhappy, this collection allows parents and carers to help their child acknowledge and understand and accept their feelings, which can be the first step towards healing.

Goodbye house, hello house   The recess queen   Yesterday you were here.

The Big Questions

The books in this section help parents and carers to address the curiosity children have around the mysteries of life which, quite frankly, we perhaps don’t fully understand ourselves. Questions like ‘Why do people die?’ ‘How big is the universe’ ‘What is poverty?’ ‘Why are things unfair?’ ‘What am I made of?’ ‘How did I get here?’ These books help parents and carers move on from feeling stunned and speechless to embarking on a bit of life-learning together.

The amazing true story of how babies are made.

How to find Parenting Collection books on the library catalogue

  1. Go to the library catalogue
  2. Click Advanced search (just above the search bar)
  3. Change 'Collection' to Parenting Collection
  4. Click Search

Books listed on this page: