Awesome Dawson Has Big Emotions is the second book in the Awesome Dawson series by Julia Cook. The author uses the familiar emotions of anger, sadness, excitement and worry to demonstrate how children can be overwhelmed by their big emotions. With the help of his teacher, Dawson uses breathing, fidgets and his five senses to help himself calm down and regulate.
As a teacher and a mom, I am always looking for stories that can be used to reinforce social emotional skills such as self control, using coping strategies and recognizing emotions. The author also included a short parent/caregiver guide with tips and suggestions. The illustrations are average, yet do not take away from the message of the story.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Awesome Dawson Has Big Emotions." It's a story relatable to children about what triggers Dawson's big emotions. One can use this book as a good teaching tool. Therapists, parents, and educators should have a copy of this book and some squishy balls. I highly recommend this book to put in your "toolbox."

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

A helpful book of big emotions using mindfulness tricks to calm down. Great to open a emotion conversation and get kids to share their big emotions

This is an excellent book for younger children to open a dialogue about emotions as well as some practical ways to help deal with them. I know a lot of adults that could benefit from this book too ;-) Overall, this is a fantastic resource for anyone who works with kids; teachers, counselors, mental health workers, parents, grandparents, etc.

The illustrations are well done and really pull a child in.
For anyone that has seen the movie Inside Out, the emotions are similar in that they each have their own color that represents the emotion. I think it is great for kids to be able to identify emotions through sight and get more comfortable with them.

I particularly love the idea of the "squishy" that gives kids a practical outlet for their emotions and it is included with steps in the story as well as a web address to purchase one. I think kids will love this.

Overall, I think this is an excellent book and is not only entertaining, but highly educational and encouraging to help kids get more comfortable with their emotions and learn to regulate them in a safe, healthy, and appropriate way.

The illustrations weren't my favorite (the ones of the emotions were actually kind of freaky at times), but I loved the messaging. I have a son who has big emotions and a book like this would be so helpful for both of us. I appreciated that there was no shaming for having those emotions, and no trying to minimize them -- just acknowledging how hard and scary it can be to be overtaken by them, and giving concrete tips for feeling more in charge of them.

Awesome Dawson Has Big Emotions by Julia Cook, in Consultation with Dr. Rebecca Chow

This children's story is a helpful guide to deal with all of the big and overwhelming emotions we all face.

Full of colourful and bright illustrations I found this read to be a really nice one with inspiring advice and think it will be a favourite of many children and parents alike.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my review copy.

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Awesome Dawson Has Big Emotions is a wonderful, funny and charming book about a little boy who has a lot of big feelings and how he learns their names and to manage them. Teaching children about their emotions is incredibly important and this book is a great tool to do that.

This is a good book to help children recognize and respond to big emotions. The illustrations looked helpful for helping children identify a feeling (e.g., anger). It was also great that Dawson has multiple positive caregivers in his life who engage with his feelings, give him choices, and talk through things with him. At the back of the book, the authors give strategies and additional tips for caregivers, which is wonderful.

I like that multiple strategies to manage one's emotions were included, but there could have been more in addition to having a "squishy" and breathing/counting. Additionally, while it was helpful for Dawson to consider the consequences of his actions (e.g., jumping on his friend could lead to someone getting hurt), I felt that could have been addressed more. As the book states, however, it's not always the right time to explain things in-depth to a child, especially to really young children.

This is a good book that I think children will like and caregivers will find useful.

I received free temporary access to a DRC through NetGalley. This review contains my honest opinions. I will also publish this review elsewhere closer to the book's publication date.

This is such a great book for kids with big feelings, like my son. I loved how it was thoughtful, not shaming, and gave some skill building. Definitely a great addition to elementary classrooms and libraries!

This reminded me of the movie Inside Out- with the colored emotions, and they way they look throughout the book. Dawson’s teacher teaches him how to use a stress ball / toy to help cope with his big emotions. The tips at the end of the story may be helpful for first time parents / parents with children who have big emotions.

This story was a wonderful book about emotions and how big they get!
Dawson has big feelings, and doesn't understand how to regulate.
But with a little help and a fun little outlet he's on his way to being in control of his emotions!

This book was not only fun for our family but a helpful tool!
My little lady does have problems controlling her big feelings and this book showed her there are other ways to channel those emotions.
The pictures were nice and vibrant and the story want's too wordy.
It kept my child's interest as well as mine.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for an ARC copy for reviewing purposes.

This is another book from Boystown. It focuses on the emotions of anger, sadness, excitement, and worry and strategies of what to do when those emotions are really big. It explains why when the character reacts how he did is not ok and what to do when they feel each emotion. It gives tips for parents, educators, and caregivers.

As a teacher, I often have students in my class who experience big emotions. This was a great book to help students identify the various emotions such as anger, sadness, and worry. The pictures of the emotions were a great visual for young children and the book had real situations that students/children can relate to and may have even experienced big emotions about.

I liked the page with the quote "You can be the boss of your ANGER if you follow 3 rules: you cannot hurt yourself, you cannot hurt others, and you cannot hurt things." It then had alternatives ways to handle the big emotion of ANGER such as tell a squishy about it, whisper to it, and then crunch, squish, or stretch all your words into the squishy. Most teachers have a calming corner that can be used for students to take a moment. A squishy is something we can have available to students to help with their big emotions including anger.

I also liked that the teacher told the student it is ok to ask for help. The book didn't make having big emotions a bad thing or depict the student as a "bad student".

The end of the book provides parents, caregivers and educators tips that are written by a clinical counselor and registered play therapist. It also provides information on how to get a squishy like Dawson but any squishy toy or stuffed animal could work.

As a teacher, I would read this book to my class especially if I had students who were displaying big emotions that were getting in the way of their learning or other students learning. I would make an anchor chart on ways to handle big emotions and place it near the calming corner.

Thank you to Julia Cook for writing a book that deals with this important topic and is relatable and age appropriate to a range of grade and age level.

This book will be published on 27th February 2024. Thank you to the publisher for an ebook of this book. I voluntarily read it and gave an honest review. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is an awesome book that teaches children about emotions and ways to control those emotions.

I love that this book provides tips for helping a child deal with their emotions. There's some great information listed.

Teaching a child early can beneficial in the long run. Even though this is a children's book, I feel like everyone can learn something from it.

I loved this one! Such a lovely story showcasing how small children can deal with their emotions when they feel too big to handle or control. It has some lovely tips that I will be implementing with my two little ones. The pictures were lovely and my children found it to be really interactive in terms of talking about Dawson's emotions.

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

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Julia Cook is a must-have for anyone with young children in their lives. This book is a great way to talk about how we feel, what it looks like, and how to manage some big emotions. Although the ending is pretty simplistic, its a great book to return to as we practice naming and managing emotions.

This is an excellent read for children who are struggling with understanding and processing big emotions as they will be able to relate to Dawson.

There is also some good material for parents here in regards to handling similar situations in a helpful way

Young children who are struggling with managing their emotions will relate to Dawson. Dawson is a preschool aged blonde boy with intense feelings. The adults in his life are really good at communicating him and helping him manage his emotions. They give him strategies to use so he doesn't get so angry that he hurts someone, or so worried that he can't participate in school. At the end of the book, Dawson successfully uses a strategy to listen to his parents when it's time for bed.

Perhaps the most helpful thing here is the strategies for the parents - the kind of things to say to a child who is having a hard time.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

What an adorable book. Reading about big emotions and how to handle them is so important for all kids. It is important to also know that they are normal. This book should be on every library bookshelf for kids to read!