Today I Feel . . .: An Alphabet of Feelings

Beautifully illustrated by Madalena Moniz’s subtle watercolors, Today I Feel . . . follows a child through a whole range of emotions, from adored to curious to strong. Not all of the emotions are positive and not all of them are simple, but they are all honest and worthy of discussion with a young child.

"This thoughtful ABC book takes readers through a whole range of emotions, from 'adored' to, well, 'zzzz'. Madalena Moniz's beautiful and tender watercolour illustrations are a great starting point for gentle conversations about feelings - including challenging ones, such as 'grumpy", 'nervous' and 'yueky', alongside more positive, but complex, examples, like Victorious' and 'patient'. Identifying difficult emotions is, of course, the first step in learning to manage and live with them - and this book could really help teachers support that tricky but important process. For example, what do your pupils reckon it might mean to feel 'quief or 'original? Why do they think "warm' is represented with a hug? And can they remember any situations in which they might have described themselves as feeling lighf, 'mini', or 'invisible'? The last page asks readers how they are feeling today - could this be a useful prompt for some original artwork?"

Madalena is an illustrator, based in Lisbon. Since graduating from UWE Bristol in 2009, she has worked as an Art Director in an advertising agency, and then joined a small group of talented friends in a lovely studio space to work as a freelancer. Using a variety of materials, collages, textures and colors, Madalena likes to experiment until finding the right feel for every different project. She aims for originality and depth, taking inspiration from music, books, photos and old stuff. She walks around with many sketchbooks and has shelves full of different kinds mark-making goodies.