Feelings: Inside My Heart and In My Head

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Text by Libby Walden
Illustrations by Richard Jones
Caterpillar Books (an imprint of the Little Tiger Group) 2016
Reviewed copy kindly provided by The Reading Zone & Caterpillar Books in exchange for an honest review on Reading Zone's School Zone


Back of Book:
What you feel is who you are...
Explore the world of emotions with this stunning peep-through book. The lyrical text and enchanting illustrations bring each emotion to life to help children understand the universal and unique nature of feelings.

Missus B says...
Children need to learn how to identify and recognise their own feelings, figure out how to manage them, express what's happening, adapt their emotions to their environment and along with this, develop empathy for others.This understanding and expression of feelings is often described as 'emotional literacy.' Communicating about feelings is an important life skill and one that supports mental health and well being.

So, as becoming emotionally literate involves a whole LOT of learning- any book that supports this is always welcome on my shelf!  'Feelings:Inside my heart and in my head' offers a lovely opportunity for reflecting on & talking about emotions.
The book deals with ten emotions including excitement, fear, embarrassment, loneliness and happiness. 

'Inside my heart and in my head, all kinds of feelings dwell.
As they spark and bounce around I fall under their spell.
Sometimes I want to cry and stomp and really cause a scene
and other times I laugh and smile-what do these feelings mean?'

Importantly, the book explains that, how we appear on the outside, may differ from what's happening deep within....while a person's feelings may not be visible, they are an important part of who we are.

Each page has a cut out with a little boy character peeping out. Surrounding him are various colours and characters, each illustrating a different emotion.

Through lovely rhyming text and metaphors, the book puts feelings into words. Sadness is a river bursting it's banks, anger is a volcano erupting, while jealousy feels like a misty steam that 'churns and seethes.'

Bravery-facing your fears, scaling a mountain and feeling like it's all been worth while when you see the beautiful view. 

Happiness: that feeling you have when you're dancing to a rhythm, when it's sunny outside and there's  laughter in the air. I love the dancing dogs and the not so crabby crabs!

Feeling alone: floating in a bubble far away from the rest of the world and feeling like there's no-one looking or listening. 

Excitement: that feeling you have on bonfire night as you wait for each explosion of dazzling fireworks.

To close, the author explains that the feelings we have are unique to each of us,suggesting that, by walking in someone else's shoes, we learn more about each-other.

Beautifully illustrated with warm tones, a variety of textures and mosaics, each page 
is atmospheric and dream-like. The scenes surrounding the main character change to convey each new emotion. There are animal characters too-tearful rabbits, dancing dogs, fluttering birds and happy crabs. To find out more about the process involved in developing this lovely art work, visit Richard Jones' web page here. 

'Feelings: Inside my Heart and In my Head'  is a gentle and sensitive read. It highlights how all feelings are important, while offering readers a chance to reflect and talk together. By sharing this book with children, we can develop self awareness, nurture empathy and build emotional literacy. 

Perfect for groups and one to one work & a Missus B favourite. 
Related

• Check out my Feelings/Emotions Page for other related books I have shared.
• Helpful tips & information: The Benefits of Helping Preschoolers Understand & Discuss their Emotions  from Mind/Shift.
• 14 Tips for Helping Children with Emotional Intelligence from Parent for Success.com

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