quite interesting, but not what I expected. It does hold a great and important, powerful message for young girls. I'm just not sure a child the same age as the main character would understand the full weight of gentrification and police brutality.. But that's not the main point. I like how it shows that young children (most importantly young black children)can use their emotions and all that they feel and put it towards the motivation to do something great in the world. They have the permission to feel what they feel in a world that often denies them of it. I loved that.

Let me say thank you so much to Netgalley for an ecopy of this book. My daughter loved it so much and I truly found it very inspirational. It shows it is okay to have emotions, it is okay to be different, you just need to be you. The characters in the background also was different persay and to me that shows kids at a young age no one truly is the same. The end with the information on strong women, I did not know about these people and used it as a learning tool. The colors were great. I am proud to have my daughter enjoy this book and I will look forward to getting a physical copy for her collection.

Thank you so much to Sourcebooks kids and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Maya has a glow that shines so bright when she’s with the people that she love and out inner community, it makes her happy. When things make her angry or upset her glow changes colour and become hard to cope with. With help she learns of so many woman that had glows too.

This book was way more than I thought it was, I thought it would be a book on a child’s mental health with her glow, but it was so much more beautiful as it went into sharing about black woman’s history and it was so beautiful.

I really loved the way the story was told with her glow, it was a great way to express her emotions, then for her librarian to help her understand her glow she shared all about other woman that had glows and how they used them. It opened up Maya’s world to something she never expected and these women inspired her, helped her to inspire others in her community and it was beautiful.

The illustrations were really pretty and I adored looking at them on each page, seeing the glow getting bigger and changing colour around her. I also loved the additional facts on the inspiring wonderful women mentioned in the story, what a good way to start teaching children about these important women and what they did to help others.

I highly recommend this book, though it’s a picture book I think middle grade readers would also really enjoy this book as it will teach them so much, open their minds and eyes up to an important part of history and teach them about their own glow.

Throughout the book it discusses things Maya feels good about and things that make her angry. The message in the book is that everyone before her that paved the way for her also had feelings and struggles. I liked how there were paragraphs about important Black people and their struggles. This should be relatable to a lot of kids.

This is an incredible book that is a combination of fiction and historical facts and figures. This is a great introduction to amazing people in history as well as ways for kids to cope with bad feelings.

This book would be perfect for anyone wishing to learn more about important black women! There are 7 different short biographies in the back of the book to encourage readers to do further research. In addition to learning about how black women have contributed to their communities, emotions are explored. As a children’s librarian, I was delighted to see a public library represented as a positive and loving place.

I loved the way the illustrations depicted Maya’s big feelings! As she learns about African American women throughout history, Maya is shown singing, writing, designing, and protesting along with them. This book is a great celebration of all powerful black women both past and present.

This book is great for older kids (elementary age). It is a fun way to learn about different historical figures and hopefully spark an interest in further research. I would definitely recommend this book and think there is a need for it.

The Light She Feels Inside is an inspiring story that encourages kids to work together to solve issues they see in their community. Through vivid and colourful illustrations and an inspiring text, children learn about Black women activists and are encouraged to work together to make a difference today. The analogy of a glowing light is effective at helping the reader understand how situations can change the way they feel. This book may require a trigger warning for readers who have trauma around policing. Although helpful adults point the way, Maya solves the problem on her own, with help from her friends and family. This book would be an excellent addition to classroom and school libraries wanting to diversify their collections. It will inspire discussion and learning around Black history and community problem solving.

Adorable illustrations. Fantastic story. Definitely an important one that needs to be in every school.

Maya experiences many emotions depending on the situation, but the feelings of hurt and anger make her feel frustrated and helpless. She struggles with how to deal with those feelings so she turns to the stories of what women throughout history, particularly Black women, have done in the face of adverse experiences. She follows their lead and let’s the light guide her to do the right thing.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

This book is beautiful and important. The illustrations really add to the message. Role models help Maya find out about wonderful women and Maya helps her friends to discover their lights too.

I adore this picture book.
Not only is the message behind this book both important and powerful, but the illustrations are stunning and add so much to the message of the book.

Maya has so many emotions burning so brightly inside her, but when it comes to navigating the anger, sadness, and confusion within herself she struggles. Thanks to her librarian, she gets help and insight from all the women who came before her on using the feelings and dreams inside her to better herself. Maya uses her new-found knowledge to help her friends and neighbors navigate the light inside themselves.

Maya feels a warm glow when she's with the people she loves. On the other hand, Maya feels a different glow when she's hurt and stressed. This different kind of glow is too much for Maya to bear.
With the help of a kind librarian, she finds her way to accept her glowing feelings and to make positive changes for the world around her - just like her ancestors and the Black women throughout history.

"The Light She Feels Inside," not only teaches us brief history but also teaches the readers how to navigate conflicting emotions to make a positive impact on the community around them. The illustrations are also glowingly beautiful, which contribute positive energy for this vital concept.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Gwendolyn Wallace for giving me this wonderful opportunity to review this book.

Published: 11/04/22

This socially and politically current book showcases happy and confusing times with light as the guage. Happy is warm and sad is cool. The story goes on to suggest how to raise the sad level by learning from the past, and what roles her ancestors played in making positive changes.

I thought the story was age-appropriate. When read and discussed rationally, in a happy light, the benefits could be noteworthy. I loved that there are 6-7 people and a place listed at the end, real relatable people that made a difference. Honestly, none were familiar to me. At a later date, I hope to explore the entire list.

I would gift this, and look into the listed people for books or writings to make a gift basket.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for accepting my request to read and review The Light She Feels Inside.

What a glowing book! Maya is a young girl that is trying to sort out all of the feelings she has inside her. She learns how other influential women and those of her ancestry use their feelings to do good!

This is a great book for young children, especially girls, to help empower them. My second grade daughter read this book to me. It was a great reading level and written in a way that it is easy to understand for young readers.

The pictures are great and really celebrate diversity! It is always great when children can see someone like themselves in a book.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Kids and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

The Light She Feels Inside is a book about a young girl named Maya who feels a warm glow when she experiences the things and people she loves, but a different kind of glow when she encounters a bad experience or things don't go as planned. This negative glow changes to a positive when Mya's favorite librarian, Mrs. Scott, shares a stack of books that redirects her feelings as she learns about African American women who came before her and made history by making a difference and positive impact in their communities. Maya learns that she, too can make a positive impact and share her glowing light with others. This is an inspiring book for young readers and will open the door for discussion on how they can make a positive impact and share their glowing light while also learning about famous African American women who made history.

Thank you to Gwendolyn Wallace, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Kids for the ARC and opportunity to share this review.

The Light She Feels Inside is a beautiful book. The book has a great message for children and adults. A message that everyone has the power within to help change their community. I enjoyed the section in the back that included information about different black women in history and their efforts for change. Powerful book.

This book is absolutely amazing. It's inspiring and uplifting for little girls everywhere. I will highly recommend my library purchase this for circulation.