Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

I always say that Molly, my four year old, is my mini me. The similarities really come out when she’s being emotional, which happens more frequently the older that she gets. As a parent, I use all the patience I can muster to calm her down and allow her to express her thoughts. As my readers know, I tend to use books for pretty much everything, and I’m happy to report that I have found the perfect book to help my child cope with her emotions.

I Can Handle it!, written by Laurie Wright and illustrated by Ana Santos, is a practical picture book that breaks down emotions and coping strategies for kids to help with mental health.

Readers follow Sebastien, a little boy, as he tackles emotions that he feels based on different events and situations he experiences. Each scenario provides three or four possible solutions for dealing with the issue, some are absolutely meant to be funny, and some are solid suggestions.

I really like that the story is told like a pattern. Readers anticipate what the next emotion will be and look forward to reading the different options Sebastien has for tackling his feelings. The wording and language is clear and concise, making it so even the littlest reader can understand the story. The illustrations do a fabulous job of capturing the facial expressions that all parents and educators will be familiar with when it comes to emotions that kids feel. It makes the character come to life and seem more realistic.

The scenarios mentioned are 100% on point. For instance, my child absolutely gets cranky when she can’t watch her TV show (she will react if you threaten to put on an adult show). Every single reader can relate to Sebastien and his feelings, thus creating trust between the character and reader. This is really important for this picture book because it shows kids different ways to handle situations that they can use in their life. It’s teaching kids in a fun and creative way.

One of my favorite scenes is where Sebastien is feeling bored when he is stuck at home. The suggestions for handling this situation include making slime, building a fort or video calling friends. I really appreciated how trendy and realistic these ideas for combating boredom are as a parent.

I recommend this book for kids ages 2-6. I can see it being used in the classroom as a read aloud activity to connect with social-emotional learning.

To purchase the book, click here.

Little Reading Coach is a certified Teacher of English (K-12) and Reading Specialist (P-12) offering online reading,  writing and home-based learning support tutoring services for students in grades 6-12. For more information click here.