Tag Will You Be My Friend?

How Are You Feeling Now? / How Are You Feeling Today? / The Same But Different / Will You Be My Friend?

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How Are You Feeling Now?
How Are You Feeling Today?
What’s Worrying You?
The Same But Different
Will You Be My Friend?
Molly Potter and Sarah Jennings
Bloomsbury Education

How Are You Feeling Now? is a hardback addition to the interactive Let’s Talk series; the other titles are, in the publisher’s words ‘refreshed paperback editions’ of existing titles.

Developing emotional intelligence is a key part of children’s education in the early years and in her newest title Molly Potter adds another twelve ways of feeling to happy, angry, bored, worried, sad, excited, grumpy, scared, quiet, jealous, embarrassed and shy, which were discussed in How Are You Feeling Today? again devoting a double spread to each one. The new ones are giggly, anxious, confused, disappointed, proud, brave, frustrated, guilty, lonely, grateful, surprised and playful. For each, she explains what the feeling means and offers several suggestions – some sensible, others slightly offbeat, to help manage it. ‘Tell an adult that you need clarification because you are confused. It’s fun to use fancy words!’ or ‘ ‘Say I am SO confused. See how long you can say “so” for!’

Those of us who work or live with young children know they experience a whole range of emotions every day. A lot of them do not know how to deal effectively with these emotions. Since the start of the COVID pandemic many more youngsters began finding it difficult to cope with the gamut of feelings that beset them and this is still true now. So, books like this new one, written in straightforward, child friendly language giving fun, imaginative, positive ways to deal with these feelings, illustrated with Sarah Jennings’ appropriately expressive vignettes is a welcome resource for both parents and those in education. Also included is a guide for parents with information about emotional intelligence and advice about how we as adults can be important role models.

Worrying is normal, adults worry and so increasingly do children, often due to the pressures of the education system. In What’s Worrying You? Molly identifies other possible reasons why a child might feel worried: falling out with a friend, being picked on, arguing parents, fears and phobias, jealousy, being ignored, not having friends to play with and being ill. The verso acknowledges the child’s feelings and provides several words for their feelings: a great way to open a conversation and to help the child concerned verbalise how they feel. The recto comprises ‘things to remember’ in the form of gentle guidance and suggestions to improve the particular situation. As always the tone is spot on for young children. Back matter offers a Feelings glossary and guidance for adults about helping a child to talk about their worries.

Both The Same But Different and Will You Be My Friend? have been reviewed previously on this blog. All the titles deserve a place in Foundation Stage settings and families with young children.

Will You Be My Friend? / The Purple Puffy Coat

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Here are two enormously enjoyable but very different books, each of which has friendship at its heart. Thanks to Walker Books who sent them for review.

Will You Be My Friend?
Sam McBratney and Anita Jeram

This gorgeous sequel to Guess How Much I Love You (now celebrating its 25th anniversary) comes with a touch of sadness as author Sam McBratney died recently. The new story continues on from the first with Little Nutbrown Hare venturing out to look for a playmate. Initially he finds only replicas – a reflection and a shadow of himself.

But then up on Cloudy Mountain he comes face to face with the real thing. It’s Tipps, the Cloudy Mountain Hare and she too wants a friend and playmate.

They play chase and engage in other fun activities, followed by a game of hide and seek. Tipps goes off to hide but will Little Nutbrown Hare ever see her again?

Another timeless treasure and classic to be, to add to family bookshelves and to share with early years children.

The Purple Puffy Coat
Maribeth Boelts and Daniel Duncan

With Stick Insect’s birthday just a week away, his pal Beetle just can’t wait to give Stick Insect his present. It’s a purple puffy coat, wonderfully warm and ideal for wearing when the two go out for walks together. There’s a slight snag though for Stick Insect is rather an introvert and isn’t sure this rather ostentatious coat is quite his style. However, Beetle insists that he dons the new garment and off they both go to show off this ‘generous gift’ around town. And so they do: Beetle boasts and Stick Insect keeps well out of the way.

And even when the former notices what’s happening, he’s adamant that that a daily outing in the coat will get his friend used to being looked at.

On the eve of the birthday, Beetle decides that he’ll give his friend a second gift. And it’s while preparing it that he realises what Stick Insect’s recent glum expression signifies.

Time to reconsider the coat situation and to fix things once and for all …

This wry lesson about respecting and understanding one another’s differences is delivered through a text that’s largely dialogue between the two friends and Daniel Duncan’s delightfully droll illustrations of the rise and fall of the purple puffy coat and those that either wear it or encounter it being worn about town.

Let’s Go to Nursery! / Will You Be My Friend?

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Let’s Go to Nursery!
Caryl Hart and Lauren Tobia
Walker Books
We join Bee and Billy (and their mums) at the door of a nursery. The session is already in full swing with all kinds of exciting activities taking place. The children give their mums a farewell hug and Bee eagerly begins to join in. Billy however, is more reluctant and a tad clingy. He soon gets drawn in though, thanks to a ‘message’ full of kindness …

Happy noisy play ensues until there’s a dispute over ownership of a large toy; but Billy, surely a fast learner, comes to the rescue and all is well once more.
There’s so much fun to be had, so many things to share and so much playful learning – just how it should be.

All too soon though, it’s time to help tidy up; the mums are back and it’s farewell until tomorrow: a happy, exhausting day spent and the prospect of many more to come.
Caryl Hart and Lauren Tobia paint a lively portrait of nursery life without the intrusion of the nursery staff: they, one hopes, are observing and sometimes, gently encouraging and perhaps guiding, unobtrusively from the side-lines.
The first of the First Experiences series for ‘a new generation of little readers’ the publishers say. Perhaps ‘little listeners’ would be more accurate, but no matter which, its intended young audience will find plenty to enjoy; it’s as well that the book is sturdily made with wipe-clean pages as I foresee a lot of enthusiastic handling.

Will You Be My Friend?
Molly Potter and Sarah Jennings
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
This is a title from Bloomsbury’s Featherstone imprint and has something of an educational slant: There’s plenty to think about and discuss; and the whole thing is invitingly illustrated with a sequence of vignettes. These are captioned and each spread opens with a question on an aspect of friendship: ‘What do you do when a friend upsets you?’ and ‘What do your friends think of you?’ for instance. Notes from a friendly puggish pup offer further food for thought at the bottom of each right hand page.

A final spread is aimed at parents, although I see this book being used in preschool and KS1 sessions on ‘What makes a good friend?’ too. It’s all very nicely and inclusively done though personally, I prefer emotional and social learning to be part and parcel of picture books’ stories rather than books specially created for the purpose.

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