This Makes Me Happy

February 26, 2018
In this addition to the Dealing with Feelings series, an African-American child describes her class field trip to the county fair, illustrated in Kushnir’s cozy, upbeat art. At the fair, she goes on a roller coaster, has her face painted, and visits the petting zoo. Even a happy day has minor setbacks—the girl can’t have any bake sale treats because she is allergic to nuts: “I feel left out. My teacher sits down next to me. She has allergies, too.” On the bus ride back, she reflects on her busy day: “Many thoughts bounce around in my head. I focus on them one at a time. What am I feeling? I am feeling happy.” Carbone models being mindful of all emotions, while suggesting that happiness is not always about what occurs but how one chooses to look at circumstances. Ages 4–6.

April 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-An unnamed girl joins her class on a field trip to the fair in this beginning reader series book about feelings. She describes all of her experiences throughout the day: laughing at the petting zoo, jumping up and down when her teacher wins a pie eating contest, playing games, and riding a roller coaster. Everything is positive right up until she cannot eat treats at the bake sale because of her nut allergy. After discussing feeling left out with her teacher, she is able to feel good again and put a name to the feeling: happy. The digitally painted pen-and-paper art is visually appealing and depicts an excited, smiling child surrounded by her classmates. Her emotions are easy to read and match the text seamlessly. The text consists of two or three simple sentences per page and is perfect for readers not quite ready for chapter books. VERDICT A useful tool for discussing feelings and a first purchase for most easy reader collections.-Kelly Roth, Bartow County Public Library, Cartersville, GA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2018
An elementary-age child recounts what she does and feels during a school field trip to a county fair.Clean, colorful graphic design, first-person narration, and short declarative sentences bode well for the inaugural entry in the Dealing with Feelings series. The narrator is a wide-eyed girl with brown skin and textured, black hair, and her fellow students represent every possible complexion. The teacher is also brown, with straight hair. However, much of the story itself seems contrived to elicit a variety of feelings in the narrator. Would a teacher enter a pie-eating contest while supervising a field trip? Unlikely, but it does give the class a chance to cheer her on. Similarly, a contest to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar gives the narrator a chance to compare her feelings to the rainbow of colors in the jar. When the class stops to purchase treats at a bake sale "to support a good cause," the heroine can't indulge because she has allergies. Conveniently, the teacher reveals that she also has allergies. A mindfulness activity on the bus and a review of what produced the child's positive feelings makes it clear that teaching emotional vocabulary is the book's primary mission. Even 17 exclamation points can't make this well-meaning lesson exciting.The book is potentially useful as a discussion starter about feelings, but kids probably won't demand rereads. (Early reader. 4-6)

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April 1, 2018
Preschool-G From the Dealing with Feelings series comes this easy reader that describes an African American girl's day at the fair. At first, she's nervous, but her teacher shows the students a deep-breathing technique that calms. Once at the fair, her emotions range from excitement to contentment as she goes on a Ferris wheel and watches her teacher win the pie-eating contest. But a new feeling arises when she can't share the desserts because she has a nut allergy. Fortunately, her teacher shows her a way she can still feel good about the experience: she can serve the refreshments and help others enjoy the experience. The message may be too subtle for some, but most children will understand that happiness can come in a ball of other emotions, like excitement, feeling part of a team, and helping. This bright, appealing offering could be used as a discussion starter with primary-grade students.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
A girl is thrilled to ride a roller coaster, visit the petting zoo, etc., on her field trip to the fair. Everything is happy-making until the charity bake sale, where her peanut allergy prevents her from partaking. No matter: she can still enjoy the satisfaction of giving. The easy-reader story, with its "Dealing with Feelings" message and somewhat static digitally-colored pencil illustrations, is reassuring if a little bland.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)