Books on the Subject of Thumb Sucking
We believe that books are a wonderful way to talk about thumb sucking with your child. Children love stories, and a story can help draw the child’s attention to their thumb sucking. If the protagonist of the book uses a specific coping strategy, the child will often try to reenact it themselves.
It’s very important to us that thumb sucking isn’t viewed negatively or even labeled as embarrassing in a book. You don’t want to tell your child that their calming strategy is something that is embarrassing or bad.
Below, you will find a detailed review of the best children’s books dealing with thumb sucking and breaking the habit.
Anna and Dedo
Anna is a happy girl and very proud of what she can do at the age of four. She’s been sucking her thumb since she was a baby. She would like to finally quit the habit after a visit to the dentist, but it’s so difficult for her. She soon discovers that it’s actually her thumb (his name is Dedo) hiding in her mouth in certain situations. With the help of her parents, she finds extraordinary solutions for how to help Dedo. They find other places for him to hide, paint him a crazy hairstyle, and make a superhero costume for him with great success.
We, the authors of Thumb-Heroes.com, wrote the story Anna and Dedo. It is beautifully illustrated by Arnav Chakraborty, an experienced children’s book illustrator. This book grew from many of the ideas we shared and stories we told our daughter while she was trying to quit sucking her thumb, and it combines all of the knowledge we gained during her weaning period. The story finds an approach to thumb sucking that is not presented in a negative or embarrassing way. It also offers several ideas that can help during the weaning period and shows that this phase can take a while.
Book Information
- Title: Anna and Dedo
- Subtitle: A Thumb Ventures Out
- Author: Martina Gisler (Author), René Gisler (Author), Arnav Chakraborty (Illustrator), Jennifer Webb (Editor)
- Paperback: 34 pages
- ISBN-13: 979-8748075022 (Paperback)
- ISBN-13: 978-3000713651 (Hardcover)
- Publisher: Independently published
- Reading age: 2 – 6 years
- Language: English
- Buy: www.annaunddedo.com, Amazon.com, Amazon.de
The book is available in E-book, Paperback, and Hardcover formats. You can buy it on www.annaunddedo.com and on Amazon.com or Amazon.de.
Thumbs Up, Brown Bear
Little Brown Bear is getting bigger and has to learn how to stop sucking his thumb. It’s not easy, but Little Brown Bear finds some fun tricks to break the habit.
This is a hardcover book written with simple sentences. The rhythm and repetition are perfect for toddlers and early readers alike. It is a short story, but it drills the main point, and many children soon react to the sentence “Thumbs up, Brown Bear!” and take their thumbs out of their mouths without complaint. This is a cute story, and the big and bright pictures are easy to view.
Book Information
- Title: Thumbs Up, Brown Bear
- Author: Michael Dahl (Autor), Oriol Vidal (Illustrator)
- Board book: 20 pages
- ISBN-10: 1479557943
- ISBN-13: 979-8748075022
- Publisher: Picture Window Books; Brdbk edition
- Reading age: 2 – 4 years
- Language: English
- Buy: Amazon.com, Amazon.de
Thumbs Up For Ted’s Thumbsie
Ted loves his thumb so much. Sucking his thumb makes him feel a lot better when he’s sad about something and has comforted him since he was a tiny baby. In a few weeks, Ted starts school, and he is desperate to stop sucking his thumb to be able to do all the exciting things one does in school, like painting and playing football. It’s very hard for him, though. Just a few weeks before school starts, his mother brings him a special glove, called Thumbsie, with lots of dinosaurs on it. Ted gets used to it very quickly and soon realizes that he doesn’t want to suck his thumb anymore. On his first day of school, he walks proudly into his classroom, and there, a big surprise awaits him.
This lovely and positive book is meant to accompany the Thumbsie products, but we think it can also be read while wearing another item or even no such product at all as the positive message and the suspense of whether Ted is going to stop thumb sucking before school starts is very motivating. This book is suitable for children ages 2 through 6 years old. We love the illustrations. Every page is different, and there’s so much to discover, even after reading it several times.
Book Information
- Title: Thumbs Up For Ted’s Thumbsie
- Author: Rachel Edwards (Author), Jo Bates (Editor), Lisa Miles (Illustrator)
- Paperback : 24 pages
- ISBN-10: 1838531033
- ISBN-13: 978-1838531034
- Publisher: Independently published
- Language: English
- Buy: Amazon (Only available on Amazon.co.uk) or on thumbsie.co.uk
Dana's Finger is Set Free
This is the story of Dana, a kindergarten girl, that could not take her finger out of her mouth. Her mother turns the responsibility of breaking the finger sucking habit over to Dana with a great plan: every day that Dana doesn’t suck her thumb, she can put a sticker on a special calendar chart. If she can make it an entire week, she gets a prize. Dana succeeds in her mission, and her finger is set free.
This book is a fine story and a great option for those who want to address their child’s thumb sucking habit with a plan. It is actually written for slightly older children as a child needs to reach a certain age to fully grasp the concept of a calendar chart and the prospect of a reward. However, parents of younger children (+/- 3 years old) can still get some good ideas from this book. It is an interactive story with well-done illustrations. Furthermore, Dana’s chart is available, as well as other learning materials in PDF form, to add fun to the reading and understanding of the book.
Book Information
- Title: Dana’s Finger Is Set Free
- Author: Vered Kaminsky (Author)
- Paperback: 28 pages
- ISBN-10: 1097822567
- ISBN-13: 978-1097822560
- Publisher: Independently published
- Language: English
- Buy: Amazon.com, Amazon.de
Isadora! Take That Thumb Out of Your Mouth
Isadora Diore loves ballet, reading, math, and art. There’s just one problem. Isadora has the habit of putting her thumb in her mouth. Her mother and the dentist are reminding her and telling her why she should stop, and her friends are teasing her. Isadora would love to break the habit, but it’s very hard for her. That is, until the day her mother brings home a special gift that is fun and sparkly and a great reminder to take that thumb out of the mouth.
We love the fact that this story was written by a 6-year-old girl. It’s a cute story with well-done illustrations, and children who are especially keen on mermaids will love it. It’s also possible to combine the story with the introduction of mermaid gloves for thumb-suckers. We like the part in the story where Isadora learns to be kind to herself when the first attempts to break the habit were not successful. After all, tomorrow will be another opportunity to try again. One thing we didn’t like was that Isadora’s friends were teasing her for thumb sucking, and the habit is called a “really bad habit.”
Book Information
- Title: Isadora!
- Subtitle: Take That Thumb Out of Your Mouth
- Author: Avelynn Myers (Author), Vanessa Myers (Editor), Mirjana Bubevska (Illustrator)
- Paperback: 42 pages
- ISBN-10: 1720372926
- ISBN-13: 978-1720372929
- Publisher: Independently published
- Language: English
- Buy: Amazon.com, Amazon.de
More Information About Thumb Sucking
Much more information about thumb sucking can be found here. Our most recommended products for thumb sucking can be found on the product review page.
Product Review
Self-Help Book Review
Site note:
These are our favorite English children’s book dealing with the topic of thumb sucking. Have you read another story that you think we should cover in our book review? Please send us a message: Contact Us