[BOOK REVIEW] Feelings by Aliki

Title:  Feelings

Author:  Aliki


Genre: Manners / Emotions / Humor / Information


Year Published: 1984


Year Read: 1997

Publisher:  Greenwillow Books

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+ (Some Mild Threats)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

I am a huge fan of “Reading Rainbow” as my bookshelf is stock full of “Reading Rainbow” books!  One of my favorite stories to ever come out of “Reading Rainbow” was a children’s book called “Feelings” by Aliki!  “Feelings” is definitely a brilliant book about describing different types of feelings from everyone that children will love for many years!

Basically, this book is just showcasing all different types of feelings such as anger, sadness, embarrassment and jealousy through illustrations and brief dialogue.

After reading this book as a child, I have always enjoyed the simple storytelling of detailing different emotions shown by many different children and even years later, I still loved this book to death!  Aliki has done a brilliant job at both illustrating and writing this book as she details the different feelings shown by the many children shown in this book in a simple and vivid manner.  Probably one of my most favorite feelings sections she had done in this book was called “Your Attention, Please,” which goes like this:

Parent: Look at Adam Run.

Girl: I can run faster.

Parent: Look at Adam Build.

Girl: I can build higher.

Parent: Listen to Adam.

Girl: Listen to me.

Parent: Adam can read.

Girl: I can read more.

Parent: Ha, ha, ha, ha! Adam is Funny!

Girl: Ha, ha, ha, ha! I am funny, too!

Parent: Where is Adam?

Girl: Where Am I?

Parent: Adam is Hurt!

Girl: I’m hurt, too.

Parent: Look at Adam!

Girl: Look at me!

Parent: I see you, dear. You’re wonderful

I loved the way that Aliki made the writing so simple yet effective enough for small children to grasp how each character feels about a particular situation and how they are able to handle it whether their parents help them through the situation or they figure it out for themselves.  I also loved the brief little sessions that each character would have with each other such as in the short story “How do you Feel?” where a girl and a boy were showing each other about the different feelings that are expressed.  Aliki’s illustrations are truly marvelous to look at as the characters look extremely simplistic yet cute at the same and the colorings may seem a bit washed out but it really brings out the cuteness of this book.

Even though overall this is a really cute story that portrays the different emotions felt by each child, some parents might seem a bit disturbed at this one story where a girl named Elizabeth compliments Alicia’s beautiful curly hair, but her other friend Kate gets jealous and states, “Curly Hair? I’d…I’d…like to choke Alicia.”  Some parents might get a bit disturbed at the idea about a child stating she wanted to choke another child, but luckily, she is never shown actually choking anyone and this was just showing the feelings of jealously and rage.

Overall, “Feelings” is a truly cute and thought-provoking children’s book about showing the different feelings of children that children will easily enjoy for many years!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since some parents might be a bit upset at how the feelings “jealousy” and “rage” are portrayed.