The Way I Feel [Hardcover]

Janan Cain (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

The zany characters who sniffle, soar and shriek through this book will help kids understand the concept of such emotions as joy, disappointment, boredom and anger. "The Way I Feel" will also show kids how to express their feelings with words.

This delightful book is used in homes, classrooms, literacy programs and pediatric clinics across the country. "Finally we have a resource which teaches children how to articulate what they feel," wrote a health educator.

The imaginative illustrations and superbly crafted verses are sensitive and free of bias and slang.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

First-time author and artist Cain treads familiar ground here with a picture book that pales in comparison to Jamie Lee Curtis's subtler and snappier Today I Feel Silly. From scared to shy, bored to jealous, Cain covers the emotional waterfront in a series of rhymes paired with pastel pencil drawings featuring elflike children. The opening spread, "silly" ("Silly is the way I feel when I make a funny face/ and wear a goofy, poofy hat that takes up lots of space"), casts a child in a rainbow-colored clown outfit against a sunny yellow backdrop and heralds the book's main artistic conceitAa palette picked to suit each mood. "Bored," for instance, is played out on a background of drab tans and browns, while "angry" steams with fiery reds and purples. Though energetic and bright, the cartoonlike illustrations skate close to being strident, while the verses are pedestrian ("Sometimes I feel so very sad and really don't know why./ Instead of playing and having fun, I cry and cry and cry"). Ages 4-8. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Charming! -- Seattle Times

Children who struggle to express their feelings of frustration may feel The Way I Feel was written just for them. -- Chicago Parent

Strong, colorful and expressive images. -- Children's Bookwatch

Wonderful for teaching how to deal with emotions. -- Publishers Marketing Association, Benjamin Franklin Awards

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Parenting Press; 1 edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884734715
• ISBN-13: 978-1884734717
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 9.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Emotions & Feelings
  • #90 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference

More About the Author

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

112 of 116 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Board book misses half the feelings, July 15, 2005

By 

Diane M. Young "dmyoung63" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Way I Feel (Board book)

The regular hardcover version of this book is WONDERFUL. My five year old and I have been reading it together for two years, and now he loves to read it on his own.

THIS IS NOT THE FULL VERSION!!

We misplaced our well-worn Scholastic version, so I bought this board book. Today it arrived, and off the top of my head I can see that it's missing the sections on Thankful, Jealous, Bored, and Disappointed and Frustrated.

I can understand having an abridged board book version for younger kids that doesn't include these subtler feelings, but that fact should be made clear. It's not mentioned in the book itself, so perhaps Amazon doesn't know about it.

Needless to say, I'm disappointed and frustrated. I'll be returning this copy and ordering the full version.

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable and made my family laugh, July 24, 2003

By 

Rebecca Johnson "The Rebecca Review" (Washington State) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Way I Feel (Hardcover)

"Feelings come and feelings go.
I never know what they'll be.
Silly or angry, happy or sad-
They're all a part of me!"

Have you ever had a day where you have been experiencing such a wide array of stressful emotions, you just need a good laugh? Well this book turned out to be quite healing when my husband found it and decided to read it to me. I was more than amused. He took great "glee" in saying I was definitely the girl with the ponytail on the top of her head. We also had a good laugh over:

"Angry is how I feel right now,
I shout with a mighty roar.
I mostly want to frown and growl
and stomp upon the floor."

Jana Cain has beautifully illustrated the book in pastel shades. Each page reflects the emotions in the color you would imagine an emotion to be. The "angry page" is red while the "happy page" bursts with yellow from the sun shining down on a girl on a swing.

The emotions presented in words and pictures include: silly, scared, disappointed, happy, sad, angry, thankful, frustrated, shy, bored, excited, jealous, and proud.

This book was also created to encourage children to recognize their emotions. In the back of the book there is "a note to parents" showing how this book can be used to help children understand what circumstances make them feel happy, sad, jealous, and so on. You can then discuss the emotion and decide which action is best when you feel that emotion. "It is not okay to hit people or throw things, but it is okay to stomp your feet."

Jana Cain's family posed for the illustrations and enjoy swimming, biking, hanging out with friends and now understand all their emotions. Some day they are looking forward to traveling the world and experiencing their emotions in new places.

~The Rebecca Review

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for helping little ones name their feelings, November 15, 2005

By 

J. Driesner (Dunlap IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way I Feel (Hardcover)

My son was a late talker and this book really helped him identify the feelings he was having and see that they were OK. Great pictures and fun to read WITH FEELING!