#StoryOwlsReviews: When I'm Feeling - series by Trace Moroney

 As usual, there is a story behind these books. One of our friends, on their (then) recent trip to Japan, had picked up some second hand books for their (then-future) son. So when we had a haul session, I chanced upon a book titled “When I feel Scared”. It has a picture of a very endearing bunny, and each page described, in the best way possible, when one feels scared. Like when we’re bullied, or when we see an object we cannot recognize etc. All from the bunny’s perspective.  The book then goes on to acknowledge fears.

I instantly fell in love with this book. My daughter was just about a year old, and didn’t really care about being scared. She was the most fearless in the family. But somehow the book caught my attention.  It is part of a series of six books, that talk about basic emotions that we go through daily: Angry, Scared, Loved, Happy, Sad and Kind.

These books, with very simple, relate-able illustrations, convey what the emotion means. This makes it very easy for a child to realize what emotion they’re going through, without us explaining. 

The text may not be so easy for a toddler/pre-schooler to understand, but pictures make it work. The older kids may benefit from both the text and the pictures for sure. The bright colours make them very attractive for a child to pick it up themselves and read.

My daughter calls them “Peter Rabbit” books (from the rhyme) and chooses a colour she wants to read.

There are some aspects that may be tough to comprehend, like when a loved one is gone (and the child feels sad) but I feel this book can be relatable, age no barrier.

I’ve tried looking for the set across bookshops and online stores, but they’re really hard to find. I finally sourced mine from the source (Trace Moroney is an Australian author), when a couple of friends were vacationing in Australia.

If you do lay your hands on these books, I’d fully recommend buying them. Is there a similar series, or a similar book that you’ve read? Please share with our community. Thanks for stopping by!