God, I Feel Sad

Oh, this book is sweet! A great way to comfort children when they feel blue and teach them how to understand their emotions and feelings.

This book was a good way of explaining sad to my 4 year old and also bringing God into the conversation. It held his attention the whole way through. I really liked the illustrations. I felt like though he understood most of it that he was a little young for this book and that it would be a great book for older kids too.

I love how this gives language to kids and normalizes big feelings. I like that it honors the feelings and doesn’t shame or overly spiritualize. My kids loved this book. I also really appreciated the diversity in the illustrations.

In this new picture book, Michelle Nietert writes about feelings and how it is okay to feel sad. I enjoyed how it made it simple to understand the different ways that sadness manifests in a person. Hearing that God is there to act as a comfort and that it is okay to feel sad sometimes.

As a parent of a highly sensitive child, we have read many books about emotions and feelings but this book is the first one that addresses a big feeling from a Christian worldview and my mama heart couldn’t be happier.

This book expresses every sentiment I wish to say to my daughter, such as God made you to experience feelings, it is ok to have feelings of sadness or disappointment and offers insight on how those emotions might come about, feel and look. The book is easy to understand even at the youngest ages and offers children hope and encouragement on how that feeling might come and go or stay plus gives practical advice on how to address the sadness including prayer.

One quote reads, “ Yes, sadness happens for a reason. But God doesn’t want you to feel sad forever. That’s why He offers you hope too. Hope is God’s promise to help you find your happy again… With each message of hope, God is saying, ‘I’m here with you and it’s going to be okay.’”

At the back of the book, there is a Dear Parent section that offers additional practical, useful advice to parents on helping young children identify and process their emotions.

I truly love this little book for the skills it helps to build and feel it will be a valuable addition to our bookshelf. A definite recommendation from our family to yours!

P.S. This would make a great addition to a preschool classroom or church library!

* I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.

Happy to see this look at sadness for young children through the lenses of counseling and Christianity. It’s a lovely tool to help children learn to feel their feelings AND look for signs of hope. I like how it gently covers a wide range of sadness examples, big and small.

Grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced e-copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. Psalm 34:18

I have found that people that cannot deal with their own feelings, cannot help those they are suppose to love with theirs. They isolate themselves and the cycle continues. So for Christians that want their children to express their feelings, this is a great resource. Little feelings become big feelings that lead to physical harm. The book directs your children to the feelings of sadness and what makes you sad. This is a good time for parents to talk with their children on what makes them sad. For parents to recognize triggers and give the tools to work thru those triggers.

Remember God gives us feelings for a reason. It is our responsibility to know truth and to lead our children to truth. The book goes thru these feelings, how we can cope and how we can bring those feelings to God and remember the hope we have in Him. We can recognize the hope we have in the people we love, creation, and the promises we have. Parents can help with the promises and how we can bring them to mind.

Highly recommend for all ages. I love the simplicity!

A special thank you to ZonderKidz and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This book is so important! The illustrations were lovely but the message on mental health and emotions for kids was handled very well. It is very approachable for kids and families in talking about feelings, especially feeling sad. The book highlights different ways that kids can cope with sadness including talking to someone, spending time with people you love, writing or dancing out your feelings, and talking to God how you feel. This is a sensitive topic, especially for young kids, but I was really impressed for this book. This book is great for parents to go through with their children!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital advanced copy of this book.

This is a great introduction to hard emotions for children and their parents. This book helps children understand what sadness is, why we might feel sad, how sadness comes and goes, and most importantly, that it is okay to feel your feelings AND hope in the Lord at the same time. The language is simple and easy to understand, The book is full of illustrations that feature lots of different children experiencing sadness in different ways, making it relatable. I would definitely recommend this book for helping children learn how to navigate their emotions.

This sensitive nonfiction picture book explores feelings from a Christian worldview, assuring kids that God designed them to experience emotions, that they don't need to be ashamed of their big feelings, and that God will be with them in the midst of their struggles. The text is warm and reassuring, and the illustrations are soft and emotionally expressive. This book will appeal to families with sensitive kids, and it is also appropriate for kids who have gone through traumatic experiences.