Hurray! It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!
(And just a little reminder that PPBF will be on hold for the next couple weeks while we run the Valentiny Contest, but we will return to our regularly scheduled programming as quickly as possible! 🙂 )
Since Valentiny is coming up and it’s a writing contest all about emotion, I’m sharing a Perfect Picture Book about emotion today. Not such a happy emotion, I’m afraid, but often times it’s the not-so-happy emotions we need a little help with.
Title: Sometimes When I’m Sad
Written By: Deborah Serani, Psy.D.
Illustrated By: Kyra Teis
Free Spirit Publishing, April 28 2020, nonfiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: emotions and feelings (sadness)
text copyright Deborah Serani 2020, illustration copyright Kyra Teis 2020 Free Spirit Publishing
Opening: “Sometimes when I’m sad, I cry.
Sometimes I hide.
Sometimes I even throw my toys.”
Brief Synopsis: From the publisher: “A sensitive and supportive story to help young children recognize and cope with sadness.”
Links To Resources: the book itself is a resource with it’s helpful suggestions for coping with sadness, and the book’s back matter includes Helping Children Through Sadness: A Guide For Caring Adults, How To Spot Sadness In Children Of Differing Ages, Ways To Reduce Sadness In Children, When To Seek Professional Help, and Resources For More Information And Support. Kids can also try out the coping devices mentioned in the book – drawing, hugging something soft, talking to someone who loves them, etc.
text copyright Deborah Serani 2020, illustration copyright Kyra Teis 2020 Free Spirit Publishing
Why I Like This Book: This isn’t exactly a story, but it’s a nice way to explain to children how to recognize and cope with feelings of sadness. The simple sentences and accompanying illustrations make the ideas easy to understand. We all feel sad sometimes. It can be hard to articulate and hard to manage. This book helps children recognize that they are not alone in feeling sadness and there are many constructive ways to work through it and keep it manageable, even when it threatens to overwhelm. A helpful book for kids and the grownups who care for them.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 🙂
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific links (and any other info you feel like filling out 🙂 ) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!! 🙂
Susanna Leonard Hill 
This is a very useful book Susanne. It is tough, sometimes, for all of us to deal with those heavy emotions. I am unfamiliar with this book and look forward to looking at it. Thanks.
I sooo need this book for my son! He tends to throw things and get quite agressive when he’s sad, so a book like this could really help him to channel those feelings (of course, I’ve tried teaching him ways of channelling them myself, but who really wants to listen to Mama?? 😉 ). Thanks for sharing, Susanna!
This kind of book is perfect for the classroom! Children need to know it’s okay to be sad and they don’t have to always be cheerful. We are always looking for books to help children work through strong emotions!!
Such an important book for children, and the adults reading this with them, to learn to deal with tough emotions. Thanks for sharing!
Empowering look at sadness, strong emotions and coping skills for children! This is the kind of story I enjoy reviewing because it is so important to acknowledge a child’s feeling and to teach them skills to cope!
Being sad is part of normal life… and having books that reflect on that, and ways to deal with our emotions, is important.
Yes, sometimes not even a basketful of bunnies can’t keep me, or anyone from being sad. This looks like such a gentle book about dealing with a tough emotion. Thanks for sharing this one with us, Susanna. Oh, and I’m almost finished revising my Valentiny. Yay!
And it would help if I could type. The word should have been “can” instead of “can’t”…..Must read through before hitting post…..
Thanks for sharing this, Susanna. It sounds like it gives very concrete and useful suggestions for how to deal with sadness.
As a therapist and mom, I can tell you this book is needed. I’ll request my library to get a copy.
Sue
Some days I need stories like this.
This book would be an important asset to any classroom library.