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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