When Sadness is at Your Door

Reread to pair with the new title, Where Happiness Begins. A lovely visualization of sadness, with the invitation to feel the feelings rather than hide or reject them. "Try not to be afraid of Sadness. Give it a name. Listen to it. Ask where it comes from and what it needs." Words to live by.

This book shows sadness as a friend who shows up and is just as confused as you. It is a great way to help children understand that sadness is not scary and can be “fixed” by understanding it and giving it a name. Coloring and sleeping may also help with the friend's sadness. Friend like sadness always comes we can't control that but we can control how we react to it.

Anyone that's been through any tragedy, natural or otherwise, knows this blue cloud that seems to hover and while adults may have more experiences to draw from in dealing with it, or a larger circle of friends with which to talk it through...children are often going through it for the first time. Do you remember the first time you were sad? Do you remember what made you blue, unhappy, down in the dumps, or otherwise? Chances are no...but at the time, it was your WHOLE WORLD. Everywhere you went, it followed, and how to shake its grip was beyond your comprehension. Hopefully, you had a loving family to guide you back to your self, but just think if you had a book like this in your library, or rather if your parents or other adult had it show more in their arsenal of bookish "weapons". Well, okay, so I guess I skipped the reason WHY this would be so great....

Between these pages filled with just the right balance of words and images, we see sadness as a "thing" not some invisible phantom. We learn to acknowledge its presence, to even embrace it to a certain degree, giving it what it needs in order to allow it to one day slip away. Little ones have a lead character to identify with, and the visual sadness helps them to understand that the feelings they have are not something to be frightened of, but rather something to grow from on their journey to being big boys and girls.


**ARC received for review show less

A child (reminiscent of Harold from Harold and the Purple Crayon in his small rounded figure) opens the door to a large, seafoam-green creature: sadness. It follows him around. "Try not to be afraid of sadness. Give it a name. Listen to it. Ask where it comes from and what it needs. If you don't understand each other, just sit together and be quiet for a while. Find something that you both enjoy, like drawing..."

A comforting message about getting comfortable with your feelings - even the difficult ones.

See also: I Feel Teal by Lauren Rille; Pom Pom Panda Gets the Grumps by Sophy Henn

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.

Sometimes you get so sad you don't know what to do, but this book offers some insight.

This is a sweet picture book introduction about identifying and dealing with sadness. While this is no substitute for a child dealing with serious psychiatric needs, it is good for developing emotional intelligence for the youngest readers. With very simple prose and illustrations that illuminate the text, this book can help children understand their own emotions and maybe, just maybe, the feelings of others around them.

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 show more encourage relaxation and be approachable. If so, that did occur. show less