A Feel Better Book for Little Tears

“A useful picture book for encouraging social-emotional health. The rhyming text uses direct address to speak to diverse child characters who are experiencing sadness in a range of settings—and by extension, to child readers of the book. A backmatter "Note to Parents and Caregivers" deconstructs the intentions behind different parts of the text to: respond to sadness; normalize sadness; cope with sad feelings; and offer hope. Throughout, Ng-Benitez's sensitive, engaging illustrations do an excellent job of providing narrative specificity to the general scenarios the text suggests, elevating the book's aesthetic success as a whole….readers may also find value in its potential to foster empathy or to pre-emptively address sadness as one of many emotions we all experience. Validating and soothing.” —Kirkus Reviews

“As the book normalizes sadness, a young person is sure to feel relieved that his emotions are not unusual or permanent.” —Manhattan Book Review

“Brochmann and Bowen have provided readers with the tools to help their kids get through their first bouts of sadness.” —BookTrib