
25 Excellent Coping Skills for Kids: B is for Breathe Book
From the letter A to the letter Z, B is for Breathe celebrates the many ways children can express their feelings and develop coping skills at an early age. Fun, cute, and exciting illustrations, this colorful book teaches kids simple ways to cope with fussy and frustrating emotions. This book will inspire kids to discuss their feelings, show positive behaviors, and practice calm down strategies.


With children stuck at home and parents working from home, the weeks seem to run on with no end. Not only will families be cooped up together, but emotions are also super-stressing for both parents and children. Now more than ever, we will need to remember to incorporate the many important coping skills for kids in our lives. So, what are some coping skills for kids?
Luckily for us, Clinical Psychologist and children’s author, Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd’s book, “B is for Breathe: The ABCs of Coping with Fussy and Frustrating Feelings,” teaches children simple ways to cope with emotions and the daily challenges of life. And with our current pandemic, it is especially important to learn a variety of coping skills for kids that we can incorporate at home.
“B is for Breathe” cleverly uses the ABCs to provide children many different ways that they can express and cope with their feelings, such as counting, dancing, and reading. Boyd lists 25 different coping skills for kids in her book. What a resource for both kids and adults! When I read this book with my kids, we found some new, creative ideas that we had never thought about.
I also love that this book helps open up a dialogue between you and your kids to help discuss feelings, something that kids don’t always want to do.
Dr. Boyd did a beautiful job illustrating the book as well. “B is for Breathe” pops with color, and the pictures will keep your kids engaged. I must say that we have completely fallen in love with this book by Dr. Boyd, and it has made its way to the section of our favorites on the bookshelf.
What are your kid’s favorite ways to cope with frustrating emotions? If you know someone who can use some ideas on coping skills for kids please share this article with them!
Where Can I Find Coping Skills for Kids Book, "B is For Breathe?"
You can find B is for Breathe by Dr. Melissa Munro Boyd on Amazon.
About the Author, Dr. Melissa Boyd
“Melissa Munro Boyd, is a wife, mother of 3, Clinical Psychologist, and officer in the United States Army. Dr. Boyd has spent much of her clinical career treating service members with behavioral health disorders, to include PTSD. Prior to the military, Dr. Boyd worked with children in the Philadelphia School District.
She is a proud graduate of Hampton University in Virginia where she earned her Bachelors in Psychology. Upon graduation, she attended La Salle University where she obtained her Master’s and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. Through it all, God and her family have been a constant source of strength and motivation.”
Rapid Fire with Dr. Melissa Boyd
Q. When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Melissa: I realized I wanted to be a writer when I was in graduate school. I enjoyed doing research and writing reports. I enjoyed reading articles and would often recommend books to patients and provide handouts to children. I liked the idea of creating a children’s book that was fun to read and could also serve as a helpful resource for children to learn from.
Q. What does your family think of your writing?
Melissa: My family really enjoys that I am a writer. My husband and kids contributed many of the ideas in B is for Breathe and are very much a part of marketing and participating in book fairs and author events. My writing has also inspired my husband and son to become authors, and they are currently working together on a children’s book about basketball.
Q. What was the most surprising thing you learned about creating books?
Melissa: I was very surprised by how much information was available online. I read many articles, viewed lots of YouTube videos, and asked questions of other authors who were very willing to share ideas and provide feedback. I’ve also been surprised by the amount of time and creative thought that goes into marketing to populations who may benefit most from the book.
Q. Tell us about your plans for the future? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Melissa: My plans for the future include continuing to write stories for children that focus on issues such as mental health, self-esteem, and wellness. I am currently an active duty Army Psychologist. In 5 years, I plan to continue serving until I can retire in 2027. Following retirement, I plan to still work as a psychologist to help the behavioral health needs of military veterans and their families.
Q. How did you become involved in the subject or theme of your book? Melissa: My book focuses on the subject of healthy coping skills for fussy and frustrating emotions. There is also a theme of diversity amongst the children in the book. Being a psychologist and African American mother of 3, I saw the importance of having books about mental health and with characters of diverse ethnicities that my children can relate to.
B is for Breathe is a wonderful resource for children, parents, educators, counselors, and more. Because of the diversity, it allows many children to see themselves in a book and introduces them to various healthy ways to manage feelings.
Q. Can you tell us about one of the most rewarding moments you have had as an author?
Melissa: My most rewarding moment was being invited to speak at a reading event in my hometown of Allentown, PA. The City Youth Initiative program sponsored the event, and each child that attended the reading event was donated a copy of the book. It was great to give back to my hometown and to speak about the book in addition to important topics such as mental health and resiliency.
Q. What do you hope your readers take away from this book?
Melissa: The overall hope is that this book will inspire kids to discuss their feelings and practice calm down strategies. Whether it is deep breathing, muscle relaxation, art, or writing about emotions, it is fun to try out different calm down strategies and techniques to help a child find their own special way of coping with emotions.
Q. What real-life inspirations did you draw from for the worldbuilding within your book?
Melissa: I’ve always wanted to write a children’s book, and as a mom and psychologist, I’ve learned it is ever so important that healthy coping skills are discussed and promoted for children at an early age. It was also important that I write a book with characters that reflected images of my children. In fact, my kids (ages 7, 5, and 3) helped develop this book by sharing their own cool ideas about the characters and special the images in addition to ways they like to express and cope with fussy and frustrating feelings.
Q. Is there a message in your novel that you hope readers will grasp?
Melissa: B is for Breathe is a book about children’s emotions and learning healthy coping skills at an early age. From the letter A to the letter Z, B is for Breathe focuses on social-emotional learning and developing healthy coping skills at an early age. The book provides examples of different ways children can express their feelings, cope with fussy and frustrating emotions, and practice calm down strategies.
Q. Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Melissa: It is wonderful hearing from readers! Here are a few of my favorite comments- I heard from a 2nd-grade teacher who stated her student saw my picture on the back of the book and halted midway- she asked: “Is this who wrote the book?” The teacher said, YES! And read my author biography to her. The student’s eyes lit up, and she said: “if she can write a book, so can I!” It was so heartwarming.
One of my favorite comments from a parent stated, “I wish this book was available 10 years ago. My daughter has been dealing with anxiety and OCD for the last 12 years. It has been so hard to find therapists that we can relate to. A book like this may have opened communication in our family”.
Don't Forget To Join Dr. Melissa Boyd on Social Media!
All in all, my family and I have really enjoyed this book and we know you will too! Please feel free to leave me any comments or questions about this review. I look forward to hearing from you!
* This book was kindly sent to me by Author, Dr. Melissa Boyd in exchange for an honest review.
There is certainly a lot of stress and anxiety in this world today. With lock down it has even made it worse. This sounds like a great book to share with the grandchildren. Thank you so much for sharing
Looks like a great book for young kids. I love the idea of pairing lessons in emotional well being with letters of the alphabet. Great way to learn two things at once. Also the animations are AMAZING i love the color saturation and large character designs. Thanks for this book review, and thanks to Dr. Boyd for her book and her service.