I’m Happy – Sad Today

2 Comments

1. 

   Tessa McMahon

   I’m Happy-Sad Today is a delightful addition to a growing number of books about emotions and how to cope with them. It fits in well with books such as When Sophie Gets Angry, Really, Really Angry, by Molly Bang, The Feelings Book by Todd Parr and even My Many Colored Days by Dr. Suess. The author names many different emotions in response to various scenarios, then introduces the idea that you might have more than one emotion at once, and provides ways to process those complicated feelings. Ideal for preschool and kindergarten children, this book is another useful tool for talking to kids about feelings.

   For all age kids these discussions are very important: being able to name your own emotions is a huge part of overall mental health. The more feelings you can name, the better your ability to regulate your well-being, work with others and overcome hardship. Having a deficit in emotional clarity (not being able to identify a large variety of emotions) is shown to contribute to depression and social anxiety. Given the importance of just being able to feel, then identify a variety of emotions, books such as I’m Happy-Sad Today are extremely vital.

   In reading this book to my kids, I wasn’t sure if my nine-year old daughter would think she was too grown-up for it, or if my four-year-old son would truly understand it. My daughter took it seriously, and exclaimed, “That’s exactly how I felt!” when we got to the part about how an older sister was both proud and jealous of her baby brother. She completely related to that, and also enjoyed how the author combined two emotions to make a new word, such as “smad” or “loveappy”. We have one in our family which is, “nervexcited.” After reading it, though, she did express she thought it really should be intended for six year olds. Regardless, I think she still benefited from the book and the subsequent conversation we had about it.

   My four-year-old son enjoyed the book as well, but the larger message didn’t seem to sink in quite as much. I think for the 3-4 age group, this book could be very useful in a school or storytime setting, where the teacher can isolate just one or two emotions from the book and start a conversation. For 5-6 year olds, I think it could be read all the way through and discussed as a whole. For older kids, I can see it might be a little simplistic, but I honestly think they can still benefit from this book, or a similar one.

   I am grateful for the growing number of books such as I’m Happy-Sad Today. Getting children in touch with their complicated feelings and helping them learn to cope with them is so valuable, and this book is a welcome addition to the genre.

   Aldao, A. & Vine, V. (2014) Impaired Emotional Clarity and Psychopathology: A Transdiagnostic Deficit with Symptom-Specific Pathways through Emotion Regulation. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 33(4):319
   Suggested Questions:

   Have you ever felt smad? Worrysad? Braverous? Scited? When did you feel these feelings?

   How do you feel on the first day of school?

   Is there someone in your life whom you can talk with about your feelings?

   Name one thing the girl in the book did when she was feeling a lot of feelings mixed together.
2. 

   Robin Coarts

   I’m Happy Sad Today by Lory Britain, is a joy to read and the illustrations reflect the message appropriately.

   At the beginning of the story we meet a young child who is struggling with some feelings while also feeling positive about other feelings. The author does an exceptional job at pointing out a variety of feelings is normal and that each child or adult has their own feelings.

   Immediately the feelings are distinguished as personal to the child. For example, the feeling of happy can be from jumping and running but also from sitting quietly with a favorite book. This is especially important to highlight as the book is read to or by children, that there is no right or wrong way to feel happy and we all have our own preferences and they can change from day to day.

   The illustrations match the story well and the feelings are clear on the children’s faces. The illustrations are also colorful in nature and promote their own discussion about each scene. Throughout the story the actual feelings are highlighted in a different color font which really helps while reading to focus on those words and those moments.

   As the reader moves through the story, we learn more about the child’s feelings and what happens when she experiences more than one feeling and it is mentioned lots of people feel that way sometimes. This is a great opportunity to stop and have some dialogue about feeling combinations.

   As the book continues, the illustrations continue to promote a clear message as well as that of a diverse classroom. There is diversity in the children, their activities, clothes, etc. The wide range of feelings mentioned is amazing and allows the reader and audience the opportunity to relate to one another. For example, the feelings of being determined might be more difficult to identify for a child but with the help of an adult, and this book, the child might understand that feeling a little easier.

   Towards the end of the story we have been introduced to the combination feelings/words which provides a moment of laughter and creativity for the reader and their audience. This is a great space to laugh and return to those combination feelings and highlight the normalcy of those feelings. From a Humane Education perspective this book is wonderful and promotes discussion, openness, and inclusion. Children will find so many opportunities to comment and reflect while reading this story.

   Suggested Questions:

   What combination feelings have you felt? What would you call those feelings? (creating a new combo word)