Inspector Croc's Emotion-O-Meter

Susanna Isern covers ten emotions at three intensity levels — an unusually rigorous scope for a children's SEL book — and the interactive emotion-o-meter on the back cover turns it from a passive read into a living tool kids can reach for when feelings are running high. Written by a practicing child psychologist and translated into multiple languages, this one has real credibility behind the charm. The detective framing gets a little formulaic by the end, but the core idea is excellent.