Book Reviews: Two Favorites on Feelings

How Are You Peeling? Foods With Moods
Authors: Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
Interest Level: Ages 4-9

A Note From The Publisher: Who hasn't looked at a piece of food and seen a funny face? The inspired Elffers and Freymann take it to another level in these fanciful flights featuring fruits and vegetables! Embarrassed apples, loving lemons, moody melons, red pepper roadsters, and actual banana boats—these vivid and inspired creations will delight children of every age!

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I have taken a pledge to never read boring feelings books to children. How Are You Peeling? Foods With Moods is just so much fun! It's really important (in my little opinion) to have a lot of resources to draw from when teaching to the social/emotional aspect of a child. Last thing you need is for students to be thinking - Oh gosh, here she comes with that snorefest feelings book again. So lets go back to the word fun. Fruits and vegetables can teach your kids about feelings. So cool! "How did they do that??" This is what the kids kept saying as we turned the pages. I sometimes waited to read the page because there were so many "wows" coming from my audience. 

Why not take it a step further? Bring in your own basket of apples, bananas, etc and let the kids pick one at the end of the lesson to describe how they are feeling. I did and it was such a blast. I heard from students for days about how much they loved the book. Good stuff! I hope you will take the pledge also. No boring feelings books!


Seriously, could this be any cuter?


Why Do You Cry? Not a Sob Story
Book Website: www.kateandsarahklise.com
Author: Kate Klise
Illustrator: M. Sarah Klise
Interest Level: Ages 4-8

A Note From The Publisher: Little Rabbit is about to turn five, and he decides he’s all through with crying. He doesn’t want crybabies at his birthday party, so he tells his friends they can come only if they’re big, like him, and don’t cry anymore. When all of his friends admit to crying sometimes, Little Rabbit is shocked. Does everybody cry? Why?

Why It's On My Bookshelf: I've never really talked to the students about crying before. It's just another one of those things I assume we (including the kids) all know about and do. Why Do You Cry? made me realize if I'm going to teach kids about feelings then we need to talk about that beautiful thing people do....cry. The kids absolutely ADORED this story and fell in love with Little Rabbit. We all giggled at his idea that you should stop crying as you grow older. Little Rabbit's mother explains to him we cry because we all have feelings. Don't ya just love that? When I asked the kids a little later, "Well, so why do adults cry?" A sweet little girl said, "Because they have feelings!" Mother Rabbit also says she sometimes cries when she's happy. So be prepared to talk about tears of joy......heart it.

A Link to These Books:

4 comments

  1. "How Are You Peeling"? has been a staple in my play therapy practice for several years.

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  2. I have to get How Are you Peeling- sounds so good :) I sometimes get bored just listening to my guidance counselor talk to the kids about feelings haha- I'll see if we can spice it up with this book!

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  3. I am a new blogger and I just found your blog. It is the first one I have added to my blog roll. I am looking forward to exploring your site!

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  4. @KellyTeaches Email me at roxdavidson@gmail.com and I can send you another lesson I use with it.

    @Kristi@Creative Connections Love your blog!

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