Jealous

Esther Adler, Author

Shrutkirti Kaushal, Illustrator

Westlake Gavin Publishers, Nonfiction, Oct. 19, 2014

Suitable for Ages: 3-7

Themes: Helping children cope with jealousy

Opening: “When I feel jealous, my mouth tastes sour like a green pickle. When I am jealous, I can’t stop thinking I want it to.”

Book Jacket Synopsis: In this book, children will learn how to identify the physical sensations of feeling jealous, explore typical situations where they might be prone to feeling jealous, and develop coping skills to manage their jealousy more effectively.

Why I like this book:

• It is a clever book that is written in a simple and straightforward manner.
• The book associates a specific color and animal character with a feeling. Children will easily identify with this concept!
• It is a go-to book for parents and educators to use when they see a child is acting out and is not able to handle a feeling.
• The book helps kids build a healthy awareness of their feelings and learn coping mechanisms.
• The illustrations are simple, bold and colorful, and support the book theme.
• It is also a great classroom discussion book.

Resources: There are “interactive exercises woven throughout the book” and a series of worksheets at the end where the kids can draw a picture of what they look like when are jealous; make a list of what makes them feel jealous; write a short story about a time when they felt jealous; and draw a picture  about a time when they felt jealous. The worksheets from the books can be printed and used for free at http://www.BrightAwareness.com/print.

Note: Jealous is the fourth book in the ColorFeeling series that help children identify the physical sensations of feelings.  The other books include Angry, Sad and Happy. See book covers below.

Esther Adler, LMHC, received her undergraduate degree in Psychology and graduate degree in Mental Health Counseling from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York. She counsels children of all ages in schools and privately. In her work within the field, Esther saw the need for the ColorFeeling series to help children develop a healthy awareness of their feelings. She is the mother of six children.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.