Emotions in motion by Rose Stanley

Ill. by Lisa Allen. Starfish Bay Publishing, 2014. ISBN 9780994100290
(Age: Preschool - 6) Recommended. Emotions. Emotional development. Figurative language. Early Childhood. This is a charming picture book aimed at a young audience (below the age of 6) when the variety of emotions can be a rollercoaster and sometimes difficult to understand for a young child. It would be excellent for use with pastoral care counselling or for teachers to use in the early years of schooling. In the first section of the book the author has delightfully matched each highlighted emotion to a colour, the illustrator has illustrated a facial expression that may match the emotion, and then the author describes the emotion as a simile. The use of the simile gives this book a use beyond a social and emotional text, and could be used with older students when explaining figurative language.
The second portion of the book could almost be described as a simple workbook, with space for individual responses which would make it useful for a child to reflect on their own emotional concerns.
Carolyn Hull