It’s Marion’s first day of school. We travel with him through his day, experiencing all his emotions with him. Our guide is Coffee the Cat, asking us to watch Marion in each of the situations he finds himself.

From when Marion first wakes, Coffee is there with him. Coffee asks us to look at Marion’s face and his body language.

“Can you guess how Marion feels?” 

The explanation is on the facing page.

But Marion’s nerves hit early and he goes through other emotions. Scared, surprised, and excited as he experiences school for the first time.

Just as things are going well, something happens, and other emotions appear. As each emotion arrives, the facing page shows and explains how Marion feels.

He’s angry, worried, then finally relaxed again. Then disgusted, hopeful then joyful on a task well done.

A bright and simple colour palette portraying a young boy’s emotions on his first day of school. Guess How Marion Feels has been written particularly for children who struggle to pick up on feelings and social clues through reading expressions and body language.

Being able to read faces and understand these things many take for granted is a huge step in emotional development, along with making friends and fitting in – something we all wish for no matter how old we are.

Having this guide to a young boy’s emotions through a day we all experience (1st day at school), is a wonderful way to help this process, as young readers or listeners can see themselves and their peers on the page. 

Author – Miss Kaye

Illustrator – Miss Waitthk

Picture Book

(2024, Maya Nutures Publishing, Feelings, Emotions, Emotional Intelligence, Self Awareness, Social Cues, Body Language, Facial expressions, 1st day of school, New experiences, Neurodivergent, Neurotypical, Autistic, Autism, New Friends, Reading faces, Naming Feelings)