There are far too many words in this book. This is because this book is extremely repetitive. It feels as if the author took an online course on how to write a formulaic picture book. State your problem. Give examples of the problem. Give a solution. Repeat the solution with a nonmonic device that kids can remember. End story. This book skips the pneumonic device and gives you a lesson in counting. The lesson is nice, but it takes so long to get there that most kids are past caring, let alone paying attention.

The lessons and the message of this book are great, but overall it's quite forgettable. The illustrations do not do anything for the story, they are clunky and although the colours will attract the little ones, I am not sure how much they would care for them in the end.

Eddie Excitement is a monster with big emotions who needs a little help knowing how to navigate them appropriately. We meet Eddie on his way to a surprise school field trip, and it’s too much for Eddie to keep calm. After unintentionally hurting his classmate, Eddie’s teacher teaches him some tips to help regulate his emotions, and we see him put those tips to good use.

My toddler liked this story, but it wasn’t particularly exciting for him. I found I needed to create moments of excitement and embellishment to keep him interested. I also didn’t feel that Eddie’s actions were particularly unique to “overexcitement” as stated by the story, but were rather normal behavior of a young child left to an unnecessary vague “surprise”.

The illustrations were very minimal and as these are monsters, there was great opportunity to create more engaging characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and KidHaven Publishing for this ARC!

Pretty cute and definitely an addition to my future childrens' library. I think this will definitely help kids learn to regulate emotions. 100% recommend it.

‘Eddie Excitement Goes Too Far’ by Rebecca Phillips-Bartlett had the potential to be a great tool for teaching children how to manage their excitement, but it definitely fell short in a few areas.

Plot: ★★★☆☆
The plot was not the best—it felt a bit rushed and left me wanting more depth and development. The concept is solid, but the execution could have been stronger to make a lasting impact.

Character: ★★★★☆
Eddie is definitely relatable for children. His exuberance and the challenges he faces in managing his excitement are things many kids will recognise in themselves, making him a character they can connect with.

Illustrations: ★★★☆☆
The illustrations are cute and add a nice visual element to the story. However, they didn’t quite stand out as much as I had hoped. They could have been more vibrant or expressive to better capture the energy of the story.

Engagement: ★★★☆☆
Engagement could be improved. While the idea is good, the story didn’t quite hold attention the way it could have. A bit more excitement and adventure might help keep young readers more invested.

Readability: ★★★★☆
The readability is decent. It’s easy enough to follow and has a good read-aloud factor, but the lack of flow in some parts made it less compelling.

Enjoyment: ★★★☆☆
Overall, the book was not the most enjoyable. It felt lacking in several aspects and didn’t quite deliver on its promising premise. It’s a decent read but could benefit from more polished storytelling and engaging elements.

‘Eddie Excitement Goes Too Far’ by Rebecca Phillips-Bartlett is a promising read for teaching children to handle their excitement, but it doesn’t fully live up to its potential. While Eddie is a relatable character and the illustrations are cute, the plot feels rushed and the engagement could be better. It’s an okay book for a quick read, but it might not be one that sticks with you for long.

This book is such a good book to teach kids how to manage their big emotions. In this case, the emotion of focus was excitement/overexcitement. I don't have anything bad to say about the story or the plot, except one little thing. There was a clear beginning and middle, but the ending felt like it came abruptly. I think there should have been one more page or two to tie up the whole story because I was really into the story, and then it just ended, and it definitely caused some confusion. Maybe the last page could be Eddie's teacher praising him for using his tools to keep his excitement under control? That's the only critique I have for the story itself.
Now for the visuals. They were really cute and colorful, which worked really well for this book! There was just a little detail that I found odd. The other emotions (sadness, anxiety, and anger) originally had frowns or scowls on their faces when we are first introduced to them. For the rest of the story, though, all of these emotions (mainly sadness) have smiles on their faces. This felt weird because it took the personality/uniqueness away from the characters, even though it gave a positive tone to the story. In other words, shouldn't Suki Sadness be frowning? Shouldn't Albus Anger be scowling?
Other than my two critiques, I thought that this book was great and I enjoyed reading it!

My four kids LOVED this fun story!! It was so cute. They loved the main character and there pictures. A really fun and engaging book for kids.