Book Review
Tiger Days: A Book of Feelings
Written by M. H. Clark
Illustrated by Anna Hurley
Published by Compendium - available for purchase on their site
Why we chose this book:
Maintaining an awareness of one's mental health is a priority in our house; we talk openly about our thoughts and feelings, and how we can process them. I am always keeping my eyes open for books that will help T develop an understanding of his emotions and foster a healthy approach to managing them. Compendium provided a review copy.
Mom's Review
Emotions are described with animal behaviors.
Before I get into the written content, I'd like to just say that I love the pictures - they are so much fun! Now for the content. When I first came across this book, I heard that all feelings were presented as equals - there was no implication that one feeling was more desirable than another. We often talk with T about how it is healthy to experience the whole range of emotions. We assure him that it is normal and natural for him to feel angry at us (and that we still love him). Encouraging him to acknowledge, accept, and find a safe outlet for his feelings is something that T's dad and I are both very deliberate about. And for that reason, what I had heard about Tiger Days caught my attention.
And Tiger Days is just as good as I had hoped. The narrator begins by saying, "On TIGER DAYS I want to climb. I'm wild and I'm fierce." Eleven animals' days are introduced, one per page, and the narrator explains what he does or needs on those days; on otter days he wants extra cuddles, for example. After several different days, from slow snail days to wide awake rabbit days, the narrator explains that regardless of feeling, he is still himself. He goes on to point out that he is full of feelings; he is vast inside.
I like and highly recommend this book because it has expanded the way that we can talk about and understand our feelings, as well as those of others. This is another excellent tool for discussing emotions. Just take a look at what happened at bedtime last night:
Dad, closing the Ninja Turtles book: Okay, it's time to go get ready for bed now.
Son: Mom, I'm going to show you how I feel.
(T walks over to coffee table, opens Tiger Days, flips to the angry bull page.)
Son: I'm having a bull day. I feel like a bull.
Mom: Ah. I see. I think you are saying that because you don't want to go to bed...?
Son's Review
(Age: almost 4)
Son: It [the cover] has all the different colors on it!
Mom: Why do you suppose that might be?
Son: To show you all the animals that there are.
Mom: I'm having a turtle day and a snail day, because I'm feeling kinda slow and quite.
Son: I'm having a bear day, rhinoceros day.
Mom: Bear day? Big and strong?
Son: Yeah. And I'm also feeling kinda like a rhinoceros.
Mom: Oh. Stubborn, don't want to be told what to do. I know a little boy like that...
Son: Me!
Mom: Do you like describing your feelings like an animal. I like having a new way to describe my feelings.
 |
| feeling fierce like a tiger |
Son: Yeah!
Mom: You know, I really like the pictures in Tiger Days.
Son: Do you loooooooove the pictures?
Mom: I do. What about you?
Son: Me too!
Mom: What do you think the author wants you to learn from the book?
Son: That if you feel all these feelings, that's okay.
Mom: How would you describe Tiger Days?
Son: A helpful book for feelings, for telling what you feel.
Mom: Do you like it? What's your favorite part?
Son: Of course yes. Where she tells you what she is each day.
Mom: For whom is this a good book?
Son: Us because this is a good book for express your feelings and we like feeling.
Mom: What's the most important thing to know about Tiger Days?
Son: That it's about feelings.
Mom: When is it a good time to read it?
Son When you want to express your emotions and feelings.
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