Book Review
A short overview of this book
Feelings: Understanding different feelings and emotions by Jayneen Sanders (Little Big Chats) is a lovely book that will help young children to explore their feelings and emotions. It will provide them with the skills and vocabulary to express themselves. Such skills are crucial to their social and emotional development.
This book belongs to the Little BIG Chats series, which consists of 12 books that have been written to help parents to start talking about important topics. There’s a discussion guide at the back, with some pages of the book including helpful questions to ask your child as you read.
I really like this approach of a topic a book, and they would be a fantastic collection of books to have. It would be very easy to read a different one of these each night with your children.
There are 12 books in the Little BIG Chats series:
- Empathy: Exploring the meaning of empathy and kindness
- I Always Try: Developing a growth mindset of resilience and persistence
- Feelings: Understanding different feelings and emotions
- Everyone is Equal: Introducing the importance of gender equality and diversity
- Around the World: Celebrating the importance of racial equality and diversity
- Mindfulness: Exploring the importance of mindfulness and learning calming skills
- Families: Celebrating diversity in families
- Consent: Introducing consent and body boundaries
- My Safety Network: Introducing a Safety Network (3 to 5 trusted adults a child can go to if they feel unsafe)
- My Early Warning Signs: Exploring Early Warning Signs and what to do if a child experiences these signs
- Private Parts are Private: Learning private parts are private and what to do if touched inappropriately
- Secrets and Surprises: Learning the difference between secrets and surprises
The Body Safety titles should ideally be read in the following order: Consent, My Safety Network, My Early Warning Signs, Private Parts are Private, and Secrets and Surprises. The remaining titles can be read in any order.
You can learn more on this page, about how to talk to kids about sex education.
Ideal Age
Ideal for children aged 2 to 6 years.
Buy this book
✅ Buy a copy of Feelings by Jayneen Sanders (Little Big Chats) from Amazon.
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! Welcome to Sex Ed Rescue with Cath Hakanson. I’m here to help parents like you find an easier way to talk to your kids about love, sex, relationships, and growing up. Today, I want to review a little book called Feelings: Understanding Different Feelings and Emotions by Janine Sanders. It’s part of the Little Big Chat series, which consists of 12 books that tackle big topics for kids.
Now, let’s dive into this book about feelings. At the beginning, Jay, the author, gives you some helpful information on how to make the most of reading this book with your child. It’s always good to have some extra ideas, right? Okay, so we meet Tom, who starts talking about all the different feelings they experience. Sometimes, the pages of this brand new book can be a bit sticky, but don’t worry, we’ll manage!
As you flip through the pages, you’ll see faces expressing various feelings. It’s a great opportunity to ask your child, How do you think that face feels? And what about that one? It’s a fun little game to play together. Oh, and there’s a gingerbread person asking, How are you feeling today? You can even ask your child where they feel those emotions in their body. It’s a simple activity you can do anytime.
The book also explores colors and what they might mean in relation to our feelings. It’s interesting to think about, right? And here’s an important reminder: sometimes, we don’t know why we feel a certain way, but if you’re worried about your feelings, it’s always a good idea to talk to a trusted grownup right away. Safety is crucial, and there’s another book in this series that talks about that too.
The book emphasizes that talking about our feelings can help us understand them better. And guess what? Drawing them can be helpful too! So encourage your child to express their feelings through art. And remember, it’s important to share your feelings with a grownup you trust. They’re there to support you.
To wrap it up, the book ends with some discussion questions at the back. It’s a nice little book that doesn’t go too deep into the topic, but it gives you enough information to start having those important conversations with your child. I hope you find this review helpful. Cheers!
