Books to Help Explain Tough Subjects

March 11, 2009

by Amy Rees

Oh, the tough stuff.  Life with preschoolers means wading right into the hard stuff, sometimes on a daily basis. 

And what's perhaps most striking of all is just how much tough stuff there is! 

We asked our team of City Editors to tell us about what books they turn to for help explaining something tough, and we got answers from potty training to where babies come from, from separation anxiety to terminal illness. 

And that's only the tip of what we -- and more importantly, our little ones -- consider to be tough to get through. 

As with all moments, light or heavy, a book provides some context, a script, some words when we are not so sure of our own.  So, from your littlest ones trying to stay dry to your bigger ones trying to dry their tears, here are some wise essays on using great books to tackle life's thornier moments:

A mom's journey through terminal breast cancer (Atlanta)

Books to encourage toilet training (Charleston)

How to deal with separation anxiety (Cleveland)

Tackling the tough talks of all kinds (Denver)

Mister Rogers to the rescue on the tough stuff (Pittsburgh)

Expert advice to explain the birds and the bees (San Diego)

Weathering all those first experiences (Tucson)