Posted by I first became familiar with writer Artika Aurora Bakshi’s books a few years ago when she sent me copies of her fantastic ‘My Little Sikh Handbook’ series. These easy-to-read children’s books introduce the Sikh culture to young readers. I loved them because they allowed me to teach the basic tenets of our religion to my son in an engaging and visually rich manner. Since then, I have kept up with all her books, so I was delighted to receive a copy of her latest book for review – ‘My Little Handbook of Feelings’. In a departure from the Sikh handbook series, this book highlights emotions and how they can affect young minds at an impressionable age.
Having read the book with my 8-year-old, here are my thoughts on My Little Handbook of Feelings:
About the Author and Illustrator
Artika Aurora Bakshi is an avid reader, book critic and passionate writer, but most importantly, she is a mother who lives in a world of words. Her My Little Sikh Handbook series has been well-received. My Little Handbook of Feelings is her fifth children’s book. You can find Artika on Instagram as @soul_nightingale_artika and on Facebook as Soul Nightingale by Artika Aurora Bakshi.
Priyankar Gupta is an illustrator, animation film designer and educator. He describes himself as an image maker and visual storyteller. He can be found on Instagram as @priyankar.gupta.
The Plot
In this book, children share their feelings about their friends and family members within a classroom setting. Their teacher helps them understand the basis of these feelings and how to deal with them. Accompanying the storyline are activity pages highlighting individual emotions. The book ends with diary-like pages encouraging children to record how they feel in different situations.
My Little Handbook of Feelings is an embodiment of the nursery rhyme “If you are happy and you know it…”. It also targets many more things that little hearts feel. Children can explore the colours of their hearts with this story and activity book meant to engage children from ages four to eight.
The Commentary
The conversation around the importance of expressing one’s feelings has never been louder than it is now. And perhaps the best age to initiate these conversations is in one’s formative years. This is clear from the massive success of the animated film ‘Inside Out 2’. When children are encouraged to share how they feel, they become better equipped at internalising their emotions and understanding how best to deal with them. For parents who don’t have the vocabulary to make their children feel comfortable about expressing themselves, this book will prove very useful.
What I particularly liked about the book’s numerous characters was their diversity, as it depicts children from varied backgrounds with distinct personalities. Boys and girls equally show their vulnerability and boisterousness, which is a refreshing change from the gender-specific narratives fed to us when we were children!
The illustrations are appealing and inclusive. Further, the activities are easy and absorbing which is another draw for children who aren’t so keen to read but enjoy visual engagement.
The Verdict
The book delivers on its title aptly. I really appreciate the subject chosen and the way it has been handled. It is an easy to read and easy to explain presentation that will help you initiate conversations on emotions and feelings with your little ones. However, do keep in mind the reading ability of your children before investing in the book. My son is 8.5 years old, and he found it a tad childish, so I feel it’s best for children in the age group of 3-6 years. He did enjoy some of the activities though – especially the one which asked him to draw what makes him happy, where he drew his beloved guinea pig pets!
Age group: 3-6 years (unless your child isn’t much of a reader, then it can go up to 8)
Buy your copy of the book here: https://amzn.to/4hBqmVd
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This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with Dr. Preeti Chauhan.
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This post is part of the Bookish League blog hop hosted by Bohemian Bibliophile.
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I wish we had more books like this when I was a child. I recall having lots of colouring books but nothing to handle emotions in this manner. It sounds very interesting to me.
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First point about this post is importance of introducing books to children. What better way than a book written specifically for children. I agree with the writer that many a time parents may not be able explain situations to children. But a skilled writer can do that using a good book. My parents, more my mother, had introduced me to children’s book on Indian history that is not taught otherwise. Now coming to the present book, it is another important way to teach children how to manage ones emotions. In the long run it may certainly help a kid to grow up as a mature adult.
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Sounds like a book version of Inside Out. Maybe I’ll gift to my nieces and nephews on their birthdays. They do fall in the age bracket you mentioned. Thanks for the recommendation
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This seems like a really nice book. Someone should write such a book for emotionally dysregulated adults, too!
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Kids books are always love and full of emotions and I am in love with such books… I am also preparing myself for buddy reading with my little one… lets see how things shape up in my case . I am bookmarking this book names for future buy as now my bookshelf is overfilled.
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Oh, I had bookmarked this book when you shared it on Instagram. I am hoping to gift it to my niece on her birthday and I am sure she will enjoy it. Inside out is one of my favourite movies and if the book has got that vibes, it sure will be amazing. Thanks for a detailed review.
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I wish I had more books when i was a kid.
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This is such a good suggestion to gift children. I too think accepting one’s feelings is such an important lesson to teach our little ones.
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Oh, great book I guess to introduce feelings at a young age. It’s very relevant these days and the earlier we start, the better.
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Such an interesting way to introduce kids to different kinds of feelings, introspect and then share them too. The age group of 3-6 years can learn a lot through it.
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This looks like an amazing book that would teach them about feelings and how to bring them out. Sounds interesting. Will check
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Recognizing and understanding ones feeling is very important. I guess this book will help both kids as well as parents to know what one can feel and it’s ok to have those emotions. I am thinking to read just for myself now.
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Writing about children’s emotions and feelings is very unique way to understand them in a better way. Definately going to read this and gifting my sister for our little 2 year’s munchkin..
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Teaching kids how to understand and manage their emotions is so important today. I really wish we had resources like this when we were kids! Even though this book is aimed at younger children, I’m sure it would still be helpful for older kids who struggle with expressing their feelings. It’s such an important reminder of how emotional intelligence plays a big role in our well-being. Thanks for sharing your review, Noor!
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I am glad that more and more books that teach about emotions are being written and published.With shrinking and broken families, emotional issue among children are surfacing more often.This is a good step to educate children how to express and handle negative emotions.
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Thanks for sharing this thoughtful review, Noor. Artika’s books have always been so impactful, and My Little Handbook of Feelings sounds like another gem. I love that it encourages kids to express and understand their emotions, which is so important at a young age. it’s helpful to know it’s best suited for younger kids. This sounds perfect for parents looking to spark meaningful conversations with their little ones.
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I’m haven’t read this author. Thanks for introducing a new author to me. Will check her books
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This is such a cute book! Serious topics need to be addressed in a playful manner and we need to teach our kids the power of expression imo.
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This sounds like a lovely book, and a good aid for parents with young ones. Emotional education is so important and i am glad people are talking about this more openly now and using tools to help their children.
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I wish we had more such books for children. Expressing our feelings seems difficult even for us adults, then imagine how much difficult it is for children! Thanks the author for choosing such a sensitive and important topic for her book.
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This sounds like an excellent book for the little ones. I wish we had books like these when we were growing up!
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Maybe such books should be made for adults too who can learn to identify what they’re feeling. It’s so great that books like these exist that depict a real human journey.
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The pages for drawing and writing reasons for happiness or sadness with the pages for reflection to share feelings and emotions that are important to a child are the best features of this handbook.
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My 8 year old reads Astrosaurs and all. Not sure if he will read this but I can definitely try. He will love the visuals and activities for sure. I can also gift it to another smaller child next. Thanks for this. Seems like a good book for kids to understand their feelings even better.
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through your blogs I am getting to know more new authors and adding them to my reading pile list. Keep sharing
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Such a pertinent book for parents to read along with their children and have conversations strung around their emotions. Taking a note of the author and this book, thanks!
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Sounds like a lovely book, an interesting way to teach kids about various shades of emotions. And beautiful illustrations make a book even more delightful. I think I love children’s books, mainly because of the gorgeous illustrations.
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I really like the way it beautifully explores and explains various emotions and it is truly commendable. What I get from your review is that this book is a wonderful guide for both kids and adults to understand and manage their feelings better.
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It seems to be like a journal for kids to relish their feelings. I will like to buy one of her books for my daughters.
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We need more books such as these. A good conversation starter too. Finally there is awareness about kids dealing with different emotions unlike just brushing it away.
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