Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Hearing no can bring big feelings and emotion. There are great metaphors to help kids relate to/understand how they feel. I found the parents note at the end very useful and helpful.

This book explains how to manage very big feelings when you are told no, reminding readers that it usually a NO to a behavior and not to the reader. We all feel a roller coaster of emotions when we are told NO but as adults, we can better move forward from that disappointment while young children are still learning boundaries and how to navigate big feelings. This is an excellent title for sharing with children as they learn boundaries and how to shift feelings of disappointment.

An age-old theme with much-needed modern messaging. The prompts at the end make it a great resource for discussion. My little 5-year old could definitely see herself in this story - which kid wouldn't?

I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.

How I feel When I Hear No! by Ronnie Farzam and illustrated by Bonnie Lui, is a story that paints how chaotic someone’s emotions can be, and how to learn from and cope with moments that seem overwhelming and unfair.

While I typically wouldn’t ascribe someone being mad as magical as a wizard just exploding with rage, or a volcano trying to burn everything out of its way, the pictures do lend credence to how complex those emotions are. Anger is a secondary emotion, and acts a defense mechanism whenever we feel hurt, or scared, or threatened, or anything that knocks us out of our comfort zones. This is true for adults and children; it may not seem like it, but we have temper tantrums too. They just look different is all. Granted, there’s no (rarely) screaming or shouting involved, and whenever someone tells us no, we might hurl all sorts of abuse at them. But that’s what I like about this book; it’s okay to have those big feelings. Even if we might not be able to make sense of them at the time, we can still validate ourselves without hurting others.

The artwork is, of course, beautiful. I love the different shades that Lui uses in order to (try to) capture all the feelings this little girl must be going through. Sometimes it’s very dark and destructive, but other times it’s quiet and subdued. I loved when Lui combines those aspects of dark and light in order to form a sort of flashlight to help lead people back. It’s okay to wander, but as long as you’ve got that light, everything will work out, regardless of what started the emotional cascade. It reminds us of the importance of having a safe space to explore the emotions, and the no matter what, once the chaos ends, you’ve got somewhere to rest.

This is definitely a book I plan to use for both my adolescent and my adult clients.

As an Early Childhood Educator who's always looking out for new books for her classroom library, I was delighted when the publisher, American Psychological Association, provided me with this advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Maintaining and setting boundaries with children can be a challenging task. This book highlights the emotions children can experience when hearing the word NO and having to find a way to validate their feelings while still maintaining boundaries. In addition to the beautiful illustrations, the metaphors are relatable to children and the way they express their feelings. Parents, educators, and therapists can also benefit from the Reader's Note at the end, which provides useful information on why big feelings occur and how to help children cope with them in an effective manner.

Thank you to Net Galley, Ronit Farzam and Magination Press for an Arc to review.

I loved this children's book. The pictures of this book are colorful, and expressive. The book talks about how children may feel when they are told the word no. We go through many different scenarios and emotions, allowing the child to feel the way they do, but realizing that no still means no and their behavior would not change that. I think this would be a great read-a-loud for a kindergarten classroom as well as a story for adults to share with their children.

This book is going to be so helpful to so many parents who are trying to implement gentle parenting. This book accurately describes the child's valid feelings of upset as they are told no but through out the book the mom is always calm and collected and does an amazing job of holding the boundary. This is one that I will be reading with my kids and one that I would love to do a Toddler Time with because it is such an important story.

I absolutely LOVED this book! It's so relatable to kids AND parents. It's hard to say no as a parent and hard to hear it as a kid. There are a lot of feelings surrounding it, sometimes guilt and anger from parents and sometimes anger and sadness from kids. I liked that this book shows kids that they are not alone in experiencing these emotions and gives them constructive ways to handle it and calm themselves down when they are mad or sad. I also like the suggestions for parents at the end to find a way to validate your child's feelings while still maintaining boundaries. What a great read!

Thanks NetGalley and American Psychological Association for my ARC of this great story which publishes 3/5/24.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really liked the teaching in the book. It is a book both child and parent can learn from. There's a short story for the kids and a reading note at the end for parents. The reading note did have some good advice in there. I did read this with my 6 year old daughter, who has big feelings. When she gets mad, it can be a little terrifying. I read this with her and she liked it. She said "She felt like she was the character. That's how I feel when I get mad."

My only complaint would be that I felt like the short story had no plot and that the parent didn't really do what the reading note at the end said. I originally walked away from the story without reading the note at the end and was a little lost what the point of the story was. I got that it was about hearing No but there was no resolution to it really. It felt like it was getting to a point and then it just ended. After reading the note at the end, I understood what message they were trying to get across but I don't think the short story for the kids did.

This story is too perfect for this age range. What kid likes to hear no?! What parent doesn’t struggle with this constant argument over and over again. What teacher, grandparent, babysitter etc doesn’t deal with this too. Very well put together.

This book tackles some big emotions in a cute and relatable way for our little kiddos. I loved that it address her outbursts of hearing no, but also why mom needs to say no sometimes. Perfect for her

No is still No.
Despite the BIG FEELINGS that are invoked by being told NO – sad, anger & loneliness – we learn that NO is often a response to the action or activity and NOT the person. This beautifully illustrated book lets the reader know that while no is still no – there are yesses as well. I was especially taken with all of the gorgeous colors and the artwork!!! Thank you to Netgalley, Ronit Farzam, Bonnie Lui and Magination Press for an advanced copy of this precious children’s book in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to share it with my sweet grandmuffin!


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6154657177

I have really enjoyed what Magination Press and the APA has put out. I especially loved How I Feel When I Hear No. It is a great read for children and families to talk about the emotions we feel when we hear no. I highly recommend it.

This book has beautiful and fun illustrations to captivate the reader. The negative feelings so common in children, and even adults when we are told “no” is addressed in a fun story that would be wonderful for any child who struggles with this - which is so many of them! It goes through the emotions we may experience, how certain choices lead to even bigger emotions, and more efficient ways we can cope with them. After the story, there is also a note to the reader with information and tips to use to support children in overcoming these strong emotions. Definitely a book I would love to use with my clients.

I received an arc from NetGalley and the APA in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

As a social worker who specializes in children, I’m always looking for books to add to my collection. This is a great one. How does a kid feel when they hear no? This book explains in kid friendly terms and pictures what they could be feeling. This book also has ways parents can help their kid process hearing no’s. This is a great book for kids of all ages. I highly recommend this book for parents, teachers and therapists.

The short sentences and colorful illustrations are great for reading this to younger children. The reader's note at the end of the book offers insightful tips to parents on how to handle their child's big emotions of anger, frustration, and sadness. I like the preface of the story. My only feedback is that the mother in the book isn't really teaching the child how to handle the word no or their feelings until the end. The big emotions and how to deal with them aren't well balanced in the story. As a parent, or a counselor using this book, I would have liked to walk through the book with the child showing how to handle "no" not just the feelings. If I was working with a child on handling big emotions around hearing the word "no", I would need to supplement this book with others.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher, American Psychological Association, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First, the cover is stunning. There a re a mixture of common symbols of frustration, such as a volcano bubbling over, mixed with more calming colors and gentle images. The idea of hoping to turn NO into YES, but NO meaning NO is a mature and necessary take. There is empathy building insight for both adults and children in this book. There are elements of gentle parenting, and while this will not be the book for every child (perhaps older children, three and up will resonate more with this), the concept of "When I say NO, it's NO to a behavior and YES to you" is an urgent reminder. I also find that the reader's note and information for caregivers is critical, including the ideas for teaching and modeling behaviors. Highly recommend for your library's caregiver section.

A nice book about dealing with anger and disappointment. The child in the story explains their anger in ways most children can understand. The section at the end has suggestions for adults about other things they can say and gentle parenting strategies to help children grow and deal better with tough situations.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance ebook in exchange for my honest review.

"How I Feel When I Hear NO" is a beautiful picture book that illustrates how children might feel when they hear their parents and adults tell them "NO".

This is an amazing book for parents and kids to read together because it provides parents and children ways on how to deal when children hears the word "No". For children, it emphasizes that having big emotions and feeling mad and sad is totally valid. It provides an important message regarding setting boundaries and expectations by telling them that saying "No" is a "no to a behavior, and yes to you". The book also includes a Reader’s Note with more information on how parents can help their children cope with big feelings associated with hearing “no".

This picture book includes many colourful and beautifully illustrated pages that will definitely engage the readers. I highly recommend this book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by the publisher, American Psychological Association, via NetGalley.