Today I Feel...: An Alphabet of Feelings
by Madalena Moniz
Date: 2017
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 64
Format: e-book
Source: library
Beautifully illustrated by Madalena Moniz’s subtle watercolors, Today I Feel... follows a child through a whole range of emotions, from adored to curious to strong. Not all of the emotions are positive and not all of them are simple, but they are all honest and worthy of discussion with a young child.
(synopsis from Goodreads)
I'm afraid I'm not very impressed with this one. It just seemed like an excuse for an illustrator to make 26 pictures. Calling some of these "emotions" ("Brilliant", "Tall", etc.) is a bit of a stretch. I'm always curious how alphabet books handle certain letters like Q, X, and Z. This book kind of missed the mark. Sure, you can feel "Quiet", but "X.O.X.O.'ed" is going to provoke a lot of questions, and "Zzzz" just feels lazy.
I also didn't feel comfortable with D, which was for "Daring". Unless C is going to be for "Consent" and E for "Empowered" (with the little girl fighting back against unwanted advances), then I don't think we should be teaching little boys that kissing girls without their consent is a good thing.
The drawings are cute, but not particularly memorable. While the book could lead to a discussion about feelings between children and parents, I have a suspicion that there are better books out there that would achieve the same thing... without the awkward alphabet setup and the questionable message of the letter D.
Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: n/a
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 1/5
Enjoyment: 2/5
Overall: 2 out of 5
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