AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE

April is National Poetry Month, so I think it only fitting to kick off the celebration by sharing a press release and my review of The School of Life's upcoming release (new to the US), AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE:  Feelings From A to Z.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jessica Jonap at 305 864 5521 or Jessica@JessicaJonap.com

 

 

THE SCHOOL OF LIFE PRESS TO RELEASE NEW BOOK FOR YOUNG READERS THIS SPRING

 

An Engaging Exploration of Childhood Feelings and Emotional Literacy

Through Enchanting Poetry and Stunning Illustrations

 

PRAISE FOR EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE   “At a time of huge uncertainty, this is an engaging way to get young children to talk about their emotions.”   --The Independent (London) in a round up of the best motivational books for children   “A stunning book for the whole family to enjoy.” --Armadillo Children’s Books   "Friendly and accessible… a great starting point for a discussion about emotions" --Youth Services Book Review

Emotions are like animals:
No two are quite the same.
Some are quiet; some are fierce;
And all are hard to tame.

Inside this book there’s twenty-six

Emotions you might feel

Arranged alphabetically

From anger to zeal.

--From EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE

 

AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE: Feelings From A to Z (The School of Life Press Hardcover; April 2021; full-page color illustrations; Ages 5+) is a beautifully-illustrated emotional glossary for children, with 26 rhyming poems, arranged alphabetically, that brings feelings to life—Anger, Boredom, Curiosity, Dreaminess, Embarrassment, Fear, Guilt, and more. The poems transform each emotion into a different animal to provide a clear and engaging illustration of its character: how it arises; how it makes us behave and how we can learn to manage its effects. Boasting a rich vocabulary, the poems also give kids a wide variety of options for describing their feelings to others.

Children experience all sorts of emotions: sometimes going through several very different ones before breakfast. Yet they can struggle to put these feelings into words. An inability to understand and communicate their moods can lead to unpredictable behavior, deep frustration and a whole host of difficulties further down the line. Like adults, they need help to recognize and verbalize their feelings. The greater their emotional vocabulary, the more likely they are to grow into happy, healthy and fulfilled adults.  AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE helps children to:

 

·      Cultivate self-expression and self-reliance

·      Feel seen and heard

·      Increase compassion for themselves and others

·      Understand why identifying and labeling emotions is important

·      Use expressive words in their daily vocabulary

·      Explore complicated feelings in a fun, accessible way

 

Filled with wise, therapeutic advice, brought to life through musical language and lush illustrations and perfect for reading aloud, AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE is an imaginative, gratifying way of increasing emotional literacy. 

AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE is published by The School of Life, whose recent best-selling titles, Big Ideas for Curious Minds and Happy, Healthy Minds have resonated with readers (kids and adults) worldwide. A global organization helping people lead more fulfilled lives, The School of Life is a rapidly growing brand, with over 6 million YouTube subscribers, 345,900 Facebook followers, 211,000 Instagram followers and 162,900 Twitter followers.  Its publishing arm, The School of Life Press, brings together a compendium of The School of Life's vast body of work, under the direction of its series editor and reigning master of modern-day philosophy, Alain de Botton. Publishing books for children and adults, all of The School of Life titles share a coherent, curated message that speaks with one voice: calm, reassuring, and balanced. The School of Life has published a range of titles, games and resources that connect kids with their passions and engage critical thinking.

 

AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE:  Feelings From A to Z

The School of Life Press

Hardcover with illustrated color images

Reading age: 5+

ISBN-13 : 978-1912891245

 

For additional information please visit www.theschooloflife.com.

 

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I very much enjoyed this book. My review follows:

 

 

 

Title:  AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE:  Feelings From A To Z

Publisher: The School of Life, 2020 (First Published in the USA, 2021)

Hardcover with Illustrated Colored Images (Illustrated by Rachel Saunders)

ISBN-13:  978-1-912891-24-5

Reading Age: 5+

 

AN EMOTIONAL MENAGERIE:  FEELINGS FROM A TO Z is a motivational, inspiring and educational book that teaches about emotions by helping kids not only understand how they are feeling but also giving them the vocabulary to communicate it to others. 26 rhyming poems pair emotions with animals throughout the alphabet from A (anger) to Z (zeal) and provide terrific advice for kids and adults alike. The poems and messages contained within them are presented in a fun, appealing manner to which kids can easily relate. The animals are a perfect fit for the paired emotions and make it easier for kids to understand the depths of the emotions they experience.

 

Ms. Saunders illustrations are beautifully vibrant and bring the text and emotions to life. This book is perfect for kids ages 5-6 and above.

 

For further information, visit www.theschooloflife.com, Twitter @TheSchoolOfLife and Instagram @theschooloflifelondon.

 

DISCLAIMER:  I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest review. This review consists of my honest opinions, not influenced by anyone in any way. 

 

Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss

Happy birthday to you, Dr. Seuss! Thank you for giving generations over time such fun reads. 

Today is National Read Across America Day. Whether it is Dr. Seuss or something else, grab a book and spend some time reading and exploring the new worlds books offer. 

I love the idea of celebrating a day of reading as I would love to spend most days doing nothing but reading and writing books. In an effort to salute Dr. Seuss and his birthday, what are the favs from your childhood or from those read to your children more recently?  I'm not sure I can pick my favorite "older" Seuss book though THE CAT IN THE HAT, GREEN EGGS AND HAM and HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! are definitely up there. OH, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO! is one of my all time favorites though.

How about you? And who can forget all the great advice Seuss provided? 

This is one of my most favorite pieces of advice ever and quite profound on many levels. Tomorrow is never promised. Cherish today and live life to the fullest. It is so worth it.

But, besides Dr. Seuss, what are your other favorite reads to curl up with today?

 Well, I jumped the gun and posted too soon. Here is the badge that makes it official...

Thank you, again, Tara, for the inspiring and productive month.

Mission Complete

As January came to a close and February dawned (bringing Spring ever closer, thankfully), I wrapped up my January StoryStorm challenge of 30 ideas in 31 days...I actually jotted 31 ideas in 31 days. Not all are good nor worthy of developing even to the shiXXy rough draft stage, but some I am quite excited about pursuing. 

Thank you, Tara Lazar, for your ongoing inspiration and support of children's authors everywhere.

 

Words

Continuing on with the idea of words and the importance they can carry in this world, I read a chapter today and the words were profound. 

I loved Elizabeth Gilbert's EAT, PRAY, LOVE and purchased BIG MAGIC based on all the positive comments I read about it, particularly from a writer perspective. It has been some time since I started it, and I haven't gotten very far. I picked it up today to read a bit as I seem to be struggling on the creativity front as of late. 

 

I am participating in Tara Lazar's StoryStorm this January (30 ideas in 30 days) and have been rock solid at coming up with daily ideas and/or titles but have struggled to really put pen to paper and create anything that would constitute a new rough, even shiXXy, draft. So, in my effort to incite some level of creativity and something new to think and write about, I picked up a few different books to read a some chapters. One in BIG MAGIC spoke to me.

The section was titled Creative Living, Defined. The title alone drew me as, clearly, I am in need of some creative living. It discussed having the "courage to bring forth the treasures that are hidden within you," (hmmm...that is HARD. How does one REALLY get courageous enough to do so?). I am working on it, but it is often easier to stay the course on the safe path and not really push myself for more.

Gilbert says, "The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them. The hunt to uncover those jewels--that's creative living." Gilbert also suggests, "The often surprising results of that hunt--that's what I call Big Magic." 

Wow!! I am now even more excited to read this book and see what treasures it brings. I am also newly focused on digging deep and exploring the treasures within to see where they lead.

I would love to hear how you uncover your special jewels and translate them into your writing should you be willing to share.

In the words of a man whose greatest power was perhaps in his words,

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

So, today, as we remember Martin Luther King, Jr., be a champion of peace and love as he was in life and strive to be better, kinder and more compassionate to foster a better world. We owe it to our children, our grandchildren and the generations to come.

 

Story Ideas to Kick Off the New Year

 

As a new year dawns, so does a new month of StoryStorm. Thank you, Tara Lazar!

StoryStorm is a month long challenge to create 30 story ideas in 30 days supplemented by blog posts by authors, illustrators, editors and publishing professionals for inspiration. It is a great way to kick off the new year and get your creativity flowing. Registration is free and open through the first week of January.

For more info, see Tara's blog at https://taralazar.com/storystorm/.

Happy writing!