Title: Facing My Feelings
Author: Jenny Quintanilla
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0403-9
Pages: 24
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book / Emotional Education
Reviewer: Beth Adams

Read Book Review

Providing mature insight to guide a child’s feelings against anxiety and nervousness into
a calming, relaxed, and confident state-of-mind, is an important task for parents and a
necessary lesson for children to learn. In Facing My Feelings, author Jenny Quintanilla
has created a book which, when paged with a child, shows situations and solutions
providing a way for children to understand their own emotions better.

Using a very common root of anxiety, the first day of school, Ariana anticipates the
many situations which she is being confronted with, such as: will her friends be in her
class, and will the teacher like her? We all know these momentous moments in a child’s
life can really confuse them, even keeping them up at night wondering about the day
ahead. The author explains some healthy advice; such as it is okay to feel the way she
feels, and also how she is a smart and friendly girl so everyone will like her. She will fit
in just fine, is the message which is very subtly shown with the illustrations
accompanying the text.

Ariana has an older brother, and wonders why he can go out on his own and she needs
to stay home with her mother. The book explains how when she grows up she will be
able to go out on her own also – again making for a stress releasing explanation. One
practical example of feeling better is to clean up your room. Happy feelings are also
shown when vacations from school allow the family to go on vacations, and how much
fun it is.

The backdrop illustration of a rainbow with each color being identified as a feeling, such
as: mad, sad, happy, nervous, and excited, is a brilliant way to convey the spectrum of
emotions to a child. The book closes with some blank rainbows in which a parent can
talk with a youngster to write-in some of their own feelings, and see that it is okay to feel
different ways at various times. Also, the book has a list of suggestions which will take
away stress and anxiety – such as breathing deeply, and even drinking a glass of water.
Facing My Feelings by author Jenny Quintanilla is a valuable book for children to
understand, which can be expanded upon by having the lessons discussed between the
child and adult about issues facing the child at that moment. The book is artfully
illustrated and with readers seeing the big-eyes of Ariana, all readers can identify with
the feeling going around in her mind, and learn through example ways to keep little
things from getting out-of-hand. With its compassionate approach, this book will leave
children feeling understood, empowered, and ready to face their feelings with
confidence.