Life does not truly offer dress rehearsals for the disasters that confront humanity in today’s world. Hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, floods, disastrous weather, migration, war, violence, and poverty are the categories of life’s disasters that fill our news each day. Children are often caught in the literal and figurative crosshairs of both natural and man-made disasters, leaving them without shelter, food, and even parents and caregivers. The trauma related to the effects of a disaster affects children’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development. Early childhood teachers may feel less prepared to assist during times of disaster. Based on socio-emotional learning tenets, this paper offers carefully curated picturebooks organized within the above categories of disasters. These picturebooks provide a kind of dress rehearsal prior to a disaster, during a disaster, and after disasters, through read alouds, responsive conversations, and even agentive actions to cope with and mitigate life’s disasters.