Review: The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too! By Mo Willems

This pigeon does NOT want to be happy when the bus driver tells him to. He is angry, he is sad, and he has feelings too. This book depicts how sometimes you don’t want to be happy, you just want to be upset. Even though people may tell you that your feelings are incorrect, you have feelings too and they are valid! The everyday nature and familiarity of pigeons help to make this abstract idea to be more approachable. This book helps to show that it’s okay to be upset or frustrated that we all have our own feelings. Whatever we are feeling in that moment is exactly what we are meant to be feeling, since feelings are deeply personal. The artwork and incorporation of the words with the illustrations allows for an easy to read feel. Great for the younger reader who is learning about feelings and emotions.  

If you like this book you may like…

Happy Right Now by Julie Berry

The Unbudgeable Curmudgeon by Matthew Burgess

Review: The Way I Feel by Janan Cain

The Way I Feel talks about different ways the character feels and the reasons behind these emotions. Characters are illustrated with extremely expressive facial expressions along with a color scheme that matches the feeling and emotion. The author uses real life examples of why someone may feel that way. For example, they talk about how someone is disappointed because their friend can’t come and play anymore. This book also shows different emotions that adults might struggle to explain to their child. The Way I Feel  goes beyond the typical happy and sad amounting to something that many young children can relate to feeling. This book does a great job normalizing a wide range of emotions and helping teach children how to label their feelings. It is okay to not be happy all the time, and this book does a great job of showing that. Great for the reader who is learning about emotional literacy and normalizing an array of feelings.

If you like this book you may like:

The Feelings Book by Todd Parr

How Do You Feel? by Lizzy Rockwell