Out of a Jar

Starred review from December 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 2-While in Marcero's previous title, In a Jar, little bunny Llewellyn collected things he loved; this time around he is trying to contain his gargantuan emotions. When he is extremely frightened, exuberantly excited, or steaming mad, he shoves all his color-coded emotions into jars and locks them in a closet. Yet, it isn't long before he discovers the dangers of his methods. With illustrative and storytelling elements of a comic book or graphic novel, Llewellyn and his emotions bounce off the page. While somewhat similar in concept to Anna Llenas's The Color Monster, Marcero offers a new spin on exploring one's emotions and promotes the importance of sharing them with others. It is a valuable lesson for young readers, and probably a vital reminder for adults as well. Peppered with rich vocabulary, the text itself is simultaneously simple and profound. VERDICT This is a needed addition to any collection, especially those looking to add titles with a focus on emotional well-being.-Kaitlin Malixi, Millbury P. L., MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2022
Preschool-Grade 2 Readers first met Llewellyn the rabbit in In a Jar (2020), where he was established as a great collector. He now applies this talent to his emotions, keeping big feelings in check by literally bottling them when they become intrusive. Fear is the first to go, which is quickly followed by sadness, excitement, anger, joy, and disappointment. Soon his storage closet is lined with jars filled with an assortment of feelings, each represented by a specific color that peers out from behind the glass. Finally, Llewellyn tries stuffing one emotion too many into the closet and they all burst forth, flattening the poor bunny as they fly free. The resilient rabbit shakes off the emotion explosion and eventually learns to get comfortable with his feelings. Marcero elevates the familiar practice of color-coding emotions through her eye-catching illustrations and creative layouts. Expressive, color-drenched scenes play light and darkness off Llewellyn's varying moods that are displayed through a dynamic assortment of spot art, panels, and full-page spreads. Though it doesn't break new ground, SEL collections will welcome this title.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

March 1, 2022
This follow-up to In a Jar uses straightforward language and visual metaphor to make complicated concepts accessible to young children. Llewellyn the bunny finds his feelings troublesome, so he starts stuffing them in jars and hiding them in a basement closet. Marcero (The Boy Whose Head Was Filled with Stars, rev. 1/21) explores a broad vocabulary of emotions: not just fear and sadness, but excitement, disappointment, and embarrassment. At one point Llewellyn even bottles away joy because that can be a bit much to handle sometimes. In the mixed-media illustrations, each emotion is rendered as a distinct shape, with its own color and expressive eyes that watch Llewellyn, helping to define every feeling while also suggesting that emotions may be both felt and observed. Marcero puts her protagonist in fraught situations that will be familiar to children (being left out of a group, other children laughing at them), and she incorporates comics elements throughout -- including panels, word bubbles, bright colors, and cartoonish figures -- to make her material less threatening and more comprehensible. As Llewellyn stuffs away more emotions, his world drains of color, only exploding back into a full range of vivid hues when he is ready "to look each feeling in the eye, give it a hug, and let it go." The author is teaching a valuable lesson here, and her empathetic, engaging approach respects young children and meets them where they are. Adrienne L. Pettinelli

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2022
This follow-up to In a Jar uses straightforward language and visual metaphor to make complicated concepts accessible to young children. Llewellyn the bunny finds his feelings troublesome, so he starts stuffing them in jars and hiding them in a basement closet. Marcero (The Boy Whose Head Was Filled with Stars, rev. 1/21) explores a broad vocabulary of emotions: not just fear and sadness, but excitement, disappointment, and embarrassment. At one point Llewellyn even bottles away joy because that can be a bit much to handle sometimes. In the mixed-media illustrations, each emotion is rendered as a distinct shape, with its own color and expressive eyes that watch Llewellyn, helping to define every feeling while also suggesting that emotions may be both felt and observed. Marcero puts her protagonist in fraught situations that will be familiar to children (being left out of a group, other children laughing at them), and she incorporates comics elements throughout -- including panels, word bubbles, bright colors, and cartoonish figures -- to make her material less threatening and more comprehensible. As Llewellyn stuffs away more emotions, his world drains of color, only exploding back into a full range of vivid hues when he is ready "to look each feeling in the eye, give it a hug, and let it go." The author is teaching a valuable lesson here, and her empathetic, engaging approach respects young children and meets them where they are.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)