Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day

by Jamie Lee Curtis, Laura Cornell (Illustrator)

A child's emotions range from silliness to anger to excitement, coloring and changing each day.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Emotion, Fiction, Poetry, Family, Realistic Fiction

Hardcover

First published October 31, 1998

About the author

Jamie Lee Curtis is a two-time Golden Globe-winning, BAFTA-winning, and Emmy-nominated American film actress and an author of children's books. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in many horror films early in her career such as Halloween (1978 film), The Fog, Prom Night (1980 film) and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that covers many genres. She has received an Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Awards. Her 1998 book, Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day, made the best-seller list in The New York Times. She is married to actor Christopher Guest (Lord Haden-Guest) and, as the wife of a Lord, is titled Lady Haden-Guest, but she chooses not to use the title when in the United States.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 1st 5 star review of 2021. I loved this story. I saw Jamie Lee Curtis had done this book and I wanted to give it a try and I'm so glad I did. She has this little girl being totally honest about her feelings and how she acts.

Some days the girl is joyful, happy, some sad, and some angry and a raging terror. I have seen both niece and nephew in all these moods before and there may be books that are this honest about what it is to have feelings, but I haven't read them yet.

It's like telling kids they are totally normal for feeling the way they do. It's a powerful story.

The artwork isn't pretty or neat. It's sort of messy, but it's vibrant and full of radiant colors and emotions. You know what the girl is feeling by her face and the colors surrounding her. The artwork moved me. I love it.

I think this book is a gem, over 20 years old now and should not be forgotten. I will try and find more books by the actress. She has a talent for children's stories.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this one! My granddaughter did too... text in rhyme, illustrations funny, and in the back is a face you can change the eyes and mouth to show different silly emotions.

[Audrey Selene · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations are colorful and playful, silly and jazzy.

The concept that humans always have at least one emotion at any moment, I didn't learn it until I became an adult. This is a great book to help children accept emotions in all four categories of happy, sad, scared, and angry.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading this engaging book about moods. The rhyming makes for fun reading while identifying a host of different feelings that a child may experience from day to day or even moment to moment. The colorful illustrations bring a sense of whimsy and the dial-an-expression at the end added to the sense of fun.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish these books about emotions, like Today I Feel Silly: Other Moods That Make My Day, also gave at least a little attention to the concept of being responsible for regulating your emotions -- that no matter how you feel, you cannot behave however you'd like. I'd say that's a struggle for children. Children have no problem feeling emotions, and yes, labeling them and being able to understand them is helpful, but more than that, children need to know healthy and socially acceptable ways to manage their emotions. And there's none of that here.

[Sada · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is tricky. It's so important to help kiddos identify feelings and it highlights some great emotions. They wheely thing at the end that the children can move is great. But some of the topics were inappropriate for young children (boyfriends? Crushes? Do we need to introduce that?) and at the same time the language was way too young for elementary school age children. My preschooler was confused by a number of pages. I don't love it as much as some books that introduce feelings, but overall it's handy to have in the mix.

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been using this book to teach for years. I love it completely.

[Lex R · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book contains HEAVY and non discrete themes of grooming and is not suitable to be read to CHILDREN. As a child who grew up reading Jamies books I am so disappointed and disgusted with the themes of this book. There is literally an image of a grown man saying “yummy” while watching a child perform. Vile.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay... I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE BOOK!!! This is a great book that not only has rhyming words but introduces a variety of diffrent moods and feelings other than the basic happy, sad, and angry. This book uses great descriptive words and explains why the cute little girl is feeling the diffrent moods that she feels. Not to mention the wonderful, fun, and detailed pictures on each page. I have to get this book right away. I wish this was not my first time reading this. I cannot wait to read this book to my class. This book also has a fun interactive back page in which children can change the little girls eyes and mouth according to her mood. The back page is also great for matching words because you have to match the top word (mood) with the bottom word. Oh, and I love, love, love the cat (hahaha).

Extension Activity: I will create a chart that is titled: "How do you feel today?". The chart will also have diffrent sections labled, happy, excited, cranky, angry, silly, and sad along with a small picture of a face showing each feeling. After reading this book, I will allow the children to come up to the chart one by one and write their name under how they are feeling. I will help the children that cannot write their names yet.

[Geneva Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book! This illustrations are fun and the story is about a little girl who goes through a variety of emotions during her day. The book gives great examples of why she feels the way she does and sends the message that its ok to have feelings and its normal. The emotions the girls feels and examples given I think are relatable to children.I loved the rhyming as I found it really captivated my attention to see what's going to happen next, but I am a sucker for rhyming books! I'm looking forward to reading more of Jamie Lee Curtis's children's book in the future.

extension- I would make a poster board and title it "How are you Feeling today?" have a variety of faces showing different emotions attatched with velcro and have children state how they are feeling or have felt about a situation and select a face they think would match for said emotion.

[Zequoia Hyche · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once I saw who the author was, I immediately got excited. I know Jamie Lee Curtis to be an actress, but never an author, so it was refreshing to read this story. She is pretty funny in some of the movies that I have seen her in, and she adds humor with the way she writes in the story. However, what I enjoyed most of all about this book was the illustrations and the "How do You feel today" revolving facial expressions at the end of the book. It is a great tool to use and even to make for children to associate expressions with the different types of feelings.

[Amy Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am loving the entire collection of books written by Jamie Lee Curtis. Let's face it, parents: how many kids books are there in your child's library that you are actually interested in reading? How much Clifford or Maisy can one adult really stand? Thankfully, Curtis' books are entertaining and meaningful for kids and adults alike...so slog through the fifth reading of Dora and know you have something to look forward to with Jamie Lee Curtis.

[Lora · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Jamie Lee Curtis's books most of the time. They usually have me giggling by some point. This one did too but I thought it fell flat at the end. I'm probably overthinking this, but I thought it had a poor message: Moods are just something that happen to us (happy, sad, grumpy, worried, excited) and we should just roll with it. They're not something we have any control over.

Bah! That would be a rollercoaster of a life.

[Mikaela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christian gave me this book for Christmas after we were engaged as a gag gift. When Christian called my dad to let my dad know he was going to propose, my dad's reply was "You do know she's really moody, right?" My kids love to read it too and I really like the illustrations. And if you notice, my avitar comes from this book.

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute kid's book...I'm always curious when a public figure writes a children's book, and this one definitely doesn't disappoint. However, there was something a little weird to me when it came to rhymes about having a boyfriend or a crush on one's teacher...aren't these books for little bitty kids? That bit of weirdness left a bad taste in my mouth, but other than that, this book is great!

[Ten_zillions · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew that Jamie Lee Curtis wrote such fascinating children's books?! You did? Well, I did not know. This is a silly book that introduces social/emotional skills to young children. Children can use this book as a guide to express their feelings such as "I am happy" or "I am sad". Children will be able to better pinpoint their feelings after hearing this book.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would consider this book one of my all time favorites. It's no more than a children's book with an awesome message- It's okay to feel crazy feelings!!! :) I'm also drawn to the cute little curly haired redhead, I see my future little girl looking similar to this bubbly child.

[Sabeen]

Great book to try to get the young ones to share their feelings, confusions or frustrations. sometimes it is difficult for children to articulate their thoughts and acknowledge their feelings so this book can act like a prompt and encourage them to express.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! Curtis perfectly captures each mood in clever rhymes that would be accessible and relatable to young readers. The bright, rich illustrations really augment the book. Finally, the message that it is OK to have different feelings, and to feel your feelings, is perfect.

[Thaleia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book. And I think kids will like this book because it will help little kids learn about feelings. my favorite feeling in this book is excited because it made me laugh at the end because she said that she has a crash on her teacher.

[Marissa Estrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and the enthusiasm that my classmate used. Children relate to this as well and well, we all feel silly sometimes. The pictures are amazing, bright and silly. I would definitely read this to my children as well.

[Ashly Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great to use to talk to a child about their feelings.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this with my lower primary kids and discussing feelings and appropriate ways to cope with those feelings.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about the range of emotions kids can feel from day to day. I didn't like the mentions of a love triangle and a crush on a teacher though, just unnecessary

[Aimée · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wusstet ihr, dass Jamie Lee Curtis auch Kinderbücher geschrieben hat? Dieses hier beschäftigt sich mit all den Gefühlen, die einen Tag für Tag terrorisieren - sollte man vielleicht einige davon unterdrücken? Sehr süß und sehr bunt.
Am Ende gibt es ein wirklich ver-rücktes Drehrad, um die aktuelle Laune einzustellen.

[Aitzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 Una interesante narración, en primera persona. La vivencia de una niña desde la naturalidad. 😊

[Jasmine Ariti · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet and hilarious -- the words paired with the illustrations made me smile ear to ear.

I love picking out all the small, hilarious, wacky details in Laura Cornell's illustrations.

And Jamie Lee's words are just right for teaching about emotions and emotional self-acceptance, without going into too much detail, without being preachy, and without being overly mushy. I really think she got it just right.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don’t love how this book talks about crushes and boyfriends, but the feelings and faces stuff is fun

[Keegan Thorpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children's book created by the spectacular duo of Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell follows a young girl as she describes her different moods on different days. Written as a rhyming poem, this story uses age-appropriate language to explain what happened to cause the emotion and how that emotion makes her feel. For example, she warns "you better stay clear" because she feels angry that her diverse group of friends left her out one day. Throughout this colorful story, the main character feels many emotions such as joy, confusion, and loneliness which may be difficult for young readers to navigate. I believe this story is written and illustrated in a way that will not only keep the interest of young readers, but also provide them with several opportunities to think/discuss how certain emotions make them feel and ways they might turn negative feelings into more positive ones. The final page of the book also provides an interactive element where you can change the characters eyes and mouth to represent different emotions.

[Emily E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Today I Feel Silly & Other Moods That Make My Day

Author: Jaime Lee Curtis

Illustrator: Laura Cornell

Genre: Mood & Emotion Book

Theme(s): Understanding moods/emotions & SEL

Opening line/Sentence: “Today I feel silly.”

Brief Book Summary: A young girl talks about the various moods that she feels and why she is feeling a particular way. The young girl's mother is present in most of the scenarios and she is there to help and support the young girl.

Response to two professional reviews: The Kirkus and Coghlan reviews both talked about the main character just wants her feelings to be validated, understood, and made clear that everyone feels a wide variety of emotions every day. The mother is in many of the scenarios posed in the book to comfort and validate how the little girl is feeling at a particular moment. Through the rhyming and different illustrated faces that the little girl makes throughout the story helps the reader understand how she expresses her emotions.

Tell Me Framework:

Like(s): Throughout the story the young girl's feelings are validated and she is taught that it is alright to feel what she is feeling.

Dislike(s): In some of the illustrations there is so much going on that it sometimes is distracting and takes away from the story.

Pattern(s): The last word in each sentence on a page rhymes with either the last word in the following sentence or every other sentence.

Puzzle(s): How old is the young girl in the book supposed to be?

Consideration of Instruction Application: An activity that can be done while reading the book is the use of thought provoking questions like, show me the type of face that you would make if you felt angry, sad, happy, confused, silly, etc? This will get the children engaged during the read aloud and makes them think about what they might look like if they are feeling a certain emotion and to be more interactive the teacher could even give each child a small mirror to see themselves in. A teacher can also create an emotion chart for each child in the classroom and every day they can either draw how they are feeling or put a sticker next to the mood/emotion they are feeling.