Today I Feel Silly

Book review by Patricia Tauzer, Common Sense Media
Today I Feel Silly Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 4+

Fun mood wheel caps this book about feelings.

Jamie Lee Curtis Picture Book 1998
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Parents say

age 2+

Based on 2 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this book.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this book's illustrations and rhyming text are playful, presenting a comfortable format for discussing emotions with younger children.

Community Reviews

Amach92
Amach92 Adult
March 11, 2019
age 2+

It’s cute except one page.

One of the pages has the girl in the story crushing on her teacher. I feel it sends a wrong message to kids. Like I shouldn’t have to explain to my 8 year old who read me the book how wrong it is. So I skip that part when I’m reading it to my girls.
mklmsw
mklmsw Adult
September 4, 2010
age 2+
I love this book. I read it to classrooms often! The illustrations are delightful, and the variety of situations pictured and the resulting emotions are excellent. I highly recommend it!
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

A curly-headed little girl shows off her many moods. Each is identified, and examples are presented in rhyme. At the end of the book, a cardboard face with a twirling disk allows kids to adjust eyes and mouth to express whatever mood they're feeling.

Is It Any Good?

What a wonderful world this would be if we all could identify and accept our feelings and moods -- and TODAY I FEEL SILLY encourages kids to do just that. Though its rhymes may be off at times, the illustrations are amazing and carry the very valuable message that we all have moods and will be happier if we learn to expect and explore them. As the moods of the little girl change, the colors and clutter of each page change, too. When she's feeling silly, bright dramatic colors fill the page; when she feels confused, we have to turn the book sideways to follow the rhymes and illustrations.

The addition of the interactive cardboard face at the end of the book, following the question How do you feel?, is the perfect touch. Kids will enjoy matching the eyes and mouth to their mood. Hopefully, this will help them identify their own feelings, as well as those of people around them.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different moods of the girl in the book and the things she does when she feels silly, angry, lonely, etc. Kids might want to talk about their own moods and how they feel. What do they do when they feel a certain way? They might use the face in the back of the book to figure out which expression goes with which feeling.

Book Details

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