At the book’s heart is the idea that feelings are never wrong or shameful, they are simply messages our brains and bodies are telling us about what is important.
‘Your feelings are never wrong.
Your
feelings are made to be felt.
Your feelings matter.’
There are examples of feelings throughout the book and children will be able to recognise some they have felt themselves.
The book
describes the way different emotions can feel in the body, such as butterflies,
heavy backpacks, and beating drums.
Importantly, children are encouraged to seek help from an
adult when their feelings are too big to manage on their own.
Written by Jess Sanders who is a social worker and award-winning
author of the Life Lessons for Little Ones series, the text is informative, as
well as being warm and kind.
It is written in small chunks and is ideal for thinking and talking time in between. Your Feelings Matter would be suitable to use in a classroom or library setting, as well as in the home.
The book provides strategies for dealing with big feelings
in yourself with ideas such as ‘hot chocolate breathing’, listening to music, and
not ignoring your feelings. It may also help children (and their grown-ups) recognise that friends can have feelings, and provides ways they might support
them such as sitting quietly with someone, or giving them space.
The illustrations by Alice Buckingham are bright and detailed.
She has captured the diversity of feelings that children experience and has included
a variety of familiar settings such as classrooms, homes and playgrounds. The
cover is eye-catching and tactile, and the endpapers are beautiful.
Your Feelings Matter would be a wonderful addition to anyone’s bookshelf.
Title: Your Feelings Matter
Author: Jess Sanders
Illustrator: Alice Buckingham
Publisher: Affirm Kids, $24.99
Publication Date: May 26 2026
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781923419391
For ages: 3-8
Type: Picture book