I found the squirrel on the cover of today's read adorable, and that it's drawing with chalk is even better. I'm assuming this will be a cute read with heart and fun. According to the blurb, it hits on the theme of 'big' feelings. I'm assuming that the chalk-art will have something to do with the coping mechanism, but let's just open it up and find out, shall we?
SQUIRREL DRAWS BIG FEELINGS
by Erin Dealey
Illustrated by Luciana Navarro Powell
Beaming Books
Picture Book
32 pages
ages 4 to 7
COMING APRIL 7th!!!
"Uh oh! Sometimes, when Squirrel felt BIG feelings he couldn't stop racing around."
Squirrel feels squirrelly all the time! Porcupine gets the pricklies when things don't go the way she expects them to. And Bear only knows how to express his feelings ROARfully.
When Squirrel is having a hard time controlling his emotions and his body, his squirrelly behavior causes such a commotion that Porcupine gets all prickly and Bear has a ROARful day. No one is having fun and everyone is overwhelmed. Until Squirrel turns to chalk art to express his big "With each squiggly line, Squirrel felt better. Art felt like a quiet hug." After some initial hesitation and insecurity over whether they can make art too, Porcupine and Bear join Squirrel in drawing their hearts out. Turns out, friendship and sharing are coping skills too.
With rhyming text and dynamic, mixed-media illustrations, Squirrel Draws Big Feelings will help readers understand that even when we don't have the words to express how we feel, we don't need to get stuck there.
Squirrel feels squirrelly all the time! Porcupine gets the pricklies when things don't go the way she expects them to. And Bear only knows how to express his feelings ROARfully.
When Squirrel is having a hard time controlling his emotions and his body, his squirrelly behavior causes such a commotion that Porcupine gets all prickly and Bear has a ROARful day. No one is having fun and everyone is overwhelmed. Until Squirrel turns to chalk art to express his big "With each squiggly line, Squirrel felt better. Art felt like a quiet hug." After some initial hesitation and insecurity over whether they can make art too, Porcupine and Bear join Squirrel in drawing their hearts out. Turns out, friendship and sharing are coping skills too.
With rhyming text and dynamic, mixed-media illustrations, Squirrel Draws Big Feelings will help readers understand that even when we don't have the words to express how we feel, we don't need to get stuck there.
MY TIDBITS
A cute squirrel battles to handle its over-powering emotions in a meaningful way.
The very first page already will have readers smiling as the squirrel can't stop running around, here and there, thanks to its overwhelming feelings. But this squirrel is intelligent and quickly heads to one of its favorite activities, drawing. Unfortunately, feelings aren't always easy or quick to reign in, and one little accident leads to a row of events.
The book carries a very clear message, and it's one that readers can easily transfer over to their own situations and feelings. So, this aspect alone already packs goodness. Then, there's the warmth of friendship and being there for others. Both messages are wrapped up into an interesting story, where humor carries some scenes and heart carries others.
The text is fitting to the age group. It rhymes but gently enough to flow smoothly without feeling overly 'rhymey'. This makes it a nice read-aloud for individual or group settings. The illustrations are well-done and work with the text to carry the story and add to the atmosphere.
It's an enjoyable read with goodness.
And here they are...
Erin Dealey is an award-winning children's author and playwright. Erin has published dozens of books celebrating kindness and community, including Dear Earth. . . From Your Friends in Room 5 (NYSRA Charlotte Award) and Snow Globe Wishes (Anna Dewdney Read Together Honor Book). With decades of experience as a language arts and theater teacher, she loves motivating kids to read, write, and make art. She lives in Northern California with her husband.
Luciana Navarro Powell grew up and started her illustration career in Brazil before moving to the United States in 2002. She worked as an art buyer for an educational publisher in the Chicago area, before moving to California and becoming a full-time illustrator. She now lives in Washington state and has illustrated more than 20 children's books. In her free time, she loves to go hiking with her family and paint en plein air.
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