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Emotional Fluidity
Shows that feelings change throughout the day, helping children understand emotions are temporary states, not permanent conditions.
Why It's On Our Shelf
The girl in this book feels all over the place emotionally, which is completely normal for kids but rarely acknowledged. The wheel on the cover lets kids choose which emotion they want to focus on, making it interactive. The rhyming text moves through different feelings - silly, angry, joyful, lonely - without judgment. What I appreciate is the ending, which reminds kids that feelings change and that's okay. The illustrations by Laura Cornell have a sketchy, energetic quality that matches the emotional shifts. It's a good tool for helping kids name what they're feeling when they don't have the words yet.
Why It Works
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Naming Feelings
Provides specific emotion words beyond happy and sad, expanding children's emotional vocabulary.
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Self-Awareness
The interactive wheel encourages children to check in with themselves and identify their current emotional state.
Feelings & Empathy
The Color Monster
Anna Llenas
A monster learns to identify and sort his mixed-up feelings by color.
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Feelings & Empathy
In My Heart
Jo Witek
A lyrical exploration of feelings and where we experience them in our hearts.
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Feelings & Empathy
When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry
Molly Bang
Sophie learns to cope with anger by taking time in nature to calm down.
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