⭐️ 5/5

I read this with my 4 year old daughter who was actively participating and listening. The message and lesson is so helpful and important for young kids. The way the story was written with beautifully illustrated art was very effective for my daughter. This was very well put together and heartwarming!

Thank you Zeitgeist and Z Kids for providing this ARC via NetGalley for review consideration!

This was adorable! I work with children, and know the importance of teaching them how to deal with complex emotions that they can’t quite find the words to name.

I love the way Harper Handles Big Feelings names these emotions and equates them with the way it can make you feel inside. That can play such a key role in learning the identification of emotions.

I also really like the use of the song! Overall, this has so much heart, and I can see it being a classroom staple once it is released.

This book is a lovely quick read for little humans! It explores lots of different emotions, explains that it's ok to feel each emotion and teaches children how to deal with them. As a teacher I would love to use this with younger pupils and even those with SEMH needs.

A guide to the emotions a youngster faces dressed up as a story, as Harper the active tiger cub gets ready for show-and-tell at her pre-school. So glad to be taking her favourite toy, she's frustrated by putting her own coat on by herself, anxious at mother's absence, then gets ratty about not being first to present… It's all there, and yet the story is allowed to breathe as a narrative and not just be forced to frame the definitions and advice here. For advice there is – a rather un-brilliant four-line verse we're supposed to learn and keep for future use. The simple text gets the definitions across well, and the examples of each mood are enhanced by the visuals, which really strongly look like ancient cartoons, and as having a very hand-crafted texture at the same time. If that verse we are intended to take away could give its advice in a way that had the charm as the visuals we could be on to an instant classic, but all the same the use of the story makes this stand out against other such emotion primers, and this is a strong four stars as a result.

A very cute book, my daughter enjoyed it while I read it to her. The song was a cute touch and such a good way to get children to think and do what the song says to.

Definitely recommend this book as a way to help children deal with some of their big feelings.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC copy of this book to review.

This was a cute story. I enjoyed the content and liked the repetition of the big belly breaths.

I found the writing quite clunky. It didn’t flow nicely and felt a bit awkward to read out loud. I would recommend using the word “is” rather than ‘s to suit the target audience.

I wish the colours of the emotion words aligned with the zones of regulation colours.

Thank you for the ARC. My son is a little young for this book but it will be great once he’s a tad older. He is full of strong emotions so I will be teaching him to take belly breaths when he’s feeling strong emotions. This was a lovely story and had soft, cute pictures.

I read this with my 5 year, as he struggles with big feelings sometimes. It gives great advice and also lets kids know that it’s okay to have big feelings, but we need to have tools to deal with those feelings in an appropriate way. The illustrations were cute, as well.

Thank you to Jayme Yannuzzi, NetGalley and Zeitgeist for the ARC. All opinions stated are my own.

Harper is a young tiger. She is still learning how to handle her big emotions. When she can’t put on her coat, she gets frustrated; when she says goodbye to her mom at preschool, she starts to worry, and so on. But her mom teaches her a song that helps her calm her body down.

I read this book to my daughter, who also goes to preschool, and she loved it because she has been in the same situations. She saw herself in Harper. We discussed each page and sang the song along with the character.

I also really liked the idea of drawing a little heart on a child’s hand so that when they miss their mom, they can look at the heart and feel comforted.

I’d also like to highlight the beautiful illustrations with soft, pleasant colors. Overall, this is a captivating story that will be interesting not only for children but also for parents, as it offers great tips for managing big emotions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zeitgeist (Z Kids) for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.