The Way I Feel

by Janan Cain

Feelings are neither good nor bad, they simply are. Kids need words to name their feelings, just as they need words to name all things in their world. The Way I Feel uses strong, colorful, and expressive images which go along with simple verses to help children connect the word and the emotion. Your child will learn useful words, and you will have many chances to open conversations about what’s going on in her/his life. Recommended by parents, teachers and mental health professionals, The Way I Feel is a valuable addition to anyone's library. This book is ideal for children with autism. (Ages 2-8)

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Janan Cain is the mother of two children and an artist from Illinois.

Reviews

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has all the feels! Well, a lot of them anyway. If I had a kidlet this is the book I’d be choosing to explore feelings with them to help them distinguish one from another.

I love that there’s no judgement about having a specific feeling and that no feeling is labelled either good or bad. Taking us on a poetic journey through silly, scared, disappointed, happy, sad, angry, thankful, frustrated, shy, bored, excited, jealous and proud, Janan Cain has created a wonderful tool to help kidlets to be able to identify their own and others’ feelings.

Janan’s illustrations really exemplify what each feeling can look like. From the colours used in the scene to the expressions on the kid’s faces and the font used to name the feeling, along with the scene itself, each illustration captures the feeling brilliantly.

I think my favourite illustration is the excited one. You can see the person “bouncing like a rubber ball”, with starbursts where they’ve landed. The colours are bright and the excited word with its multicoloured letters and funky squiggles looks like it too wants to jump off the page. Maybe I like this one because I’m well known for my jumping up and down excited moments, but it’s a fun feeling and like all of the other illustrations it’s gorgeous.

There’s even a page for parents at the end of the book to help guide discussions with their child about their feelings.

I found this book at my local library (yay libraries!). I’m definitely going to make a point of telling my librarians how cool this book is.

[Mariah Roze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great way to teach children about feelings! This was a perfect book!


"Feelings are neither good nor bad, they simply are. Kids need words to name their feelings, just as they need words to name all things in their world. The Way I Feel uses strong, colorful, and expressive images which go along with simple verses to help children connect the word and the emotion. Your child will learn useful words, and you will have many chances to open conversations about what’s going on in her/his life. Recommended by parents, teachers and mental health professionals, The Way I Feel is a valuable addition to anyone's library. This book is ideal for children with autism."

[Evelyn Mauldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how this book switches from emotions so quickly. Many social emotional regulation books focus on sad or upset feelings, and it can bring the whole book down. I like how this one switches from excited to disappointed to happy, so the children don't get stuck on one emotion. Additionally, the passages provide explicit descriptions of what these emotions look like. This is helpful for children who have lower social emotional skills, because they are better able to identify feelings with the characteristics provided. I also like how the feelings words are different from the other text, so the students are able to pick out the important word that goes with the picture. Because the author provides detailed illustrations of faces that correspond with the emotions, this book would be very useful in teaching children to recognize different feelings.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful book for parents, teachers, and other caregivers to read with children. It shows young children how different emotions may look and feel and does not pass judgment on them.

The rhyming narrative and colorful, cartoonish illustrations complement each other nicely. This book is appropriate and helpful for reading with young children, especially if they are having a hard time expressing and understanding their feelings.

[Cora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per my second graders: I liked it because it was telling you how they feel. I liked it because the mommy was playing with the baby and they lady got mad. I liked it because it shows how you feel.

[Dafne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a lovely book. I read it with my TK class and it was great for introducing feelings and emotions.

[Mercedes Biggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a good book because its all about the d ifferent emotions, from when the little boy was mad, sad, jealous, happy, scared and even excited. you can read this book to children on a day you are talking about emotions or even when you may feel some kids are going through a hard time . this book just might make thier day just to let them know thier not the only one who has emotions or feels sad and mad somedays. It is a social/emotional book. My favorite part of the story was thanksful. having a child saying they are thankful is a big word.


Learning Experiences- I would make cards for each emotion that was in the book and have each child pick a card and draw what that expression looks like.

[Zequoia Hyche · Rating 5 out of 5]

I honestly and absolutely love this book!!!! Ahhhh lol, from the cover page alone, I already had a feeling that this book would be awesome. It just makes you want to open it and see what's inside. I plan on reading this book to my students, because it teaches them about language and how to express themselves. I love how it shows almost every different emotion and even captures very vivid and expressive illustrations to match each one. I truly appreciate how "The Way I Feel" introduces a wider range of vocabulary to children. Instead of saying that I'm mad, you can say I'm disappointed. And lots of more details are inside the book, I won't give it away. However,I encourage teachers to read it, it's awesome!!

[Jamie L.]

Text-To-Text
The book, “The Way I Feel,” by Janan Cain, is a younger version of “Feelings”, by Aliki. Both books explain with written words and beautiful, whimsy illustrations the way we feel in many situations. The emotions of story telling both authors do is factual and tangible. Janan Cain’s book is a bright illustration of exactly how we might feel when we are happy, angry, jealous, scared, or frustrated. Aliki’s book portrays the same emotions, but in an older version. I would use both books in my classroom. I would also keep it as a classroom community book for situations that may arise in the classroom between students.

[دعاء الدريس · Rating 5 out of 5]

من أجمل الكتب التي نقرأها ونحبها
من رسوم ونصوص
كل صفحة عبارة عن شعور ووصفه بطريقة تصل بشكل عجيب وممتع للطفل
والرسوم بالصفحة نفسها تعبر بشكل واااضح عن كل شعور

نلعب باستخرام هذا الكتاب أنا وولدي، أفتح الصفحة عشوائيا دون أن يرى وأقرأ النص وعليه تخمين الشعور
ممتازة وبجدارة

[Andrea Ramirez Bernal (EDUC378) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Text-to-Teaching Connection:
What is a reading response activity that you can do in a
classroom with children in response to the book?

With this book, our students can be taught their emotions. When students are at such a young age they don't know how to always explain how they feel. This book is showing them it's okay to show their feelings either if they are mad, disappointed, happy, silly, sad and etc. After reading this book we can see it can be connected to other books that show emotions. Like "Tough guys have feelings too" which shows students that you can always show how you feel no matter what.

[Kaylee Fulk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good illustration about the emotions people feel on a day to day basis. This book explains what emotions are and are based on what we think or do. I would say this is a realistic examples as it takes you through a journey of how one may feel when sad, angry, excited, jealous, or bored. Emotions are apart of our everyday life. I think this is appropriate for children as it teaches them to be more aware of expressing their emotions as well as having a way to explain the reasoning behind their emotions. This was a good read, very simple and to the point about each emotion, making it easy to understand and follow along.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great feelings book that is fun and rhymes

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I like how the story labeled so many different emotions. I also like how they didn't label any emotion as wrong. It had such a great message!

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clown-like illustrations accompany clumsily rhymed text describing emotions in a somewhat child friendly way.

[Ellesse Denerson(EDUC378)]

Text-to-teach connection:
The book I picked for this week is “ The way I feel”, I chose this book because a lot of students don’t know how to express their feelings to certain people like their parents or teachers. The activity I picked for the student I think will be beneficial for all students, before reading the story I will ask the students if they know what feelings are and if they don’t know what feelings are I will give them an example of the different feelings they have. After reading the story I will ask the students to share times when they felt silly, scared, happy, sad, angry, excited, and proud.

[Shelley Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very short and simple, probably best for children aged approximately 3-5. It covers a narrow range of seven emotions: silly, scared, happy, sad, angry, excited, and proud.

There is a note for parents at the end, about how to talk to kids about emotions. That note was pretty good.

For more advanced kids, I wish there was a book with a wider range of emotions, for example, adding surprised, inspired, awe-struck, frustrated, impatient, jealous, etc.

[Angel Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little girl loves it. It helps a lot that it talks about feelings rather than things.

[Malea Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because I think it would be very useful with young children. Children who are just starting to speak, but don't have the words to express their feelings often get frustrated. I have been reading some things lately about how to handle such situations and a lot of sources say that helping them learn the words to express themselves can reduce their frustration. This book has great pictures that illustrate the feelings being described. Reading it with children would help them to understand their feelings and teach them the words to express their feelings.

[Diana Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my daughter and she loved it! She is six and could identify with all of the emotions the children were feeling and she loved the one about jealousy and shyness. I definitely could appreciate the conversation that can come from a book like this where children can express how they feel in certain situations and what causes these feelings. I love the illustrations as well, and this is definitely a book for the classroom library.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This it. This is the book I’ve been looking for. Helps kids identify emotions. You can talk about how emotions all happen and they aren’t bad but what do you do with the emotions.

Additions; interestingly the bit said today that he hated this book. I think he would rather monsters and adventures than talking about feelings.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each two page spread deals with a different emotion. I have a personal bias against sing-songy verse but most young children will related to the descriptors of the feelings. Pictures do a pretty good job of conveying the emotions being described.

[Ebony Hargett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute book about feelings. There are rhyming words and emotion words surrounded by context clues. Great colorful illustrations. I would use this book for early elementary age children to teach about feelings.

[Nohemí González · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing, it helps a lot my autistic girl, it help her to express more of her feelings.

[Camille Oakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way I Feel is a wonderful book that incorporates different aspects of poetry to discuss all of the many feelings we have. This book is a fantastic resource for helping kids understand their own feelings as well as the feelings of those around them. We can learn about a variety of feelings and emotions throughout the book, including silly, scared, disappointed, happy, sad, angry, thankful, frustrated, shy, bored, excited, jealous, and proud. The illustrations in the book help to identify what each feeling may look like and helps us put specific words to those feelings. My favorite part of the book was near the end, because it explained how feelings come and go, and how they are all a part of who we are. I believe that this is an extremely important message for younger children to hear because emotions can be very overwhelming and confusing for them but understanding that everyone has feelings and that it is normal for us to experience a variety of emotions can definitely help them when experiencing these types of feelings. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and wish I could have read it as a child because I believe dealing with emotions as a kid can be quite challenging at times, but this book helps to explain those emotions in a way that is both entertaining and understandable.
I believe this picture book would be helpful and beneficial to students in the lower elementary grades. I would highly recommend reading this book to a kindergarten class, perhaps at the start of the school year, because kindergarten is a big step for kids, and it comes with a lot of emotions that they may need help dealing with. I think this would be a wonderful book to read aloud to the class, and if you are using it in a first or second grade class you could even have them read the book out loud with you. This book encourages students to make connections with the emotions and feelings described in the text, which is beneficial to them because it enhances their engagement and interest in the story. This, I believe, provides students with several opportunities to have important discussions about their own emotions and experiences. I believe it would be beneficial for students to be able to share some of their personal experiences and feelings related to the book by either drawing about them or sharing them with the class if they feel comfortable doing so. I'd like to use this book in my future classes, especially when teaching students about the various aspects of poetry. Rhyme is used a lot throughout the text, and I think it would be fun to first introduce what rhyme and rhyming words are to students and then when reading the book, you can allow students to try and point out the different words that rhyme.

[Samantha N · Rating 4 out of 5]

1.Numerous Design Awards, Teacher Choice award 2005
Featured by:
Children's Book of the Month Club (Fall 2003)
Scholastic Book Clubs (2001–present)
Barnes & Noble "Picture Book Wall" (Summer 2003)
Discovery Toys
Books Are Fun
Target Book Pick o' the Month, April 2007

2.Pre Kindergarten- 3rd Grade

3. This brilliantly hued book is an engaging narrative that introduces the depths of emotions for ages 3-9. This colorful book explores the emotional perspective of a young girl expressing her feelings. Janan Cain explores various emotions in this book switching continuously from page to page rapidly. This book will allow students to identify with their own emotions and this book is ideal for students who struggle with self-regulation This book allows the audience to indulge and understand everyday achievements and tribulations. The purpose of this book is to start a conversation that as humans we all feel a range of emotions, and then teach appropriate ways to deal with these feelings.

4. This book would be an excellent addition for a self-contained or inclusive classroom. For students who struggle emotional, physically, or socially they may struggle with how to communicate effectively with peers and adults on how they are feeling. Introducing this book into the classroom will create a safe space for expression. The rhyming words included in this book add to the playful illustration and upbeat content that is age appropriate. Each image displayed does a great job of conveying each emotion, and children will enjoy the simplicity, and will hopefully duplicate what they see.

5.The Way I Feel Themed Lessons

(Kindergarten- 3rd)
Feelings Flashcards and puzzles: In small groups, students can practice identifying various emotions. After students memorize each emotion allow them to independently work on a puzzle where they can match the descriptive word to the image provided.

(2nd & 3rd)
Self Portraits: In a whole group allow children to draw and design the facial expressions on three paper plates. Given children various supplies such as yarn, pre-cut construction paper, markers, crayons, glue, and other materials. This project should be open to how they personally feel. After the completion of their faces, each child should write a brief description of the emotion created.

[Tylah Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book "The Way I Feel" by Janan Cain is a photographic work that delves into several emotions using uncomplicated rhymes and vivid graphics. This book guides young readers through a diverse variety of emotions including amusement, fear, dissatisfaction, joy, sorrow, rage, gratitude, frustration, timidity, boredom, enthusiasm, envy, and satisfaction. By combining eloquent lines and vivid images, the objective is to assist children in recognizing, comprehending, and affirming their own emotional encounters. I would rate The Way I Feel with a 5-star rating. This tool is an outstanding resource for developing emotional literacy in young children. It provides feelings in a direct and unbiased manner, without passing judgment. The language by Cain is both straightforward and effective, complemented with emotive images that elegantly bring each feeling to life in a realistic manner. The book exalts the universality and significance of all emotions, refraining from categorizing them as either "positive" or "negative." The book fosters self-awareness and empathy in young children by equipping them with the vocabulary to identify and understand various emotional states. The structure of this resource is engaging and easy to understand, making it a great tool for caregivers to initiate discussions about emotions. Additionally, the incorporation of a parental guide serves as a great asset. Overall, The Way I Feel is a remarkable and well-crafted piece of art that effectively addresses the need for social-emotional learning in children. It is warm, insightful, and produced with great skill. The book's exceptional quality is in its capacity to authenticate every aspect of human emotions, which deeply connects with young readers, making it an exceptional and essential addition to any child's collection of books. A compassionate and influential book that should be readily available to every parent, teacher, and caregiver.

[Ashleigh Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this book when I was younger. I think I still remember reading this book because of the cover. The cover is a great attention grabber which is why I think it would do well in the classroom. The Way I Feel goes through many emotions and how you feel and act when you are in that type of mood. The text on all of the pages reflects the mood that is being described which I love! For Silly, the words go up and down, for happy, the page is filled with bright colors such as yellow, pink, and orange. The theme within this book is emotions and how to identify these emotions and communicate with others how they are feeling.
I really like this book because it helps children understand that emotions are apart of all of us and it is normal to feel a lot of emotions. The illustrations did an amazing job of illustrating what emotion was being portrayed. My favorite emotions were happy and shy. When I was reading these pages, I could feel myself smiling. I know that a lot of children become shy when they are around strangers and thought that this book is perfect as a mirror and a window for children. The multitude of colors throughout this book pave the way to showing children what colors are associated to what emotion.
I like this book because I think it does a great job of explaining what you may feel when you feel a specific emotion which can help children explain how they are feeling. A lot of times, children cry because they do not know how to communicate with you on how they are feeling. This book would be perfect for preschool to about first grade. This book also rhymes which I believe it makes it easy to read. I recommend this book in the classroom and the home because it allows adults to explain to children that if they are feeling a certain way, to use their words. The words within this book are easy to understand.

[Jeanie Cullip · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my own book collection, I reread The Way I Feel by Janan Cain aloud with my daughter today. To be honest, I actually finished my picture book stack from our last library visit. But, I am glad that I returned to one of my favorites for this #BookaDay challenge. I have not read it since my boys were little and before the movie Inside Out was made.

Each emotion is highlighted over two pages with small text which describes it in a way a child can understand and relate to if they have had experience with it. The illustrations assist the child in the understanding of the word.

I really like how this book gives meaning and a name to the different of emotions that children may experience. Because they have a name and a definition, students know that they are real and that they have a purpose. I have found in working with and raising children that this is not something they just know. What they do know, is that it is a different feeling than what they had before. So it is important that they find out what to do with the emotions that they experience.

After reading this book, I want to do an activity in their journal. Each student will create a chart be given a chart to cut and paste into their writing journals. The section headings will be the different emotions discussed in the book; as well as some blank sections. The headings: Characteristics, Examples, and Appropriate Response will guide the discussions. Then we will have a second reading of the book. Through each of the emotions, we will discuss as a class what are some characteristics of this emotion, times that we have felt this way, and how do we appropriately respond to the emotion. This completed chart, will be a reference guide for students in their writing or a directed assignment to those students having difficulty processing an emotion.

[Simone · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! I love that this book exists! I would love to recreate something similar but from a new perspective. This book is a great way for young readers to learn about their different emotions and putting an accurate name to how they are feeling. The scenarios described give different real life examples that most kids have experienced - such as frustration - showing a girl trying to tie her shoes but she can't seem to get it right. The reading of this story aloud has to be done a certain way for the students to be fully engaged. I love when these types of books make reading aloud an act in some way. When reading this book, you want to mimic the described emotion in your tone of voice. When talking about being bored- sound bored and somber, when describing excitement you want to sound excited. If the students start giggling it can you give you an opportunity to ask, "How am I acting?" hopefully they respond with something on the terms of the emotion described- funny, silly, goofy etc.

From a classroom lens this could be a great opportunity to learn about the synonyms to some emotions as well. -Like the ones described above. This would be a great opportunity to learn the difference between feelings and emotions and how they are interlocked. Many different projects can be made from reading this book. My immediate thought is having an acting out project (like charades) where we pull a random emotion to act out and the other students try to guess it. If the student can't quit get it they can bring a peer in to help them. It would be a fun break for the kids while they are still learning.

Major themes here are obviously emotions and feelings.