A small girl swings her play wooden sword as her cape swooshes behind her.
She holds up her shield and ROARS like a bear!
Her roaring feelings suddenly fill her up and she can’t control them. Yelling even louder, she tells them to GO AWAY.
But these feelings are determined to stay – swirling within and around her.
She breaks away, but they follow her and grab on tight. When she can finally breathe, she takes a moment, and a closer look.
Maybe is she was kinder to her feelings and herself? Would that be better?
This hardback picture book imaginatively captures the wildness of a young child’s feelings – turning them into small coloured blob monsters. First for her to escape, but then to turn around and placate.
All the Feelings will be a wonderful on-the-knee read aloud with any small child. It’s bright, full of movement, and very relatable to the wee ones – portraying their feelings large and small.
The small girl eventually sits with her feelings as if they are friends to be looked after and cherished. She can see that it’s okay for her feelings to run rampant once in a while. They are part of her.
The shadows behind the girl in the illustrations are entertaining too, showing her inner self in another form.
Another way to explore little ones feelings with them, in a rhyming, colourful way.
Author – Gillian Breckell
Illustrator – Julie Smith-Belton
Picture Book
Publisher – Little Love / Mary Egan Publishing
(2026, Little Love, Mary Egan Publishing, Feelings, Overwhelmed, Loud, Angry, Quiet, Calm)