Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Printed with woodblocks and composed digitally, Rodriguez's geometric illustrations, done in a cheerful 1970s-style color palette, use bold, hand-lettered typography to distinguish this guide that imparts verbal affirmations to youngest readers. Barbosa pairs 10 common negative emotions that children experience, including jealousy, anger, and loneliness, with calming actions and opposing declarations meant to re-center children in positivity: "When you are feeling/ jealous or left out,/ put your hands on/ your heart and say:/ I AM LOVED!" Though the concise narrative may oversimplify the ease of processing emotions ("When you are ready/ to move on, you can make/ yourself feel better!"), children will benefit from learning to identify and address how they feel early on, and may find comfort in the book's assurance that feelings are temporary. Back cover includes an author's note addressing young readers' adult caretakers. Ages 2--4. (Oct.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--3--A useful collection of affirmations paired with body movements for students. In her "Dear Grown-Up" note at the start of the book, Barbosa, an early childhood social emotional learning educator, references the negative messaging that she has heard students tell themselves: "I'm bad at…" or "I can't…" The focus of these affirmations is not to deny emotions or experiences but rather to be able to experience the situations and move through and beyond them to a more positive space. Each spread of this board book is illustrated using modern, graphic strokes of color to capture different experiences that readers face and a statement to use to acknowledge the emotion and "move on." Examples include "When you are feeling ignored, like no one listens to you, put your hands on your belly, take a breath, and say: 'I am important!'" Students should be encouraged to use the language and body postures suggested but to also find ways to express themselves physically and verbally in their own manners. VERDICT Honoring the emotional lives of children and providing them with tools to cope, this title would be useful in classrooms to help students with self-regulation and emotional well-being.--John Scott, Friends Sch. of Baltimore
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Barbosa, an early childhood educator who specializes in social-emotional learning, provides a series of affirmations children can repeat like mantras when they are ready to move on from emotions that are affecting them negatively. Acknowledging that negative feelings exist, the author asks children to consider if they are ready to move on. All too often children may in fact be ready but do not know how to do so. The book aims to provide readers with the tools they need to make themselves feel better. For example: "When you are feeling scared of something new, stand tall, put your hands on your hips, and say: I AM BRAVE!" The author suggests body stances and affirmations for common emotions most children will experience: lack of control, jealousy, anger, guilt, frustration, impatience, feeling ignored, low esteem, or loneliness. The suggested postures and affirmations are simple and straightforward, encouraging mindfulness. The affirmations are presented in bold, block lettering, stressing their importance. Equally assertive, brightly colored illustrations reinforce the positive message. The book is best read and practiced by children and their adult readers together, but children on the upper end of the target audience who are already readers may also find it a valuable tool to read and repeat on their own. A useful tool to help children become self-confident managers of their emotions. (Board book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
