Bear's Big Backpack

One fall morning Bear sets off on a special task: to gather items for his family's hibernation feast. As he searches, he finds more than pinecones and berries. Every item he collects also comes with a new, big feeling: excitement, happiness, anger. He tucks each item into his backpack, sure he can carry it all himself.

When it all becomes too heavy, and his backpack breaks, Bear breaks too. That's when his friends find him and offer their help.

Bear's Big Backpack is a social-emotional learning picture book for ages 4-7 about the feelings kids collect long before they have words for them - happiness, pride, excitement, anger, sadness, loneliness, and love - and the friends who help carry the load. Told through Bear's first solo journey, it gives young readers a gentle, concrete way to recognize and speak about their own big feelings, and gives grown-ups a real story to open conversations about emotions, friendship, and asking for help.

Because everyone needs someone to help carry the heavy things.