World Mental Health Day

Reading Well for Children in your local library

Shelf Help for Young People in your local library

Reading Well for Children is a list of books to provide children and their families and carers with information, advice and support for coping with feelings and worries, daily life and getting through a tough time

Books have been chosen and endorsed by leading health professionals (NHS England, Mind, the Royal College of GPs, the School Library Association, and colleagues from public libraries) and co-produced with children and families.

The booklist is targeted at children in Key Stage 2 (aged 7-11) but includes a wide range of reading levels to support less confident readers, and to encourage children to read together with their siblings and carers.

Shelf Help is a list of books to provide 13-18 year olds with a set of 35 books endorsed by young people with first-hand experience of mental health issues. Topics include anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders as well as difficulties of life such as bullying.

Some of the recommended books suggest useful self-help techniques. There are also personal stories, graphic novels and fiction. Reading about other people’s experiences and feelings can sometimes help you understand your own. You can use the books on their own, although self–help reading often works best with support from a health professional. Your doctor can advise you on the support that’s available.

The Reading Well books have been chosen by young people and health experts to help you with difficult feelings and experiences that can affect your wellbeing.

The list covers:

• Maintaining good mental health and wellbeing
• Understanding and managing feelings
• Dealing with worries
• Navigating the world around you (at school, online, in the news)
• Dealing with tough times (when someone dies, trauma, when a parent/carer has mental health needs)
• Living well specific diagnosed conditions (including ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), OCD and physical disabilities)

The list covers:

• Maintaining good mental health and wellbeing
• Learning about life
• Bullying
• Dealing with worries, anxiety, stress and panic
• Self-esteem, eating disorders, body image and self-harm
• Dealing with depression and mood swings
• Living well specific diagnosed conditions (including ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), and OCD