Your Feelings Matter by Jess Sanders. Illus. by Alice Buckingham

Author and social worker Jess Saunders brings a strong focus on mental health and wellbeing to her writing, creating a growing collection of accessible, thoughtful books that support children in understanding and navigating their emotions.

Your Feelings Matter is a brightly coloured picture book with an embossed tactile cover showing an array of children expressing a multitude of different feelings. The first double page spread reflects the cover and names the feelings being shown. A gentle probing question is then presented in the bottom right hand corner; Do you know what you are feeling right now? This is a perfect way for carers and educators to begin sharing the ideas in the book.

With compact clusters of text, abundant white space and appealing diverse illustrations, the discussion flows cohesively and considers a number of vital points:

·       Feelings bring us messages about what is important to us
·       It's okay to have feelings but it is not okay to hurt someone because of what you are feeling
·       Everyone needs to ask help with feeling sometimes
·       We can control how we can respond to our feelings
·       It is important to respect how other people are feeling
·       All feelings matter

Your Feelings Matter will be a valuable addition to any home, classroom or school library. It is an engaging read that children may enjoy exploring independently, or that adults can share meaningfully with a group.

Themes: Feelings, Understanding, Emotions, Keeping Safe, Wellbeing.

Kathryn Beilby