This book will be welcomed by both the families for whom it was most likely written and also by all families that want to teach their young children acceptance of others. Its message is important.

Riley is lucky to have his older sister Regina. She cares about her little brother and wants to figure out what is leading him to cry all the time. She industriously works on this, talking to Riley, drawing pictures, and thinking about what she knows about herself and how this might help. Together, Riley, Regina and their dad address what is going on.

The importance of Riley, and by extension, others being who they are is the important message of this vibrantly illustrated story. It is a good title for school library shelves.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. Al opinions are my own.

I believe this book sets a new standard on what books about being yourself entail. Riley comes from a loving family of a sister and a father. Mom is not in the picture, no reason given. Riley’s sister does everything she can to make Riley stop crying or to come to reason for the tears. Turns out Riley, doesn’t like Riley. What makes this book so successful is that it does not just focus on Riley. Sister gets teased in school for her round belly, and after discovering what it feels like to not like herself she understands more what Riley is going through. And with understanding from their father they start to like and make themselves happy being who they are, but understanding there will still be down days, or others who don’t understand. This book was fantastic. It was a great lesson and a great story. The illustrations work really well and set a tone of hope, love, and understanding.

Riley can’t stop crying! And Regina, Riley’s sister, is determined to figure out why! From face-painting to silly dancing, they still can’t cheer Riley up! Regina finally figures it out—Riley isn’t happy because Riley doesn’t feel like he can be himself. Riley wants to dress in different clothes and play with different toys! Riley starts to be surrounded by the things he actually likes, and feels much happier. He gets to wear the yellow skirt and cowboy boots and play with Regina’s pony! These simple things bring so much joy to him, and at the same time Regina learns about not caring about what others think about her and her family.

This sweet story is a great book to read to any young ones. It explores gender identity, the normalization of emotional expression, and ultimately unconditionally acceptance. The illustrations are absolutely delightful, full of whimsical, playful drawings. Riley Can’t Stop Crying is a sweet, colourful story told in a sensitive and caring way that will leave a smile on your face.

This is a cute little book about Riley who can't stop crying. His sister and dad try and try to figure out what is wrong with him but they have a hard time. I love the illustrations in this book and they are nice and bright.

Riley Can't Stop Crying grabbed me by the heartstrings. Boulay did a really good job of creating empathy for Riley, the main character, and I was pleased when his father and sister accepted him for who he is and didn't try to change him. I wonder how my elementary school students would react to Riley and what kind of class discussions we'd have about the book?

I haven't written my whole review yet, but definitely plan to write about Riley Can't Stop Crying on my blog.

When Riley can't stop crying, it sends his family into a tizzy. Through inquiring and lots of trial and error, Riley and his family discover how to help Riley stop crying and love living life as he truly is. This is a sweet, short, simple graphic novel that deals with confronting and dispelling antiquated gender norms, as well as supporting body positivity in general. A great read and appropriate for all grade levels.

I wanted to like this one more than I did. I thought the story dragged on, and wasn’t sure if this was supposed to be a picture book or an early reader book.

I appreciate the message of the book about acceptance and making others feel comfortable with their differences, but didn’t think this was the best medium to deliver it. The illustrations were also borderline grotesque, which is not what I look for when purchasing children’s books.

I was going to let my step son do this review but changed my mind when I realized how much of an impact this Book has made on him.
My step son cry’s a lot especially when he can’t get his own way.
He has read this book multiple times now and told me this was his favourite book!
I’m not saying he has completely stopped crying altogether but it has minimized it!!!
Thank you netgalley for this copy.

There was a lot I loved about this book. I loved the personality of the narrator. I loved the illustrations. I loved the list of drawings the narrator makes. I love that big sister was so supportive and shared all her toys with Riley, and that she helped him pick out clothes. And all in all, I loved the message a ton.

Two things that didn’t quite work for me:
1. The start of the book with Riley crying nonstop seemed like this was going to be a parable of some kind, but then there was a hard shift to reality when we find out why Riley is crying. I don’t mind either tactic, but it was kind of like two different books.
2. I think this book could have been accomplished with much simpler text.

But overall, a heartwarming story with great characters and a great message!

Riley can't stop crying is an interesting read about gender identity. It shows a family unconditional love and support for each other. The main character Riley is a 4 year old boy, who lives with his Dad and older sister Regina. There was just one problem, he is never happy and cries constantly. His dad and sister did absolutely everything in their powers to make him happy, but nothing worked. His father could not figure out what was wrong and as a result became stressed and felt helpless. Sitting around with his head in his hands looking as if he was about to cry.
Regina loved her brother very much.. One day she decided to figure out why her brother couldn't stop crying. Eventually, after spending the day asking him many questions, she discovered he was not happy being Riley. He wanted to be different. He wanted to wear different clothing which included skirts with bright colors. She brought this to their dads attention. At first he thought that Riley was too young to understand something so complex. However he supported his son by letting him have the things that made him happy.

Thank you Netgalley, Orca book Publishers and Stephanie Boulay

Riley Can't Stip Crying, tells the story of a four year old boy who cries non stop. His parents have no idea why he is so unhappy, but his older sister is determined to find the reason for his tears. The kind, clever big sister discovers that he is not totally comfortable with the social expectations society sets for little boys. This book, with its colorful, humorous illustrations and text, reassures young children that there is not only one way for boys or girls to feel about and present themselves. The text may be somewhat long and wordy, but since it is meant to be read to a child by an adult, it works.
The humor and gentleness of the book makes it appropriate for eliciting conversations between children and their parents.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This is an incredible story! Riley is young child who cannot stop crying. As his family tries to figure it out, we get a glimpse into what it is like for young children who don't feel like they belong in their own bodies (and more specifically into the gender roles forced on them in society). I loved everything about the book - the illustrations, the messages, the way Riley explains himself and finds himself, and of course, the way he is so loved by his family. This is a must-have book for every library.

I received an advance copy of, Riley Can't Stop Crying, by Stephanie Boulay. Four year old Riley, cries all the time because does not like Riley. It was a little depressing, I thought the pictures could be softer.

This was an amazing and heartwarming book. I absolutely loved it. It talks about learning to be yourself and accepting the things about yourself. It’s an important message for kids and I found the artwork to be such a charming addition to the story. I really enjoyed the message of the story and would highly recommend it for everyone!

*Thank you Netgalley for sending me an arc*

Riley Can't Stop Crying
by Stéphanie Boulay, ills. Agathe Bray-Bourret
this is a great social book it teaches that sometimes we don't always know how to express what makes us up set. And sometimes its more then can be understood. Young children develop slowly and feel pressure from out side to be one way or another and they don't know why they can't fit in. I like the growth this book shares and the ability to bring acceptance and understanding to young students. It would be a great lesson in inclusion for many schools.

The message of this book is powerful and needed in today's society. The illustrations are gorgeous and fitting. From an educator standpoint, I am uncertain about the execution of the text. There are pages with extended paragraphs that seem almost inappropriate for the style of book. These paragraphs occasionally get overly didactic and less focused on the central theme. It's unclear to me what the target age is.