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A review by versmonesprit
What Feelings Do When No One's Looking by Tina Oziewicz
lighthearted
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Some children’s books have the surprising ability to speak to adults, sometimes more profoundly than they do to kids. What Feelings Do When No One’s Looking is one.
Each feeling is allotted a two-page spread. The illustrations are minimalistic, and the writing mostly consists of one-liners.
The muted, desaturated, grey-heavy tones of the illustrations create a grounding, neutral space for children to confront their own feelings, some of which can be turbulent.
What the feelings are up to are sometimes very standard expressions (joy bounces, shame hides, anger is explosive…) yet each of them convey the feelings spot-on. Some others are even more insightful, even for adults: Insecurities build cages. Fear pretends it isn’t there. These simple statements make you pause and ponder.
I neither have kids nor work with them (just love picking up a children’s book sometimes, for they can be powerful — as is the case here) so I went through other reviews a bit to get an idea. It seems this is a book that can be used by pedagogy professionals to help children make sense of their feelings, a tool that can be used by parents or other legal guardians for this purpose as well.
I enjoyed the minute or two it took me to go through the book. The illustrations are endearing and the writing is very heartwarming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Elsewhere Editions for the DRC!
Each feeling is allotted a two-page spread. The illustrations are minimalistic, and the writing mostly consists of one-liners.
The muted, desaturated, grey-heavy tones of the illustrations create a grounding, neutral space for children to confront their own feelings, some of which can be turbulent.
What the feelings are up to are sometimes very standard expressions (joy bounces, shame hides, anger is explosive…) yet each of them convey the feelings spot-on. Some others are even more insightful, even for adults: Insecurities build cages. Fear pretends it isn’t there. These simple statements make you pause and ponder.
I neither have kids nor work with them (just love picking up a children’s book sometimes, for they can be powerful — as is the case here) so I went through other reviews a bit to get an idea. It seems this is a book that can be used by pedagogy professionals to help children make sense of their feelings, a tool that can be used by parents or other legal guardians for this purpose as well.
I enjoyed the minute or two it took me to go through the book. The illustrations are endearing and the writing is very heartwarming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Elsewhere Editions for the DRC!