Book Review - Sometimes I feel ... Sunny

Sometimes I feel ... Sunny: A Funny, Sunny Book Full of Feelings

By: Gillian Shields
Illustrated by: Georgie Birkett
Publisher: Barron's Educational Series
Publication Date: August 2012
ISBN: 978-1438001111
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: August 2, 2012

The smiling sun peeked through the curtains at a little girl who was nestled in bed with her teddy. It was time to rise and shine and she felt “sunny.” Sometimes we feel sunny, but when things aren’t going well we feel waaaaah and sad. It’s kind of hard to feel sunny when you have your arm in a sling and can’t play with anyone. There are all kinds of feelings to be felt and “Sometimes I feel funny, / like a CRAZY / Clownish / Clown. / Sometimes I feel angry, / and the world seems upside down.” Is there anything that makes you feel like there is steam coming out from your ears?

There are some days that are those huggable days, days that hugging teddy can help that frown. Oh, but then there are those days when there are those abracadabra top of the world when you feel like a “KING!” Then there are those days when a little girl can sit on a window sill as the leaves float to the ground behind her. It is kind of odd when you don’t know quite how you feel. “Sometimes I feel fizzy, / sometimes I feel strong, / sometimes I feel dizzy, / sometimes I feel wrong.” Ooops, how did that vase get broken? There are all kinds of feelings to be felt. Just how do you feel?

This is a marvelous “funny, sunny” book that explores a wide variety of feelings. The verse in the book is lilting and lovably quaint as is explores how young people feel from day to day. The four preschoolers who grace these pages tell us about how they feel great, how they feel sad, and how sometimes they just don’t know how they feel. The full-color illustrations are bright, peppy, and adorably quaint. One of my favorites is of a little girl with chicken pox who has those “scratch, grumpy, yucky days.” This is a perfect book to explore feelings with your little one and would be an excellent bedtime book!

Quill says: This is a wonderful, educational book for parents, caretakers, and educators to explore the range of emotions with preschoolers!