The Way I Feel

By Janan Cain,

Book cover of The Way I Feel

Book description

Feelings are neither good nor bad, they simply are. Kids need words to name their feelings, just as they need words to name all things in their world. The Way I Feel uses strong, colorful, and expressive images which go along with simple verses to help children connect the word…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Way I Feel as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I am absolutely enamored with the illustrations by Janan Cain in this book. They give me the same whimsical feeling I would get as a child reading A Bad Case of the Stripes. There is a softness in the colors and visual elements that really lends itself to the content of the book. Each emotion is touched on without judgment, just presenting its qualities. It is almost like a dictionary of feelings, which can be helpful for parents starting discussions around emotions. I could also see this book being so helpful for neuro-divergent children in acting out and identifying…

My daughter sometimes struggles with expressing her emotions, and has made a fun game with this book. Rhyming couplets and over-the-top drawings on each page describe a feeling. My daughter likes to read the description of each feeling without saying the feeling, and we have to guess, for example, “____________ is the way I feel when I make a funny face…” Even “negative” feelings like scared, angry, and disappointed are made accessible with light-hearted text and illustrations. This book has been a favorite in our house for years, and has been a great tool for discussing those hard to talk…

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