I FEEL!

An illustrated series of emotions and expressions.

Pura Belpré Award–winning Medina clearly and simply sets up this picture book with the question, “Do you feel….” Each subsequent spread lists an emotion accompanied by two illustrations. One shows the feeling in action, for example, a light-skinned child splashing in a puddle to depict “happy.” The other is a simple line drawing of a face (for “happy,” a teal face with smiling eyes and a large grin). The book concludes, “All feelings are valid. It is what we do with them that matters.” Medina tackles some emotions that will be more nuanced or subtle for the target age group; “hurt” is depicted not as a response to a physical wound but as the result of mean-spirited teasing. For “brave,” a brown-skinned child with scuffed knees and elbows climbs back on a bike, presumably after a fall. The illustrations are clear and pronounced, standing out against a white background. The thick black outlines and bright colors give each image presence. Children vary in skin tone; one brown-skinned child uses a prosthetic leg. Medina’s naming and normalizing of human emotions are empowering for little readers and a starting place for conversations with caregivers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A concise visual dictionary of feelings, useful for children and their grown-ups.