Eva Eland

This book has basically the same point as the Pixar movie INSIDE OUT: It's okay to be sad sometimes. Leaning into your sadness might even help you feel better. I think grown-ups probably need to hear this message even more than kids so we stop unintentionally making kids feel like there's shame in being sad or sadness must be "fixed" immediately. Let kids know it's okay to dwell in sadness for awhile. Try reading this very short book on the topic and see if sparks conversation about times when you've been sad.… (more)

Dealing with emotions is a theme I am seeing more and more often in picture books. Frankly, I am glad. Children and parents both need resources to help handle all that life throws us. Sometimes, that guise comes in a fiction book that is more approachable to children.

This one handles sadness and sometimes, we have this emotion. The book encourages children that it is okay to be sad every once in a while, to give it a name, to not shy away from it. It reminds the reader that tomorrow is indeed another day. While I know the book is entitled "When Sadness is at Your Door," I feel this book is a subtle nod towards depression and those emotions.

The illustrations are simple, with muted teal and coral. I bet they were done this way to encourage relaxation and be approachable. If so, that did occur.… (more)