Emotions & Feelings Archives - Page 2 of 13

The World Made A Rainbow
by Michelle Robinson & Emily Hamilton

Well that was quite the year! Whilst i’m extremely happy to see the back of 2020, the realist in me knows that the first few months of 2021 aren’t going to be much better. We live in a ‘high-risk’ area so Ivy won’t be returning to school next week as we had originally thought. She’s already missing her friends and is having to deal with so much change and uncertainty so i’m really sad for her.

As always, we turn to books in times of turmoil and this beauty by Michelle Robinson and Emily Hamilton is our current favourite. It follows a little girl in lockdown as she processes the fact she can’t see her friends and family.

The girl is feeling sad so her mum suggests they work on an art project together. They decide to create a rainbow to display in the window of their house, however the colours and materials trigger memories of the things that she misses. As her emotions threaten to overwhelm her, her parents pull together and turn the situation around.

Thu
03 ^rd

How Frank Helped Hank
by Suzanne Hemming & Jacquie Hughes

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If you’ve read ‘She’s Not Good For A Girl, She’s Just Good‘ then you’ll probably recognise the central character in this story. Back then, Frank had some pretty outdated views about how girls should behave, shaming his friend Florence at school because she wanted to be good at sports. Now Frank is back and we get a sneaky peek at his home life, which offers some interesting insight into how these thoughts were formed.

Hank, Frank’s Dad, was raised to believe that boys should behave in a certain way. They should play sports, have ‘boy’s toys’ and they definitely, definitely aren’t allowed to cry. These beliefs are so firmly ingrained that he parents Frank in the same way. When Frank bangs his head he is told to ‘Man up’ and his request for a shimmering butterfly wand is met with derision. As a result, Frank has learned to hold his feelings inside, no matter how much it hurts.

Fri
20 ^th

The Magical Yet by Angela DiTerlizzi & Lorena Alvarez

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Helping kids develop a growth mindset is both tricky and vitally important. They need to learn the power of persistance but their big emotions mean that they are easily frustrated when they don’t get something right the first time.

Recently i’ve received lots of requests from parents for books which tackle this topic, probably because we’ve all been doing a bit more homeschooling than we expected in 2020! The one which I recommend most frequently is this one – The Magical Yet.

Written in beautifully tight rhyme, the story is about a little girl who is learning to ride her shiny new bike. When she struggles to pedal and steer the bike ends up on the ground and she refuses to try again.

Tue
03 ^rd

Please Stay Here – I Want You Near
by Dr Sarah Mundy & Rachel Millson-Hill

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Did your child start school or nursery this September? If so, I’d love to hear how they’re getting on. We’ve been experiencing a little bit of separation anxiety here over the last few weeks and have found this particular book really helpful.

Written by a Consultant Clinical Psychologist, the story follows young Bartley Bear as he navigates some big emotions. He’s feeling a little bit apprehensive about going to school and he’d really rather stay at home with Mum. Poor Bartley makes excuses when they try to leave the house, pulls back when he reaches the classroom door and really wants Mum to stay and play instead of go to work. However his teacher and friends rally around him and soon he is having fun making space rockets and riding around the playground on a shiny yellow bike. Mum is back before he even has a chance to miss her and he learns that he really can be ok without her by his side.

Fri
30 ^th

Interview: Lucy Rowland & Paula Bowles, Wanda’s Words Got Stuck

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Hello Lucy and Paula! Thank you so much for chatting to me about your new book ‘Wanda’s Words Got Stuck’.

Could you give us a quick overview of what the book is about?

Lucy Rowland: Wanda the Witch is so shy she can’t talk and no matter how hard she tries, the words just won’t come out. But when another nervous little witch called Flo joins her class, Wanda realises that perhaps talking isn’t the only way to make friends. Then disaster strikes at the school magic contest…will Wanda have the courage to shout out the magic words and save Flo from the fire-breathing dragon?

Tue
27 ^th

Layla’s Happiness
by Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie & Ashleigh Corrin

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Everything about this beautiful book is joyful – from the sheer poetry of the text through to the bright and bold illustrations. I love stories which focus on specific emotions and this one is really special because it looks at happiness from the point of view of a child.

If you ask an adult what makes them happy then the answers are generally unsurprising – their family, their friends, travel, a good book, a hot drink on a cold day – but kids see the world differently and their answers reflect that.

Seven year old Layla loves life and as we follow her through the pages of this story she shares all of the things which make her happy. She loves the night sky, eating spaghetti with a fork and climbing trees. She loves to listen to her dad tell her stories about his childhood. She loves dancing in the garden, feeding the chickens and picking vegetables to sell at the farmer’s market.

Mon
26 ^th

Wanda’s Words Got Stuck
by Lucy Rowland & Paula Bowles

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Wanda’s words have a sneaky habit of getting stuck. Whenever she tries to speak, the words just won’t come out and this makes her feel nervous and small in front of her teacher and the other children. Everyone else just seems so confident so why can’t she be the same?

Wanda struggles along until one day a new girl joins her class. Flo looks nervously at her new classmates before dropping her eyes to the ground and blushing. In the playground Wanda gives her a little wave and a smile and soon the two are playing quietly alongside each other. They slip into an easy and comfortable friendship where few words are needed. The two girls just seem to ‘get’ each other.

Later that week their teacher announces something which terrifies them both – a school magic contest in which they will have perform a spell in front of the class! Flo and Wanda decide to work together but when the big day arrives they are both dizzy with nerves.

Wed
14 ^th

Today I’m Strong
by Nadiya Hussain & Ella Bailey

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” I love to go to school. Well most days I do. There are some days when what I really want is to stay home with you.”

School has always been fun for our little protagonist. She enjoys playing and chatting with her friends, writing about her favourite things and climbing to the very top of the climbing frame in the playground – but lately school has felt like a sad place. Some days she just wants to stay at home with her tiger, because she knows he loves her and will always listen.

You see, there’s a kid at school who isn’t very nice to her. She stares at her and she laughs. She blocks her way and takes her lunch. This makes the little girl feel powerless and makes her want to run and hide.

Wed
07 ^th

Surgery on Sunday
by Kat Harrison & Shane Crampton

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Sunday has a tiny tear in her eardrum which requires an operation under general anaesthetic. She’s never been in to hospital before so she doesn’t know what to expect and is naturally very nervous. Perfect for little ones who may be about to go through a similar experience, the story outlines the day of her surgery and also her recovery.

From the strange gown and super-tight socks through to the IV insertion and the operating room, we see all of the detail through the eyes of a child. Sunday is a plucky little character with a big imagination so, despite her obvious nerves, her bravery shines through and she tries to be as positive as she can. Soon her ear is better and she is playing with her friends once more.

The book closes with Sunday’s ‘unofficial rules of surgery’ which are both practical and funny, including a little warning that you might get a cold bum because the hospital gowns usually don’t have a back!

Thu
03 ^rd

Along Came A Fox
by Georgiana Deutsch & Call Johnson-Isaacs

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It’s the perfect night for finding fireflies so Bramble the fox heads out on a little adventure to find some – but where are they hiding?

She joins forces with her friends, Hazel the hedgehog and Twig the owl, who suggest that she look near the lake. Bramble bounds off in to the darkness because foxes never get scared, but when she peers in to the deep pool she lets out an almighty ‘EEEEEK!’ and falls on her bottom. There is another fox in the water staring straight back out at her! Bramble is embarrassed. How dare this nasty fox catch her unawares and make her fall over! Soon she finds herself yelling at the water, telling the fox that he is very rude indeed – but the audacious creature keeps on echoing her replies.

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