It’s OK to Feel the Way You Do, by Josh Langley

Everyone has feelings.
Your feelings are an important part of who you are.
Just like the beating of your heart.

Everyone one – child or adult – has feelings: happy, sad, angry, lonely. And, as this little offering points out, not only is it okay to have these feelings, but they are actually what makes you ‘you’.

In simple, authentic text, accompanied by cartoon-style line drawing illustrations, Langley explores both the sensations which different feelings evoke and ways of addressing those feelings. For example, for anger, he suggests running around like a chicken and “flapping those arms to shake off those angry feelings”, or simply taking the time for some deep breaths.

Entertaining and important, this little book will appeal to children and those who care for them.

It’s OK to Feel the Way You Do, written & illustrated by Josh Langley
Big Sky Publishing, 2017
ISBN 9781925520965

Rodney Loses It

But then one day disaster struck –
the one thing Rodney feared.
While working at his drawing desk
his pen just …
DISAPPEARED!

Rodney loves nothing more than drawing. He does it night and day. But when his pen – his favourite, perfect pen named Penny – suddenly disappears, Rodney is frantic. he searches in vain, getting more and more upset until he totally loses it – at which time his pen magically reappears. What Rodney doesn’t know, but eagle-eyed viewers will, is that the pen is never lost – it is tucked safely behind his ear, viewable in some illustrations, depending on the angle – until he ‘loses it’ and his vigorous actions dislodge the pen.

Rodney Loses It is a humorous picture book, written in rhyming text which scans well and is a delight to read aloud.  The digital illustrations show Rodney  as a simple, but very expressive rabbit, with his eyes, ears and whiskers all used to show his emotions with delightful effect.

Sure to be loved by kids and adults alike.

Rodney Loses It, by Michael Gerard Bauer & Chrissie Krebs
Omnibus/Scholastic, 2017
ISBN 9781742991900

 

 

You Have My Heart, by Corinne Fenton and Robin Cowcher

On good days and bad days
and all those in-between days…
you have my heart.

Whether its a sunshine-inside-of-me day, a tears-tumbling-down day or an en-between day, the voice of this books tells ‘you’, the reader/listener, that you always have ‘my heart’. The simple but whimsical text is an attestation of love between reader and listener, between parent and child, or between giver and receiver, being a book perfect both for quiet-time reading with a young child and for gift giving to another adult.

The illustrations too are deceptively simple, using ink and watercolour with greys and reddy-pinks to depict a child of indeterminate age demonstrating the range of emotions with the help of a single red balloon which, at the end, becomes heart-shaped.

This gorgeous small format hardcover is sheer delight.

You Have My Heart, by Corinne Fenton & Robin Cowcher
Five Mile Press, 2016
ISBN 9781760401917

Smile/Cry by Tania McCartney ill Jess Racklyeft

Sometimes – A lot of sometimes – I want to smile.

It could be …

Sometimes – A lot of sometimes – I want to smile.

It could be …

Smile/Cry is a ‘flip’ book. ‘Smile’ is read from the front, and offers different kinds of smiles that appear on the faces of three childlike characters: a rabbit, a cat and a pig. Flip the book and ‘Cry’ details the trio experiencing sadness of different sorts as they traverse their day/week/friendship. ‘Smile’ and ‘Cry’ meet in the middle with a double page spread that envelops the reader in a big hug full of smiles and tears simultaneously. Illustrations are pencil and watercolour and help the reader to recognise emotions. The ‘Smile’ cover is bright sunshine-y yellow and the ‘Cry’ cover is in more muted tones.

Smile/Cry has a sticker on the front advertising that it is a ‘A Beginner’s Book of Feelings’. (It also suggests which side to start reading). It’s also a story about friendship and play. It offers the opportunity to talk about how each individual feels and about how their feelings can affect how they relate to others. It’s easy to imagine young readers emulating both the activities and the response depicted. Recommended for preschoolers and early schoolers.

Smile/Cry, Tania McCartney ill Jess Racklyeft
EK Books 2016 ISBN: 9781921966989

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com