Why Do I Feel Like This?

The little girl in this book sometimes gets in a bad mood – sometimes, people say mean things to make her upset. Some people make her annoyed. Sometimes she imagines having a pet wasp to chase them away, or a remote control robot that will give someone a tummy ache.

The girl character has some great solutions for changing her mood – she can set herself little tasks to do that take her mind off being cross, sing a song into a pillow or take a nap. Sometimes these things work, but sometimes, she is SO angry that nothing can help. Maybe, when she’s really sad or mad or scared, it’s because there’s a bad monster controlling her who profits from her bad feelings. Who knows? But whatever the reason, she is determined to become a person who faces their bad feelings and deals with them.

Shinsuke Yoshitake’s original, quirky book has a cartoonish feel and a really sweet, appealing way of working through a little girl’s fantastical yet meaningful ideas around sadness and anger. It’s a visually appealing book with lots to look at as well as an unusual book about the importance of feeling our feelings. Rather than a series of bland statements and platitudes, the girl character thinks up relatable and dynamic ways to deal with the “monster” which work for her.