I would love to see Visiting Feelings in every school library and counselor’s office!

Rubenstein, Lauren. Visiting Feelings. illus. by Shelly Hehenberger. 32p. Magination. 2013. Tr $14.95. ISBN 9781433813399. LC 2013001222.

K-Gr 3–Through a poetic text, children are encouraged to identify and explore their emotions. “Do you have a feeling/that’s visiting today?/Can you open your door/and invite it to play?/Can you ask what it wants,/and then check it out?” Readers are asked to embrace their feelings, to treat them like friends. Feelings are described through the use of similes and metaphors: “Is it sharp like stepping/on stones with bare feet?/Or smooth like ice cream–your favorite treat?” They are also personified: “Is it warm or cold?/Sour or sweet?/Does it shiver with fear/when the two of you meet?” The full-page, digitally created illustrations feature hand-painted textures and overlays. They have a dreamy quality as the feelings swirl around the youngsters in soft pastel colors. The end pages offer additional information for parents. The high-quality, appealing art will hold the attention of younger children, but discussion will be necessary for understanding this lyrical flow of moods. Paired with Wendy Cooper’s A Is Amazing: Poems About Feelings (Frances Lincoln, 2013), the book has a lot of potential for teaching students how to describe their reactions to different situations. –Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX