26) The Feelings Book: The Care and Keeping of Your Emotions

Bibliography: Madison, Dr Lynda; The Feelings Book: The Care and Keeping of Your Emotions; American Girl Books; Wisconsin; 2002; 106 pages; ISBN 1-58485-528-2.

Plot: The Feelings Book is the emotional counterpart to the best-selling The Care & Keeping of You. It takes pretty scary questions-"Is it okay to feel this way? Am I normal?" and answers them in a friendly and understandable way. When girls are younger, their feelings seem simple--happy, sad, angry, mad--there isn't much to it. But as they get older, they may feel as if they're on emotional rollercoasters. Feelings get more complex and moods start swinging. This title helps girls learn to deal with their feelings. They'll get tips, how-to's, and straightforward advice on expressing feelings, understanding them, and handling them. Topics covered include: Sweaty Palms and Knocking Knees, Why Do You Cry?, Feeling Out of Control, Sorting it Out, Feeling Positive, Reaching Out to Others, Includes a section with strategies for coping with specific emotions (fear, anxiety, jealousy, anger, loneliness, sadness, grief, feeling safe). The overriding message is that if you learn about your feelings you can keep them from spinning out of control. You can be in the driver's seat--and that makes the ride on the rollercoaster a whole lot easier.

Discusses a variety of emotions girls might experience and suggests ways of dealing with them. (www.bn.com)

Review:  One thing that tweens have to deal with on a daily basis is their ever changing emotions.  This is a great book to help tweens understand better how they are feeling and how to deal with these feelings.  The book provides quizzes and letters to help tweens see that they are not alone in their ever changing world.  The book shows examples of other tweens dealing with their emotions and offers suggestions on how to work through what they are feeling.  This is a great book for tweens that are experiencing major changes and the emotions that come with that change.

Genre: Nonfiction/Self Help

Interest Level: age 8 and up

Related Books: Friends: Making Them and Keeping Them by Patti Kelley Criswell; What Would You Do? by Patti Kelley Criswell.

For Further Information: www.americangirl.com