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.

Peter & Lisa: A Mental Illness Children's Story

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Authors: Charles Katz, Linda Baron Katz.
Illustrator:  Mitchi Suico
PAGE PUBLISHING, INC. New York, NY

Page Publishing, Inc. 2014

Reviewed copy: PDF version emailed by L. Katz in exchange  for an honest review. Paperback version also available.


Peter and Lisa: A Mental Illness Children's Story
is about two adults who are affected by mental illness. In the introduction page mental illness is described in  a simple, child-friendly way. The clear and matter of fact language is easy for young children to grasp and the introduction importantly points out that  'Children will not only love the story but will learn from a topic that should be taught by everyone.'  

See below for more from Missus B....

The Colour Thief: A family's story of depression

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Written by Andrew Fusek Peters & Polly Peters

Illustrated by Karin Littlewood

Wayland Books a division of Hachette Children's Books 2014

Reviewed copy: from my resource shelf at work

Back of Book:

My Dad's life was full of colour. But one day, Dad was full up with sadness, all the way up to the top. He said that all the colours had gone.Someone had stolen them away. Just taken them one by one....

The Colour Thief is a tender tale of a father's struggle with depression and the distance it drives between him and his family. But this is a story of hope and love, and the journey towards getting a life back on track.

See below for more about this book...

Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids

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Have You Filled a Bucket Today?: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids (Bucketfilling Books)

Written by Carol McCloud  Illustrated by David Messing

Bucket Fillosophy, Bucket Fillers, Inc, 2015 (10th Anniversary Edition: revised & updated)

Reviewed copy: from my resource shelf at work

Back of book:
This heartwarming book encourages positive behaviour by using the concept of an invisible bucket to show children how easy and rewarding it is to express kindness, appreciation, and love by "filling buckets."
Updated and revised, this 10th anniversary edition will help readers better understand that "bucket dipping" is a negative behaviour not a permanent label.It also explains that it's possible to fill or dip into our own buckets.

See below for more about this book...

How Are You Feeling Today?

Written by Molly Potter

Illustrated by Sarah Jennings
Featherstone Education
An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing 2014

Reviewed copy: Hardback, my own.

Back of Book:
Children have strong feelings, and they can't always handle them very well. Every parent knows what it's like to cope with an angry, hurt or wildly over-excited child. Perfect for sharing,How are you feeling today?is packed with fun, imaginative ways to help children understand and cope with emotions. This delightful book gives you the tools you and your child need to deal with those feelings-without it all ending in tears!

Ideal for starting conversations between you and your child about emotions.
Helps your child to recognise and deal with a range of emotions.
Accessible to children as young as six.
Includes a guide for parents and carers explaining about emotional literacy.
Acknowledges positive emotions as well as negative ones.

See below for more about this book....

Betty goes bananas

Written & illustrated by Steve Antony
Oxford University Press 2014

Back of book: 
Who would have thought a banana could cause such a BIG drama?

Reviewed edition: library copy

Plenty of bananas on the end pages for little ones who like to count

Toddlers- they are such wonderful little human beings....but when they flip the lid....well, that can be just plain scary.
Clenched fists, stiff limbs, kicking feet, gritted teeth....
Anyone who has observed these spectacular explosions of anger, will appreciate this book.

Triggers for these unpredictable outbursts can be bizarre, random or mundane. In Betty's case, the offending item is a banana.

The story has a simple beginning.....  

Betty was hungry.

She saw a banana.

She wanted to eat it.

So, we see the lovely Betty smiling as she makes her way towards the little yellow banana.
Seems like an everyday event in the life of a gorilla.

But, Betty's banana won't open. Oh dear.

At first, she's up for the challenge. She tries opening the banana with her hands, then her teeth...

and even her feet...

Unfortunately none of this works and calamity ensues, with the lovely Betty suddenly crying, kicking and screaming. To emphasise her anger, the background colour changes from mellow yellow to angry red. With playful large text we see that this little gorilla can make lots of noise.

Betty can turn on and off  the drama like the flip of a switch.
When she's calm, the friendly Mr. Toucan helps her by  peeling the banana but this causes another outburst. SHE wanted to peel the banana HERSELF (life is a cluster of contradictions when you're  a two year old gorilla.) Then, as soon as she has calmed herself down again, she is faced with the horror of her banana suddenly breaking in two....

The roller coaster of toddler life is comically captured in bold, bright and expressive illustrations. While there are few words in this book, there is lots of drama. An amusing read for toddlers and parents, Betty gives us a perfect example of what not to do when things aren't going your way. This book is a Missus B favourite.

Happy Reading,
Missus B

Download a colourful activity booklet full of Betty fun here : Random House Betty Bananas Activity Booklet

For some entertaining real-life conniptions See 36 hilarious tantrum photos posted by Sunny Skyz & originally from reasonsmysoniscrying.com


You may also be interested in the collection of books I have compiled on my 'Feelings/Emotions' Page

Book available at these affiliate links:
                             

Meh: A Story About Depression

Illustrations and text by Deborah Malcolm
ThunderStone Books 2015

Reviewed copy: my own

Back of book
Have you ever been sad?
Sadness is an emotion that everyone feels at some time or another. But sometimes you might feel a sadness so long and so deep and dark that it seems impossible to find happiness. That kind of sadness is called depression. Meh is a wordless tale that shows one boy's journey through depression.
Did you know?
More than 350 million people of all ages in the world suffer from depression. But there is hope and help available. When you are in a dark place, reach out to someone you can trust.

More from Missus B
Recently it was agreed that, our resource shelf at work was in need of some fresh new books to support children & families with particular life issues. Of course,I was more than happy to take on this task. Working in a family support setting, books are a valuable tool and it's always great to find new material that can help a child, family or group of children. 

Regarding stories that address mental health issues, there's a limited pool of resources out there. Often, the stories are about a parent with depression. These are of course, supportive books but within them, 'depression' is packaged as an adult issue. And maybe that's how we prefer it- after all, childhood depression wasn't even recognised as a disorder until the 1980's. Maybe it's easier to think of this illness as something which affects adults or teenagers only? Yet, at any given time, 5% of children and adolescents are suffering from depression, and children as young as 5 can be diagnosed with it (see links at the end of this post for more info.)

So, when I came upon Meh: A Story About DepressionI was immediately drawn to it, because the main character is a child. Instantly I wanted to know more about the lonely, vulnerable boy on the cover. It's hard to decipher his age-he could be anything from five to ten years. In the opening pages we see him happily enjoying life. He gazes at a cat-shaped cloud in the sky, admires the birds, colours bright pictures, splashes in puddles and reads contentedly. 

 With floating clouds, swishing grass and (on the next page) a water-colour rainbow, there is a positive, warm energy surrounding the boy

But then, we see a dark, curling shape behind him. Nervously, he glances back as it begins to grow . The shadow is connected to him, but something he is frightened of. Suddenly, it swallows him and the boy tumbles downwards. With only gnarly, old trees surrounding him, the page and the boy himself are drained of colour. 

 The absence of words is powerful. It allows the reader to internally process what's happening and connect with the story in their own terms.

Alone in the dullness, he discovers some small, white footprints which lead to a little white cat. New companions, they run and climb through the darkness. The cat comforts and encourages the boy, nuzzling his face and giving him the strength to carry on. The boy becomes more hopeful and the cat grows stronger until together, they have the strength to roar -  literally cracking the walls surrounding them. They escape from the darkness into a warm sunset. 

The white cat could be a symbol for many things-a friend, a helpful adult, or feelings such as hope or courage.

Such symbolic images can help children understand concepts which aren't easily translated into words.The concrete images make it easy for all children to identify with the feelings associated with depression.

I love how this book invites the reader to quietly think, reflect and interpret. The visual narrative alone tells the tale. This is a lovely book for a child to look at alone or for a group of children to discuss together. It gently introduces the topic of childhood depression and at the end, there are questions to discuss. Children are encouraged to explore the meaning of the story, the feelings of the character, their own feelings and what they think depression may be. It's an excellent tool for supporting emotional literacy, self awareness and empathy skills.

Coming out of the darkness and into the light-the boy no longer has a grey, dull appearance and colour has returned to the illustrations

This is a great book- it had me at Meh! So,I ordered a copy for work and bought one for my own personal collection (I would prefer it though, if the book was finished in gloss instead of the matt-like finish of the edition I reviewed. In a picture book, gloss pages are more durable and do the illustrations more justice.)

If you'd like some professional information about Childhood Depression, check out the links at the end of this post.

Happy Reading,
Missus B
Book available at these affiliate links:

                                  

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You may also be interested in the collection of books I have compiled on my 'Feelings/Emotions' Page, with titles including  The Huge Bag of Worries , What to do when you worry too much and Worries Go Away!

Further  information/advice about Childhood Depression:

• 'How to spot the signs of depression in children.' Support & Info : St. Patrick's Mental Health Services Ireland
• 'Childhood Depression: What Parents Can Do To Help'  Info from the American Academy of Pediatrics
• 'Is your child depressed?' Information & related articles  from NHS UK
• 'Not Just a Phase: Depression in Preschoolers : Psychology Today: R.T. Muller Ph.D.
• 'Why am I so sad?' Kids Health : Information for children
• 'Depression' Kids Health: Info for Teens

Feelings Series: Angry

Written by Sarah Medina
Illustrated by Jo Brooker
Heinemann Raintree Library 2007
Reviewed copy: from my resource shelf at work

Back of Book:
The 'Feelings' series helps readers explore their emotions-what they are, how they recognize them, and appropriate action to take when they have them. The clear text and colourful, humorous illustrations help enhance children's understanding of their feelings and those of other people.

Missus B says...
An excellent tool for developing emotional literacy and helping children to recognise, name and understand feelings.
The inner back of the book gives a helpful 'Note to Parents and Teachers' with some tips about discussing the text and illustrations with children.

There are 24 pages in the book and each of the double-page spread opens with a question. The questions are answered with  five or six simple, short sentences. 

E.g. pages 14 & 15:

Will I Always Feel Angry?
Feelings change all the time. Your angry feelings will not last forever. You will feel better very soon. Sometimes other people may feel angry.  Remember, they will not stay angry for long.

Through ten questions, children can explore the topic of anger and learn things such as: what may happen when we feel angry, how to tell if someone else is angry or things to do when faced with anger.

What is anger?

While the questions can open up discussion, the images also offer lots of talking opportunities. My little listeners like to suggest what the story characters may be thinking, feeling or discussing in each scene. This book has led to some great circle-time discussions and has given me some interesting insight every time I've shared it!

I love, love the illustrations! Each page is filled with colour, texture and some lovely patterned detail. Diverse groups of children  are represented and the characters have a cute, chunky appearance, almost looking like children's drawings.  The scenes are easy for children to relate to with some cute background action- a pair of mice getting up to mischief or the cat and dog sometimes mirroring angry body language. The antics of the animals brings a comedy element to the story e.g. on page ten, a mouse is peeping its head out of a little girls school bag, while another is standing with his arms folded copying the body language of the adult character.

Spot the mischievous little mouse reading under the coffee table!

At the end of the book, there are four photographs of children with different facial expressions and the reader is asked  to describe the feelings in each picture.

This book is an ideal resource in a PSHE/SPHE curriculum.
Happy Reading,
Missus B

You may also be interested in the collection of books I have compiled on my 'Feelings/Emotions' Page

Book available at the below affiliate links: 


                              

'Feelings' Puppets- a handy extra when sharing this book

Feelings Classroom Poster

The Huge Bag of Worries

Written by Virginia Ironside
Illustration by Frank Rodgers
Hodder Childrens Books 2004
(reviewed copy is shop bought/personal collection)

Back of book: Wherever Jenny goes, her worries follow her-in a big blue bag! They are then when she goes swimming, when she is watching TV, and even when she is in the lavatory. Jenny decides they will have to go. But who can she get to help her? This funny and reassuring story from Virginia Ironside will appeal to all children who have occasional worries of their own.


The Story
Jenny has felt like a happy girl til recently. Lately, she has begun to worry about all sorts of things...... 
What if her dog catches fleas?
What if her friend moves away?!
What if there's a BOMB?!!  

There's more worries.... oh yes... there's more....these worries are like buses- there's always another one on the way.

It seems there's no escaping her fears, until one day Jenny's elderly neighbour encourages her to open her worry bag and tackle what's inside. Jenny then realises that fears aren't so bad once they're shared and out in the open. Some of them disappear, some belong to other people and some are a whole lot smaller when separated from the rest.

Poor Loftus! How does he sleep at night?! At any moment he could be attacked by a swarm of fleas
or a missile for goodness sake!!

More from Missus B
The Huge Bag of Worriesis an excellent support tool and one I have used for several years in both educational and social care settings. If you have a little (or big!) worrier in your life, this is an ideal read. Many children will relate to Jenny's everyday worries, learning that a problem shared is a problem halved.

Jenny's bag is filled with worries of all shapes and sizes. We see their cheeky monster faces as they squirm and wriggle about. For most of the story, the zipper is tightly closed, but as the story progresses,those little monsters just get bigger and bigger. Worries are reliable like that, aren't they?  

Jenny kept her worries to herself and decided not to ask
for help. She thought her Mum would tell
her 'You've got no worries. You're a lucky girl. You've got your health, your
friends, your family-what more do you want?'

Jenny's worries take on a life of their own. They toss and turn at night, chase her to school and even scurry up a drain pipe to sneak into her bedroom. The text and illustrations perfectly show how our negative thoughts can overwhelm us and become out of control. We even see her worry bag lifting weights, with poor Jenny helplessly standing by.

Poor Jenny. All this emotional baggage is exhausting!

Thankfully, Jenny's sensible neighbour steps in. She tells Jenny she ought to open the bag and deal with it's contents. But Jenny is fearful- what ELSE could happen if she takes those worries out?! Don't open the bag! Surely we shouldn't open the bag?!

"Nonsense", said the old lady firmly. "There's nothing a worry hates more than being seen. If you have any worries, however small, the secret is to let them out slowly, one by one, and show them to someone else. They'll soon go away."

 Jenny's fears are put into perspective. By talking with an adult & getting help,
her mind is less of a muddle as the old lady 'sorted the worries into groups.'

Jenny learns that, its normal to carry some worries but important not to take on too many.

....and of course, some worries belong to other people!

In short

This is an excellent book for opening up discussions about anxieties, fears and how to manage emotions. Feelings are illustrated in a concrete way with comical images and expressive little monster characters. An excellent circle-time read, this book fits well in a PSHE/SPHE curriculum. 

For more support/info about anxiety in children check out WorryWiseKids.org or these 12 helpful tips written by Amy Przeworski in Psychology Today

You may also be interested in What to Do When You Worry Too Much and Worries Go Away
Happy reading, 
Missus B. 

Get the book at the below  affiliate links.

You may also be interested in the collection of books I have compiled on my 'Feelings/Emotions' Page

           
             

Worries Go Away!

scroll down
for video
review

The story of a little girl, with some very big worries.

Book Details
Title: Worries Go Away!
Author: Kes Gray, Illustrator: Lee Wildish
Hodder Childrens Books 2014

Library copy reviewed

Back of book:
For every child who has worries - BIG and SMALL-comes this compelling and comforting story. From the bestselling team behind Leave Me Alone and Mum and Dad Glue. 

The story: Through rhyme, a little girl tells us about the imaginary world she escapes to when feeling sad. At first, it feels wonderful with blue skies, cream cakes and quiet places for thinking. But, her worries follow her there, creeping into her mind, turning into monsters and chasing after her. Feeling frightened in this world of her own, the little girl comes to a door and realises that, by opening it and in turn opening her heart to others, she can be supported by her friends and family. A powerful story with an important message about reaching out for help at times when we are scared or worried. Wonderfully illustrated by Lee Wildish.

Why this book is one for my bookshelf:
On stumbling upon this Kes Gray/Lee Wildish combination at my library, I knew this was a definite check-out for me. Their lovely book 'Mum and Dad Glue' has won a place in my heart and I was happy to come upon another little gem from this duo. 

And a gem it is.....

In the story's opening pages, the  little girl narrator talks about escaping to 'a world of my own.' She describes freedom from sad feelings and a place where no-one else can reach her. And with the lovely rhyming text and beautiful illustrations we drift into a world of giant ice creams, lollipop trees, endless fizzy drinks, bunny rabbits & smiling honey bees. 
In chunky, bright pictures we see the story's character blissfully skipping through her heavenly world with her teddy. Oh, and there's a unicorn. Of course! A lovely, fat, pink unicorn trots across the blue sky leaving a colourful rainbow trail (the rainbow looks like it's coming from it's butt-only a unicorn could poot a rainbow I guess)

Source:http://www.leewildish.com/lee_wildish/worries_go_away.html

But then, the little girl's worries start to creep in. As the story unfolds, Kes Gray perfectly describes how emotions can escalate and overwhelm, for example:

My worries grow larger,
They play on my mind.
They start to play tricks
Of the scariest kind.

They turn into monsters
That circle and prowl,
That bellow and cackle,
That grizzle and growl.

And, we hear of how this impacts on the child:

They won't let me lose them,
They won't let me go.
I'm beginning to panic,
I'm beginning to slow. 

What a simple and perfect description of how 'worries' can creep into your mind and take hold? And for me, the use of rhythm in the story adds emotional depth- in a sense, it gives the story a heart beat and it allowed me to feel connected to the racing fears of the character. 

As for the illustrations- well, until now, I did not know what 'A Worry' looked like. However, Wildish gives us a perfect picture of this emotion.  'Worries' are hot and swirling, mottled yellow and red,  they have squiggly swirling tails, long clutching arms, they swoop, they glide and they chase.These monsters wreck everything in their path- ice-cream melts, flowers droop, skies darken and they arrive in a swirling storm of lightening. 

  It's hard to escape from worry monsters....
'The blue sky above me
Turns black as deep space.
I turn and I run,
            But the worries give chase.'      Missus B's Picture Book Reviews

As for the fat pink unicorn? Nowhere to be seen :(

Of course, this story comes full circle in that, the character manages to escape her fears. She runs away from her monsters and comes to a dark and quiet space, where she gropes about and finds a door with a keyhole. The door is a metaphor for 'reaching out' and being open to help. When the character looks through the door's keyhole, she sees that people on the other side have been knocking and trying to open it. The little girl had locked herself away, but now she realizes that she has the power to let people into her world and help her feel safe. 

I stare at the door,
The door stares at me.
Suddenly I realise
I AM THE KEY!

If I open my heart
To my family and friends
My worries might go
And my trouble might end.

And as lovely, pink heart shapes gush in through the keyhole, the little girl opens the door to be surrounded by the warm glow of people who care. Welcoming arms reach out to her, and while we only see legs and arms,we can assume that  these people may be  family members, neighbours or other caring adults. As the character receives a warm hug she says: 

The next time I'm troubled,
There's a place I will go.
Not a world of my own.
But to someone I know.

Worries Go Away
Missus B's Picture Book Reviews

The book ends with a lovely colourful page spread (no text)- a warm, bright picture with giant ice cream cones, bottles of soda, love hearts and smiling birds. The unicorn is back and pooting rainbows...and so are the happy honey bees. 

In short:
I LOVE this book , it's very important message and engaging pictures. 
This story is an excellent resource for developing emotional literacy, opening dialogue about feelings and encouraging children to communicate with others if they are feeling scared or worried.
Happy reading, 
Missus B
This is a Missus B favourite and valued treasure on my book shelf. Watch a video review here:

 

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