Tag Archives: Sadness

Elem. – Brainpower (Series NF)

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Colich, Abby. Brainpower. Jump!, Inc., 2023. $18.95 each or $75.80 for Set of 4. Grades 2-5.

Your Brain When You’re Angry. 979-8-885-24140-3.
Your Brain When You’re Happy. 979-8-885-24143-4.
Your Brain When You’re Sad. 979-8-885-24146-5.
Your Brain When You’re Scared. 979-8-885-24149-6.

The Brainpower series discusses what happens to the brain when an individual experiences strong emotions, such as anger, happiness, sadness, and fear (being scared). The reviewer read the book Your Brain When You’re Sad. Your Brain When You’re Sad discusses what happens in your brain when a person experiences sadness, the chemical releases and reactions to the emotion, and ways to help cope and manage sadness. The book utilizes photos and diagrams to discuss certain parts of your brain and what occurs at that time. Complete with brightly colored illustrations and goals, this book series helps establish emotions and why they occur.

THOUGHTS: The addition of Grow with Goals included in this series is a fantastic way for young readers to help establish ways to cope with strong emotions. A great beginning series for young readers to learn about their brain and emotions.

152.4-155.4 Emotions

Elem. – Pocket Full of Sads

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Davidson, Brad. Pocket Full of Sads. Illustrated by Rachel Mas Davidson. Rodale Kids, 2023. 978-0-593-56456-1. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2.

For no specific reason, Bear’s “heart feels heavy / like [his] pocket’s full of sads.” It is hard to explain. A physical ailment isn’t the cause. It’s more like how one would feel if a brand new toy broke or a friend chose to sit with someone else. Rabbit is determined to fix Bear, but it isn’t as simple as telling a  funny joke or using the internet for an answer. Finally, things become too hard. Will Rabbit fix Bear’s pocket full of sads, so they can go fishing, or will this be one feeling that’s too big to fix?

THOUGHTS: Davidson’s story is perfect for morning meetings or a counseling/Social Emotional Learning lesson.  Told in a simple, gentle manner, young learners will understand how little things can cause big emotions. Rachel Mas Davidson’s colorful illustrations add brightness and hope to a book about facing sadness. Highly recommended.

Picture Book