What a delightful way to get kids in touch with their feelings! And this, mind you, is said by someone who has definitely given books about feelings, especially those targeted at kids, the hairy side eye, usually for being too sappy and twee.

This collection of roughly 40 poems easily avoids that pitfall, while being exactly as "not boring" as it says on the tin. The poems cover a wide spectrum of the emotions that kids are likely to experience on a day-to-day basis, from adventurous to trusting and, arguably, unique. I mean, is "unique" really a feeling? It's more of a quality, no? Anyway, I'll save my quibbling for when it really matters and gush first over how warm and lovely the messaging is behind this book. The kids, and sometimes imaginary creatures and anthropomorphic animals, who are the protagonists of these poems are all grappling with big feelings and learning how best to deal with them. The overall kindness and courage of the characters -- with several noteworthy but deserving exceptions, such as the irritating Kessie or the rightfully terrified Zach -- set a wonderful example for all readers, and especially for those young ones who might not yet know how to grapple with what they're feeling in the face of seemingly overwhelming circumstances. The tone throughout is perfect for getting through to kids, very much bringing to mind Shel Silverstein's use of humor and occasional outrageousness to drive the point home.

Brandon Dorman's artwork is outstanding through and through here. I am not familiar with his work on Goosebumps, as I grew up on a diet of Christopher Pikes and felt I'd definitely aged out of the target market by the time that series came around (plus also R. L. Stine's Fear Street books seemed so simple compared to the sophisticated mind games Mr Pike used in his extraordinary, haunting books, at least to my adolescent brain.) But I'm genuinely surprised that Mr Dorman hasn't already won a billion awards for his excellent illustrations! He draws diverse kids who display both nuanced emotions and wonderful energy in many different and often amusing situations. His use of layouts here was extraordinary: the choice to combine the Scared and Confused poems in one terrific splash page made me laugh out loud! My only and very tiny critique is that I thought the Ben-Day dots on poor overwhelmed Minky's fur were a little too, um, overwhelming for the panels. That aside, the black and white illustrations are pitch perfect throughout this beautifully illustrated book.

The only thing that I wish was better about this volume is the poetry itself. The plots are cute, the messages are great, but my God, the lack of rhythm and difficulty of scansion were deeply annoying. Writing poetry is hard, good poetry exponentially so. Jolie Taylor got all the rhymes right, but the meter just isn't there, and that drove me nuts. I cannot imagine trying to say these poems out loud to my kids, not without a ton of prep work to make up for the lack of natural rhythm. Honestly, it feels like these were written as song lyrics, with an outside beat that only the author is privy to providing the structure that would truly turn each piece into a poem that (ironically) sings instead of just rhyming doggerel sitting limply on the pages. I loved so much the enthusiasm and creativity that went into each short piece and its accompanying pictures: I just wish that the level of wordsmithing used here was on par with the rest of it.

Appalling lack of rhythm aside, this is a really great book that would definitely be of use to kids. It's fun and lively and honest and real (tho maybe the Generosity poem was a little too twee: I mean, c'mon, only three kids got any eggs?) with great illustrations and heaps of heart, wisdom and empathy.

The Totally Not Boring Book Of Feelings by Jolie Taylor & Brandon Dorman was published September 3 2024 by Shadow Mountain and is available from all good booksellers, including <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/15382/9781639933075">Bookshop!</a>

This book of poetry is so fun! My 11-year-old daughter saw it and took it to read it before I could even start it! I loved the variety of feelings that the book covers. There are the common feelings (happy, sad, angry, etc.) but it also covers some complicated feelings like regret, conflicted, fulfilled, optimistic/pessimistic. The poems and drawings are so fun and appealing to young readers. They're a great way to discuss feelings with kids!

Jolie Taylor’s ‘The Totally Not Boring Book of Feelings’ is a collection of poetry designed to help children explore and express their emotions through verse. The book combines rhythmic language and imaginative imagery to make the subject of feelings both engaging and approachable.

Themes: ★★★★☆
The book excels in addressing a broad range of emotions with depth and sensitivity. Each poem delves into different feelings, offering children both validation and understanding. While the themes are insightful and relevant, some poems may not explore the complexities of certain emotions as deeply as others.

Imagery: ★★★☆☆
The imagery in the poetry is vivid and colourful, providing a visual context for the emotions being described. However, they sometimes lack the nuance that could make the emotional experiences more impactful. The imagery generally could benefit from a bit more depth.

Structure: ★★★☆☆
The structure of the book is straightforward, with each poem focusing on a different emotion. This clear organisation helps in understanding and discussing feelings. However, the transitions between poems can occasionally feel abrupt, which might affect the flow and overall coherence of the reading experience.

Engagement: ★★★☆☆
The book’s engaging tone and playful approach to poetry are likely to captivate young readers. Despite this, some children might find the format less engaging if they prefer more interactive or dynamic elements. The poems are enjoyable but could be enhanced with more varied formats or activities.

Readability: ★★★★☆
The readability of the poems is high, with language that is accessible and appropriate for children. The rhythmic quality of the poems makes them easy to read aloud, and the text is generally clear and understandable. Minor issues with depth might arise for older readers, but the overall readability is strong.

Enjoyment: ★★★☆☆
Overall enjoyment is good, though it may vary depending on personal preference. The playful and rhythmic nature of the poems is likely to resonate with many children, but some may find the book less enjoyable if they seek deeper emotional exploration or more interactive content.

‘The Totally Not Boring Book of Feelings’ by Jolie Taylor is a charming collection of poetry that introduces children to a variety of emotions in a fun and accessible way. With its engaging themes and readable language, it serves as a valuable tool for emotional education. While improvements in imagery and structure could enhance the experience, the book’s poetic approach offers a delightful way for children to explore and express their feelings.

The Totally Not Boring Book of Feelings
By: Jolie Taylor

Publish Date: September 3, 2024

Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing/Shadow Mountain

Children's Fiction/Poetry and Verse

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Book Review:

This book was just ok for me. I gave it 3 stars. I am thinking my experience is because my e-arc didn't download correctly. I had a difficult time with the format of the e-arc, and this made it hard to read. What I did like was the way that the author talked about the different feelings a person could have and that those feelings where ok. She gave cute examples of each one and had pictures for them. She had the illustrator show different animals and things that children love to show these feelings. Some of the verse made me cringe but again I was not the intended audience for the book. Kids love those things.

The Totally Not Boring Book of Feelings lived up to its title: it totally NOT boring! I was excited to get an ARC of this book because it really seemed like something I could buy for my nephews. One of them is a generally very anxious child, and it’s hard to see his little six year old brain struggle to understand why he feels the way he does sometimes. I think this is something he would really benefit from. This book went through A LOT of feelings in really digestible and often actually fun ways for a child. The rhyming makes this a more fun way of learning about some more complex emotions, and it seems like there is a story for every child to relate to in this book. The illustrations were also really cute for kids. They were so detailed without being too busy. The index was also really helpful for adults and children to be able to pick out something specific they wanted to read.

My only criticisms are that it was sometimes hard to find the emotion on each page. It would have been better if the name of each emotion was in the same spot on each page. Having it in different corners depending on the chapter got a little confusing. I also think if a parent were to read this out loud to their child, they might sometimes have trouble following the rhyme pattern. Each new line wasn’t necessarily the same length as the last few, so the cadence of it is a bit weird to follow out loud.

it's a cute book with an important message but I felt a bit overwhelmed by all that was going on in the book,
I wish the pages were in colour, it would have been more fun to read.

I wish I had this book when I was a kid because it is so clever and creative. I can see parents checking this book out at the library for their kids and the parents might find that they learn something too!

Loved the illustration style and many of the poems were apt and a lot of fun to read with my kids -- unfortunately the ebook version I was sent was really difficult to read on my devices and I think a lot is probably detracted from the experience. I didn't understand how to follow the text a lot of the time -- am I to assume that it will end up on the actual illustrations in the printed book? I think it would have been better if it had been sent out with the text and images put together. The story "Angry" in particular was extremely difficult to follow because of the text formatting. Overall, most poems/stories were very enjoyable and the illustrations are great.

Poetry to help your kids understand emotions. There were some cute ones and ones that were short and sweet. Other were long and hard to follow. The pictures were cute as well.

To be honest, I found some of the rhythm in these poems to be difficult to follow as it seemed to chop and change within poems/stanzas. That may have been due to the formatting as it wasn't laid out clearly on my kindle, if so hopefully it will be fixed by publication time.

The illustrations were great, but deserve a page to themselves rather than being squashed on a page with text.

I love the idea of a poetry book about feelings, but a bit more variety in the feelings would be great.

As a therapist who works with children I really wanted to like this book. But I didn't find it to be as exciting as I was anticipating. I was hoping it would be funny and appeal to younger children but it did not feel that way. The photos in the book were also black and white, which did not add any excitement. I'm not sure if this will be changed in the physical copy. In my opinion some color might help make the book more exciting for kids and adults alike.

A cute book of poems to help kids explore their feelings. I really liked the illustrations and I think the poems were great but I do think there could have been a bigger mix of emotions instead of the same few

This book would be a great asset to an older elementary or middle school classroom. So much of social emotional learning involves having students identify their emotions, and this book facilitates this in a fun and engaging way.

I appreciate how diverse the feelings are, containing things like disgusted and judgmental. This allows children to develop their own emotional vocabulary, enabling them to reflect on and identify their emotions. I especially enjoyed the poem about sadness, because it contains strategies children can use when they themselves are sad.

The pictures were good, although I didn’t find them particularly engaging. Overall, this book would be a solid addition to classroom libraries.

This book would be wonderful to use to teach children that it is ok to have certain feelings. It is a great opener for a discussion about those feelings. I am unsure if children will read it on their own, it is definitely for an older group. However, if used to start the discussion, I believe it would be a great way to have those tough talks with an adult.

Clever poetry book with each poem or story focused on feelings. I like that it identified the feelings portrayed and including positive and negative emotions such as courageous, confident, creative, sneaky, overwhelmed, indecisive etc. There are forty poems with detailed illustrations. I only wish that that drawings used some color. (My digital copy is black and white and I am not sure if that is the final format.) I love poetry for children and always have older students in my school library read poems for national poetry month. I can see third graders and up easily enjoying these.

Pretty clever and fun book, I just didn't really understand the point. This book definitely lives up to its title. I wasn't bored at all while reading this book and I appreciated how the author decided to write about emotions people don't think about on the daily. However, this book kind of lacked some diversity with these emotions. For example, there were multiple poems that were just synonyms for anxious/scared, and all of them had the same plot, just different characters.
Now, as for the book as a whole. As I said before, it wasn't boring and I had a fun time reading this book. At the same time, I felt like this book didn't have an overall point or meaning. Talking about feelings is one thing, a foundation, and actually talking about how to deal with feelings is another, more important thing. This book only addressed what some feelings are and what they might look like, but that was it. For example, for "angry" there was no resolution to the short story, and I felt a little disappointed. Although, some poems/short stories had resolutions. I think that making this more consistent would help this book along nicely.
The illustrations were really well-done, and they definitely increased my interest level while reading. Bravo for this!
All in all, I liked reading this book, I just wish that it had a bit more substance to it.

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A book of poems that are silly and fun to learn about emotions. Some of the poems are a little silly but bring out the feelings that might be felt of boredom, loneliness, and regret etc. The illustrations were cleverly thought out and went along with each poem. This book would be good for ages eight to eleven.

I just love children's poetry. This book does a great job with the poems while also promoting healthy ideas about emotions. The illustrations are cute and I think anyone of any age could enjoy this, which makes it a great book to read together. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

Oh man, what a wild ride! The stories and poems in this book are so much fun to read and the pictures are the perfect compliment. I love that each one is so different - different lengths, different emotions, different main characters. This is a great book to keep next to a child's bed. You could read a long story, or a few short ones before sleep. You could open the book at random and pick any page to be amused. Or you could go looking for the emotion that you child is working through and there's a perfect poem to spark conversation. It would make a great gift, too!