Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day

I think that Jamie Lee Curtis is an excellent author and I really enjoyed this book. The text was written in rhyme, which made it very sing-songy. The story was fast-paced, but each page had a beautiful illustration that enhanced the page with its bright colors and cartoon style. Each page talked about a feeling and different reasons one may feel that way, which is something the children can relate to. This is a silly, informational book that could be used in the classroom to discuss different feelings and why one may feel that way.

In spite of my suspicion of celebrity authored children’s books, I liked this one. The rhyming text flows nicely and reflects the interests and concerns of a young school-aged child, “Today my mood’s great, it’s the absolute best. I rode a two-wheeler and passed my math test. I played soccer at recess and we won the game. I sang in the show and my parents both came.”

The illustrations by Laura Cornell are bright, busy and reflective of the protagonist’s many moods. Interestingly, Booklist notes “The wild, vibrant watercolors occasionally overwhelm the text and aren't as successful in reflecting the emotions as the words are,” while Publishers Weekly notes the opposite, “…the repetitive, driving rhythm doesn't allow show more the words to soar the way the illustrations do.”

In any case, this book is in the spirit of Dr. Seuss’, My Many Colored Days, but aimed at 4-8 year olds. The cardboard mood wheel at the end will surely delight young readers. show less

I loved this book! I loved this book for many reasons. One reason being the fact that every page rhymes, it makes it easier and fun to read through the book. For example, “Today my mood’s bad. I feel grumpy and mean. I picked up my room. It still isn’t clean. I forgot to feed Franny and water the fern. And the cocoa I’m making is starting to burn.” Another reason I love this book is because of the illustrations and the colors the illustrator used to make the pages pop. For example, the page where the author writes, “Today I am angry. You’d better stay clear. My case is all pinched and red ear to ear.” The picture is the little girl all red spread out onto two pages and there are different shades of red all over the page. show more It shows you what is happening without having to read the text. The illustrations really tell the story. I think the big idea of this book is that everyone has different moods on different days and whatever one is feeling on the inside is okay. Sometimes you can be happy and other times you can be sad, it’s okay to feel different types of ways. show less

What a fantastic book to discuss emotions and human reactions. When one asks a child how they are, the response usually is "good" or "fine". It is vital for children to understand the more scope of feelings and almost more importantly, that all feelings are okay to feel. We are human and everything starts with a feeling. Each page, the young girl narrates why she is feeling a particular way. I appreciate that the author did not just say the feeling but makes the character give evidence as to why she is feeling that way. The illustrator does a fantastic job making the words visual. The illustrations are colorful but more importantly, meaningful. I have used this book with both my students and my own child. As I read the words, I have show more children looking for the evidence in the illustration. How do we know her emotion? Why is she feeling this way? Where in the picture can we find that? Then have the children make a personal connection. Have you ever felt this way? Tell us about that moment. This gives children a safe space to talk about their feelings and gives them more vocabulary to describe their feelings. There is a difference between mad, frustrated, and angry. I have also connected this book with PBIS, Kelso's Choices and Zones of Regulation curriculum. show less

I liked this book for so many reasons, and would highly recommend it. The main theme of the book is the different moods people go through and how they impact our day, but also that these moods are natural and part of being the people we are.
The illustration style fits the written text well to perfectly convey each emotion. The one that impressed me the most is when our main character is confused. Where all the illustrations thus far are horizontal to the ground when holding the book, this requires turning the book to be vertical; which shows a confusing, topsy-turvy feeling. It also includes labels on the swing set like “mood swings” and the dizzying look on her eyes. When she is mad, the illustration is a simple, extreme close-up show more of an angry face with dark, sinister reds that we associate with anger. Both help the reader identify with the mood both in text and in visal aide.
The language is well patterned in a simple rhyme verse that is easy to chant along with in a flowing manner. The word choice can be somewhat complex and challenging to a reader, but is given wonderful context to clear it up. For example, a person who never heard the term “have a crush” may not understand it until they see the drawing of a heart around the person she has a crush on; her teacher, Mark. However, this is very limited, and seems welcoming and quite easy to read. show less

Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis is a fun book to read. The story sends out a message that it is normal to experience good moods and bad moods. The last page of the story says it all. It states “I’d rather feel silly, excited, or glad than cranky or grumpy, discouraged or sad. But moods are just something that happen each day. Whatever I’m feeling inside is okay.”

My favorite part of the book was the fact that the text rhymed and flowed; it was almost as if I was singing the words in my head. I think children would love reading this book out loud.

The pictures are very comical. On the page where the young girl is angry at her friends, her red face takes up two pages and it looks like she is show more going to explode. We all feel crazy like this sometimes, and it is funny to see how dramatic we can be about it.

I also appreciated that this book included an array of moods and reasons why the narrator felt them. Young readers could learn why some days they feel different than other days. Emotions are a huge part of life and I like that there is a children’s book about them. show less

I liked this book for several reasons. This is a great book for younger children because it is a book about moods and how children express themselves. The character, a little girl who is going through her moods, makes this story because she as a character is well-developed and believable. Each day, shes in a new mood and encounters things other students at an elementary level could encounter too. This helps the reader relate to the character and make the book feel more realistic and relate-able. The language of this book is very neat. The language of this book is descriptive and patterned, it keeps readers interested because the book is written in stanzas that rhyme. The big picture of this book is that it is best to be happy, because show more out of all her moods things are best when she and everyone is happy. show less