A Little Emotional
By Christopher Eliopoulos
The Story
A boy named Tommy loses his favorite toy, and as he searches, colorful monster-like emotions — Worried, Angry, Jealous, Sad — start looming larger and larger until they threaten to take over.
Why It's Special
For the kid whose small frustrations can snowball into big feelings fast, this book puts a face on the storm and makes it something to talk about instead of just weather through.
- Big idea: Feelings aren't bad things to hide from — they're visitors that need to be noticed and named before they take over.
- Vibes: funny, energetic, a little chaotic, ultimately reassuring
Perfect For Kids Who
- are working on naming their emotions
- tend to escalate quickly from annoyed to furious
- respond well to seeing feelings shown as characters
- like to talk about what makes them mad, jealous, or sad
Ask Your Little Reader
- Feelings & empathy: How do you think Tommy felt when his favorite toy went missing?
- Story & problem-solving: What happened to Tommy's Anger as he kept searching for his toy?
- Real-life connection: Have you ever felt Jealous like Tommy did when he saw his sister playing?
- Imagination: If your Worried or Angry looked like a colorful monster, what would it look like?
- Feelings & empathy: What do you do when your feelings start to feel too big?
