Currently, there are several feelings books, therefore Tiger Days: A Book of feelings gets a little lost in the shuffle. However, the fuzzy cover is fun (though will wear out quickly). The story tries to show feelings by using characteristics of animals to represent how we see feelings. However, instead, it showed me how we interpret different animals to have “human qualities”. Or in a couple cases a more poetic look at qualities they have (the fish is equivalent to sad as there are tears/water and other “fish metaphors” surrounding that idea or that feeling).
It might be a fun way to start a conversation about feelings, or just to read the story and leave it, therefore, allowing the child to “mull things over” and understand feelings are real, okay and they will have them. While not a traditional story, it sometimes can a little “pushy.” Yet, M. H. Clark did create a modern way to help talk about feelings and dealing with them with your child.
As always, I appreciate the hard work, time and effort that goes into creating illustrations for a book. However, Anna Hurley’s illustrations feel flat to me. The cover seems like there will be color all over, but it is splattered about and blends into itself. The actual art is more sketch like and not overly solid. I get no feeling (positive or negative) for them.
This might do better as a “mini/counter” sized then the traditional picture book size (even though it is slightly smaller than usual).
