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Fred's Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers
A picture book biography about Fred Rogers, the creator and star of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Fred Rogers was a quiet boy with big feelings. Sometimes, he felt scared or lonely; at other times, he was playful and joyous. But when Fred’s feelings felt too big, his Grandfather McFeely knew exactly what to say to make him feel better: I like you just the way you are.
Fred grew up and created Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the television program that would go on to warm the hearts and homes of millions of Americans. But one day, the government threatened to cut funding for public television, including Fred’s show. So, Fred stepped off the set and into a hearing on Capitol Hill to make his feelings known.
Fred Rogers was a quiet boy with big feelings. Sometimes, he felt scared or lonely; at other times, he was playful and joyous. But when Fred’s feelings felt too big, his Grandfather McFeely knew exactly what to say to make him feel better: I like you just the way you are.
Fred grew up and created Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, the television program that would go on to warm the hearts and homes of millions of Americans. But one day, the government threatened to cut funding for public television, including Fred’s show. So, Fred stepped off the set and into a hearing on Capitol Hill to make his feelings known.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 14, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
November 19, 2020
I love the artwork used to tell the story in this. I also love the focus on expressing ones feelings. One of the lines is: " Worry, fretted and fussed... and faded Sadness wailed and whimpered... and waned. Anger crashed and clattered... and calmed." Some those words bring up the emotions.
This is a great story. Fred was a lonely kid with asthma. His grandfather helped him with is self-esteem saying "You made this day a really special day just by being yourself... and I happen to like you just the way you are." Those are beautiful words.
Fred made a show to help kids express feelings and find positive ways to deal with them.
The pace of the show is slow as everything was back in the 70s and 80s. We tried to get the kids to watch a show we found and they were bored and wouldn't watch it. It was on Amazon and they only had his 1st season which is even slower. Daniel Tiger's show is better and they would watch that.
Things are so different now. When I was a kid, there wasn't a whole lot of programming for kids. There was saturday morning cartoons and then there was PBS Sesame Street, Mister Rogers and Electric Company. Every day I couldn't wait to see those programs. After school was a pre-teen stuff like drama, but not for kids. There were only 4 channels where I was. Cable came in the mid-80s for us and then Nickelodeon happened with kids stuff all day. Now, there are 100s of kid shows on demand anytime you feel like it waiting to be checked out. It's not just one choice, you can like any number of shows. Netflix, Amazon, they all have some great kids shows and some not so great ones, but you can see them anytime. It's such a difference and the pacing is fast and keeps your attention. How different it is now.
What I found was that I had to learn patience. My show only came on at a set time. The show forced the pacing to be slow. I didn't have a whole lot of choice at first. Niece and Nephew never waited. Just waiting for the show to cue up, they would be yelling to hurry up. It was very different and it was any time they felt like it. I don't think they learned any patience with that. I still see them have a hard time with patience and they still want everything now. They'll learn patience in other ways, true, but life is very different today than it was. It also doesn't bring a generation together. In the 50s if was Howdy Doody, or Mickey Mouse club, in my day is was the muppets and Mister Rogers and later it was Elmo and Barney. Everyone sort of knew the culture. Now, everyone watches their own stuff and it doesn't bring together a generation. There isn't one show everyone talks about, but a group of friends will talk about a show and to join a group you go and watch the show. I find it so interesting.
Anyway... This book is fabulous and gives a great history of Mister Rogers. I watched this show daily for 4 or 5 years and I loved it. I love what Fred stands for and this is a great history on the man and how he came up with his show that got him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. It even goes into his trip to congress and how he saved funding for PBS.
It will keep people's attention.
This is a great story. Fred was a lonely kid with asthma. His grandfather helped him with is self-esteem saying "You made this day a really special day just by being yourself... and I happen to like you just the way you are." Those are beautiful words.
Fred made a show to help kids express feelings and find positive ways to deal with them.
The pace of the show is slow as everything was back in the 70s and 80s. We tried to get the kids to watch a show we found and they were bored and wouldn't watch it. It was on Amazon and they only had his 1st season which is even slower. Daniel Tiger's show is better and they would watch that.
Things are so different now. When I was a kid, there wasn't a whole lot of programming for kids. There was saturday morning cartoons and then there was PBS Sesame Street, Mister Rogers and Electric Company. Every day I couldn't wait to see those programs. After school was a pre-teen stuff like drama, but not for kids. There were only 4 channels where I was. Cable came in the mid-80s for us and then Nickelodeon happened with kids stuff all day. Now, there are 100s of kid shows on demand anytime you feel like it waiting to be checked out. It's not just one choice, you can like any number of shows. Netflix, Amazon, they all have some great kids shows and some not so great ones, but you can see them anytime. It's such a difference and the pacing is fast and keeps your attention. How different it is now.
What I found was that I had to learn patience. My show only came on at a set time. The show forced the pacing to be slow. I didn't have a whole lot of choice at first. Niece and Nephew never waited. Just waiting for the show to cue up, they would be yelling to hurry up. It was very different and it was any time they felt like it. I don't think they learned any patience with that. I still see them have a hard time with patience and they still want everything now. They'll learn patience in other ways, true, but life is very different today than it was. It also doesn't bring a generation together. In the 50s if was Howdy Doody, or Mickey Mouse club, in my day is was the muppets and Mister Rogers and later it was Elmo and Barney. Everyone sort of knew the culture. Now, everyone watches their own stuff and it doesn't bring together a generation. There isn't one show everyone talks about, but a group of friends will talk about a show and to join a group you go and watch the show. I find it so interesting.
Anyway... This book is fabulous and gives a great history of Mister Rogers. I watched this show daily for 4 or 5 years and I loved it. I love what Fred stands for and this is a great history on the man and how he came up with his show that got him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. It even goes into his trip to congress and how he saved funding for PBS.
It will keep people's attention.
October 27, 2021
In nearly nine hundred episodes, from 1968 to 2001, Mister Rogers broadcasted affection, compassion, and respect for his audience. His message was clear: It is normal to have feelings. It is good to talk about feelings. It is important to share feelings. And the best part? Everyone expresses their feelings in their own special way.
This is a delightful picture book biography with colorful illustrations and an important message. Emotions can be overwhelming for kids. As adults, we sometimes find those emotions to come at the most inconvenient time. Mr. Rogers reminds us to take time to listen and understand rather than rush on with our to do list. For kids, this is validation that their feelings are normal and worthy of discussion. Sit down with the kids in your life and read this encouraging picture book. If you are looking for more titles that inspire, check out my list at this link:
https://mymcpl.bibliocommons.com/list...
This is a delightful picture book biography with colorful illustrations and an important message. Emotions can be overwhelming for kids. As adults, we sometimes find those emotions to come at the most inconvenient time. Mr. Rogers reminds us to take time to listen and understand rather than rush on with our to do list. For kids, this is validation that their feelings are normal and worthy of discussion. Sit down with the kids in your life and read this encouraging picture book. If you are looking for more titles that inspire, check out my list at this link:
https://mymcpl.bibliocommons.com/list...
February 25, 2020
This was such a phenomenal picture book about a man that definitely that impacted my childhood. I think that a lot people are coming out with various things that reflect the life of Mister Rogers; however, I often struggle with reading non-fiction so this was a great starter place for me as an adult. I learned a lot. I didn't even realize that Mister Rogers had a TV show in Canada before he piloted Mister Rogets Neighborhood. I also didn't know that he stood before congress and argued for funding to not be cut for public television. Fred Rogers was a phenomenal man and this definitely provided a great insight to his life.
June 6, 2020
Fred's Big Feelings is the story of the life of Mister Rogers, a pioneer and leader in children's programming on television. Author Laura Renauld focuses on the ways Rogers saw that one person can influence another person and on Rogers' early efforts at helping children build their emotional skills by the use of labeling one's feelings and learning to control them. The book is as inviting and warm as Fred Rogers was himself.
Read
November 4, 2021In nearly nine hundred episodes, from 1968 to 2001, Mister Rogers broadcasted affection, compassion, and respect for his audience. His message was clear: It is normal to have feelings. It is good to talk about feelings. It is important to share feelings. And the best part? Everyone expresses their feelings in their own special way.
This is a delightful picture book biography with colorful illustrations and an important message. Emotions can be overwhelming for kids. As adults, we sometimes find those emotions to come at the most inconvenient time. Mr. Rogers reminds us to take time to listen and understand rather than rush on with our to do list. For kids, this is validation that their feelings are normal and worthy of discussion. Sit down with the kids in your life and read this encouraging picture book.
*Reviewed by Darla from Red Bridge*
This is a delightful picture book biography with colorful illustrations and an important message. Emotions can be overwhelming for kids. As adults, we sometimes find those emotions to come at the most inconvenient time. Mr. Rogers reminds us to take time to listen and understand rather than rush on with our to do list. For kids, this is validation that their feelings are normal and worthy of discussion. Sit down with the kids in your life and read this encouraging picture book.
*Reviewed by Darla from Red Bridge*
February 14, 2020
And what better day to look at the life and legacy of Fred Rogers A/K/A Mister Rogers. OK, it is an unconventional book for Valentines Day, but it is a day for love and we’ve heard a lot about Fred Rogers lately and all of it stressing was a caring, compassionate man he was. But who was he really and how did he become the famous man on TV that children loved for more than 50 years of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood?
Author Laura Renauld begins Fred's story by inviting the reader onto the set of the TV show with a big Hello, neighbor! just like Fred always did. But then, she switches to a behind the scenes look at who this charismatic figure was before he became Mister Rogers when "...he was Freddy Rogers, a quiet boy with big feelings."
Underweight and asthmatic, he was sad when kids didn't play with him, and scared when other kids bullied him. Asthma kept him inside the house as a boy, with made him feel lonely. And so Fred learned to express his feelings through music, but the person who really helped build his self-esteem was his grandfather McFeely, who told him "You made this day really special just by being yourself...and I happen to like you just the way you are."
Buoyed by love and an unlikely friendship in high school athlete, Fred's confidence began to soar. Eventually, Fred used his love of music to create a children's television program hoping to counter the poor quality kids' shows already on TV. He wanted it to be a place where kids would feel welcomed, loved and special. Although The Children's Corner was successful, it didn't last, but it did open the door in 1968 for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, a show that focused on feeling, all kinds of feelings:
Click to enlarge
And what a success it was. But in 1969, Congress threatened to pull funding for public television, including Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. So Fred did what he had to do - he went to Capital Hill and explained that he just wanted to teach kids "how to express emotions constructively" and then he recited a song he had written called "What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel?" Since his show continued for 49 more years, you know that Congress provided the funding needed for public television to stay on the air.
Fred Rogers' was all about helping kids deal with their emotions and he did it through affection, compassion and respect for the children who watched him. Most importantly, they learned that everyone has feelings and that they express them in their own special way.
Author Laura Renauld has really captured Fred's message and legacy in this thoughtful biography that is so accessible to young readers. I especially liked that throughout the book, she has italicized all the emotion words (and so did I) so that they really stand out and are readily available for generating all kinds of discussions.
Artist Brigette Barrager's illustrations compliments and harmonizes with the text on each page with her cartoon-like gouache and pencil images done in a mix of primary and secondary colors.
Fred's Big Feelings is sure to be a family and classroom favorite, especially among those who remember the shows. And kids who have never had the pleasure of watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood will at least take away Fred's message of love and acceptance and remember that
This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was gratefully received from the publisher, Atheneum BFYR, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Author Laura Renauld begins Fred's story by inviting the reader onto the set of the TV show with a big Hello, neighbor! just like Fred always did. But then, she switches to a behind the scenes look at who this charismatic figure was before he became Mister Rogers when "...he was Freddy Rogers, a quiet boy with big feelings."
Underweight and asthmatic, he was sad when kids didn't play with him, and scared when other kids bullied him. Asthma kept him inside the house as a boy, with made him feel lonely. And so Fred learned to express his feelings through music, but the person who really helped build his self-esteem was his grandfather McFeely, who told him "You made this day really special just by being yourself...and I happen to like you just the way you are."
Buoyed by love and an unlikely friendship in high school athlete, Fred's confidence began to soar. Eventually, Fred used his love of music to create a children's television program hoping to counter the poor quality kids' shows already on TV. He wanted it to be a place where kids would feel welcomed, loved and special. Although The Children's Corner was successful, it didn't last, but it did open the door in 1968 for Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, a show that focused on feeling, all kinds of feelings:
Click to enlarge
And what a success it was. But in 1969, Congress threatened to pull funding for public television, including Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. So Fred did what he had to do - he went to Capital Hill and explained that he just wanted to teach kids "how to express emotions constructively" and then he recited a song he had written called "What Do You Do with the Mad That You Feel?" Since his show continued for 49 more years, you know that Congress provided the funding needed for public television to stay on the air.
Fred Rogers' was all about helping kids deal with their emotions and he did it through affection, compassion and respect for the children who watched him. Most importantly, they learned that everyone has feelings and that they express them in their own special way.
Author Laura Renauld has really captured Fred's message and legacy in this thoughtful biography that is so accessible to young readers. I especially liked that throughout the book, she has italicized all the emotion words (and so did I) so that they really stand out and are readily available for generating all kinds of discussions.
Artist Brigette Barrager's illustrations compliments and harmonizes with the text on each page with her cartoon-like gouache and pencil images done in a mix of primary and secondary colors.
Fred's Big Feelings is sure to be a family and classroom favorite, especially among those who remember the shows. And kids who have never had the pleasure of watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood will at least take away Fred's message of love and acceptance and remember that
This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was gratefully received from the publisher, Atheneum BFYR, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
May 10, 2020
I read this for the "An Author Whose Last Name Starts With The Same Initial As Yours" part of my 2020 reading challenge. I thought this was very well done. I grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, but I knew nothing about the story behind the show or of Fred himself. In only 40 pages Laura Renauld was able to highlight Fred's life in a way that is easy to relate to for all ages. It really showed his kindness and strength and his desire to help everyone. I loved how he treated everyone equally, and how he made feelings normal and accessible to children.
November 12, 2019
In an easy-to-read, simple, style Laura Renauld tells the extraordinary story of the legendary Mister Rogers and makes his message of love and acceptance accessible to a new generation of children. A book as welcoming as Mister Roger's neighborhood itself, and every bit as powerful, 'Fred's Big Feelings' will help children know they are loved just as they are. This lovely new text belongs on every classroom bookshelf and in every home.
January 14, 2020
Fred's Big Feelings does a wonderful job covering every important aspect of Fred Roger's life. I was pleasantly surprised by how much Laura Renauld included. Accompanied by fantastic illustrations. A marvelous addition to a children or book collector's library.
October 24, 2020
I really liked the book and learning about Fred's life (I haven't seen the movie yet). However, I'm unsure about how much interest children would have in this book, especially ones that haven't seen his show.
December 31, 2020
Fred's Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers is a children's picture book written by Laura Renauld and illustrated by Brigette Barrager. It is an account of the life of this humble giant of children's television.
Fred McFeely Rogers was an American television host, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968–2001.
Renauld's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. The earnest text, which uses italics to call out emotive words, occasionally feels aimed at a well-meaning adult audience. Backmatter includes a note from the author which flushes out the biography more. Barrager's brightly colored, cartoon-style, gouache-and-pencil drawings chronicle the subject's life with whimsical details.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. From a childhood often spent inside and isolated from other children who bullied him to his career change from ministry to children's media, Rogers' life was punctuated and driven by the emotions he felt, recognized, and then used to add authenticity and tenderness to his television shows.
All in all, Fred's Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers is a bright, well-researched, and welcome biography.
Fred McFeely Rogers was an American television host, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television series Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, which ran from 1968–2001.
Renauld's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. The earnest text, which uses italics to call out emotive words, occasionally feels aimed at a well-meaning adult audience. Backmatter includes a note from the author which flushes out the biography more. Barrager's brightly colored, cartoon-style, gouache-and-pencil drawings chronicle the subject's life with whimsical details.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. From a childhood often spent inside and isolated from other children who bullied him to his career change from ministry to children's media, Rogers' life was punctuated and driven by the emotions he felt, recognized, and then used to add authenticity and tenderness to his television shows.
All in all, Fred's Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers is a bright, well-researched, and welcome biography.
February 20, 2020
Is it possible to ever read anything about Fred Rogers and not get a little misty-eyed?
In short, I shouldn't have read this at work, is what I'm saying.
In short, I shouldn't have read this at work, is what I'm saying.
November 9, 2020
I loved watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood while I was growing up. It was such a comforting program, and so is this picture book biography about Fred Rogers’ incredible life. The simple text and colorful illustrations invite readers to explore a variety of feelings, just as Mr. Rogers’ did on his show. This heartwarming book delivers a wonderful message about self-love: “There’s only one person in the world like you, and people can like you exactly as you are.” FRED’S BIG FEELINGS: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MISTER ROGERS makes an excellent addition to classrooms, libraries, and home libraries.
January 26, 2026
This book captured the reverence and fondness most people have towards Mister Rogers. I barely remember his show as I was born in the years before his passing, but his message stayed with me through the years. He influenced so much of children's television programming. Mister Rogers just had a blatantly wonderful soul. He made the world a better place, and that will always be his legacy.
September 9, 2021
This one was all about the nostalgia for me! I loved watching Mr. Rogers growing up so it was great to learn about his younger days that led him to creating his show!
January 6, 2020
I grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and as a parent appreciate his philosophies about childhood and education even more. Fred Rogers was a special person and that is well depicted on the pages on this biography. I love the theme of expressing feelings that runs throughout the book. One of the many things Rogers did was teach us that feelings are normal and need to be talked about and expressed appropriately. That message glows from these pages and I hope it will be used to start conversations about emotions with a new generation of children. His history and how he impacted public television is also discussed well. Personally, I teared up reading much of what he accomplished and strove to teach children, but I wonder if a new generation of kids who didn't grow up with him on their tvs will feel the same. I hope so. Whether it's used as part of a lesson on emotions or to teach kids about an influential man in American history, this is a book to put in the hands of teachers, librarians, parents and children.
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January 23, 2020This picture book biography illustrates the life of Fred Rogers, especially looking through the lens of the feelings that Rogers experienced since acknowledging and honor children's feelings is how Rogers built his career. When he was a child, Fred felt sad, scared, and lonely when he was bullied by other children and isolated due to his asthma. He reflected on those feelings and dedicated his life to helping children experience and manage their own feelings in order to grow up to be caring adults. With several books and films about Mr. Rogers being produced over the past few years, this is a hot topic and this picture book is a good introduction for young readers. The text and illustrations are a good match to a man whose life was so involved with emotional regulation.
August 1, 2020
My kids have seen a few episodes of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, but they didn't grow up watching it almost every weekday like I did, so this book was a great opportunity to introduce them to a special part of the childhood of me and many other children in the US at that time. This book does a great job of discussing some major events of Fred Rogers' life as they relate to the creation of his show and the motivations of his life mission, without dragging the narrative down with information. It continually comes back to the concept of feelings, highlighting specific ones that Fred expresses at different times, and emphasizes the value and importance of each individual person, with a few memorable lines from his songs included in the right places.
July 6, 2020
This book was a walk through my childhood of watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood (though I have to confess that Lady Elaine kind of scared me). I loved learning more about Mr. Rogers' background, and seeing all that he did to make his TV show a success.
The story is well-written, and perfect for children, and the art is just right to bring out the real and the make-believe of Mr. Rogers' world.
What I loved most was the focus on feelings. Feelings are normal. We all need to learn how to express our feelings constructively, and this book shows Mr. Rogers' example of doing so. It sounds so simple, but it's such an important topic.
The story is well-written, and perfect for children, and the art is just right to bring out the real and the make-believe of Mr. Rogers' world.
What I loved most was the focus on feelings. Feelings are normal. We all need to learn how to express our feelings constructively, and this book shows Mr. Rogers' example of doing so. It sounds so simple, but it's such an important topic.
February 1, 2020
Another resource has joined the recent collection of books, documentaries, and movies about a man who is rightly recognized as heroic- not for a cape or battle cry but for following his heart and commitment to making the world a better place.
June 3, 2021
Fred Rogers was my childhood hero. I watched him every day. This is a great introduction to him and his works for children who haven’t been fortunate enough to enjoy his shows. He was on air for over 40 years. What a blessing he was to our generation.
January 15, 2020
Loved it!
February 3, 2020
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 I just wanna feel like I'm watching his work all the time. ::sigh::
August 14, 2020
My kids love Mr Rogers' Neighborhood, so they liked seeing it in print, and maybe this is helpful if a kid is looking for a biography of Mr Rogers, but just as a picture book, it is very dull. If a reader had not seen the show, I don't think this book would inspire them to watch it. Maybe I'm missing the point, but as a standalone book, this was lacking.
July 25, 2022
Beautiful full color illustrations share Fred Roger's essential and gentle impact on the lives of others - being able to discuss feelings (the good, bad, and everything in between), and promoting the potential of each individual - 'You've made each day a special day...just by being you'.
January 25, 2022
I love how it feels like an episode of Mister Rogers. Reading this book is so fun and so calming. If you love Mister Rogers, you can't go wrong. And... honestly, you just can't go wrong. ❤
August 6, 2022
What a difference one person can make in the life of another. ~Fred Rogers
June 10, 2025
made me cry.
June 14, 2021
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is Fred’s Big Feelings: The Life and Legacy of Mister Rogers, written by Laura Renauld and illustrated by Brigette Barrager, a loving tribute to the incomparable Fred Rogers’ life and work.
“Hello, neighbor!” the book begins, and welcomes the reader into a familiar television living room set. While we remember Fred Rogers as “America’s favorite television neighbor,” he was once a child; bullied and ignored for his weight and shyness, isolated by childhood illness, and full of very big feelings at a time when children – especially boys – were not encouraged to express them. Yet through music, puppetry, and the support of a few trusted adults like his grandfather McFeely, Fred learned to channel and express his big emotions in positive ways. And Fred grew, he found that kindness and empathy were his strengths, and his confidence grew as people began to see him for the good person he was. It was this talent at expression, empathy, listening, and connecting that led Fred to work in television, where he helped generations of children learn to deal with their own big feelings, and create a kinder world.
As we said in our review of You Are My Friend by Aimee Reid and Matt Phelan, we are big fans of Fred Rogers, and this tender, inspiring, and educational biography does an equally wonderful job at both recounting Rogers’ life while also – as the man himself always sought to do – educating and uplifting its audience. Both books are marvelous, yet distinct; Fred’s Big Feelings makes its mark by covering Rogers’ high school years, notable moments and guests on his show, and his incredible Congressional testimony to save public television. The illustrations are phenomenal, capturing Fred’s emotions and charm from childhood to adulthood, and utilizing a sweet motif of colorful rising hearts to show emotions. The length might be better for slightly older bookworms, though JJ loved it, and was delighted to see her neighbor Mister Rogers on the page once again. A lovely ode that reminds readers that it’s okay to feel, and Baby Bookworm approved!
(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
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