Knopf Books for Young Readers | 978-0525579748

It’s been just over a year since the world and our regular routines were upended by COVID-19. Schools closed without warning, store shelves emptied, travel, events, and getting together with our friends all but shut down. It’s been a year of adapting, adjusting, and learning to live with an ever-changing raft of emotions. As adults, we’ve had to name and address these feelings and help the kids in our care do the same.

BIG FEELINGS, the latest picture book from NYT bestselling creators Alexandra Penfold and Suzanne Kaufman (ALL ARE WELCOME ) is one way to begin the conversation:

“I have big feelings.

You have them, too.

How can I help?

What can we do?

 © illustration by Suzanne Kaufman

As the kids make plans to play, things get in their way. One child’s excited, another is scared, one feels nervous, another is prepared. It’s inevitable, isn’t it? As we’ve learned this past year, in the blink of an eye, plans can change, and, with that, so can our emotions.

© illustration by Suzanne Kaufman

This comforting story reminds kids that they’re not the only ones with big feelings – “whatever we’re feeling, we’re never alone.”