When children see their experiences reflected in books, those experiences become validated and normalized.

Picture books are wonderful conversation starters because they’re meant to be read together.

Giving our children the gift of powerful words and of our attention is vitally important.

Reading to your child can not only improve their early literacy skills, which are important for later academic achievement, but it can also boost their emotional intelligence.

Choosing the right books to read with your child can build emotional intelligence, teaching them about feelings, helping them to become more aware of their thoughts, and modeling important skills for managing big emotions. When characters in the story experience the daily challenges and accompanying feelings that your child faces, they receive validation and empathy in the pages of the book, and in your warm presence as you read to them a story that feels personal.

Author Sandra V. Feder has worked to intentionally bring children’s emotions to the page through her Emotions and Me series of books, tackling big feelings that kids experience like loneliness, anger, and shyness, so that children can feel seen and validated, and build emotional intelligence for the future.

Q: Share a bit about your background and what inspired you to write the Emotions and Me series of picture books.

Sandra V. Feder: I’ve been a writer my whole life, from an early career in print journalism to becoming a children’s book author, so I am always thinking about how we use words. When I had children of my own, it seemed natural to talk about words we use to describe feelings, because all kids have lots of big feelings.

My inspiration for the Emotions and Me series, which includes Angry Me, Peaceful Me, Shy Me, and Lonely Me, was my youngest daughter’s anger. Trying to understand what she was feeling led me to explore situations, whether at home, school, or out in the world, that contributed to her anger. I chose to write this series in relatable first-person voices to validate children’s........

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