What Makes You Do That?

Decision-making can be difficult. Should I own up or tell a lie? Do I give up on something I’m finding hard or try again? Do I have to tidy my room when I just want to relax? Shall I eat the entire bag of sweets or share them? 

This colourful picture book cleverly addresses many of the everyday temptations we all face, exploring a different theme on each spread. It reminds children (and adults!) that there are always options and to consider the very real benefits of trying to make more positive choices. Gently but powerfully, it compareswhat happens, for example, if we stay cross with someone, against what might happen if we forgive them and move on.

Mood-enhancing, non-preachy and highly empowering, this is a book that can help children to better understand their emotions, but also (crucially) to feel able to have some control in terms of how these feelings then affect their behaviour. There’s also an important reminder that many factors affect how we feel on any given day and that we all make mistakes, plus some useful end-notes for parents on supporting children of different ages.

Each bright and cheery spread offers up a series of smaller illustrations to demonstrate each point with humour, character and deceptive simplicity. The artwork is stunning, and utterly all-encompassing in its inclusivity – so children of every shape, size, colour, culture, appearance, gender and disability will find themselves amongst the pages.

A valuable emotional intelligence tool – but also great fun.