Today I Feel . . . : An Alphabet of Feelings by Madalena Moniz

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Today I Feel . . . by Madalena Moniz is an absolute, must-have book. Yes, it teaches the ABCs, but, more importantly, Today I Feel . . . is a primer for emotions. Emotions are a tricky thing to explain or describe to toddlers, but Moniz's book gets the ball rolling, the conversation started.


Today I Feel . . . begins, "A is for adored." Any little listener, at least one who is first born, will recognize the wall of pictures with only one subject. The illustrations are not always straightforward expressions of the emotion in question, but they are evocative of the feeling in ways that toddlers will be able to relate to.





Of the letters and emotions that are my favorite in Today I Feel . . ., "Original," in which we see the little boy protagonist making handprints all over the recto side of the page, the "O" on the verso created with the same handprints. I love the illustration, but this is also an example of an abstract concept explained in a way a child can grasp. "P" for "Patience" is also a perfect expression of the emotion that children will understand, with the protagonist completing an enormous puzzle. Finally, "Y" for "Yucky" is a feeling that will definitely be recognizable to kids, as the protagonist is seen in the midst of a page-full of empty candy wrappers. Moniz's watercolor illustrations are crisp and engaging with lots of white space on the page, making Today I Feel . . . an engaging book that is a pleasure to read.

Source: Review Copy




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