With a simple story about a young boy named Felix, the authors of this book teach a lesson that never dulls from reiteration: We affect the moods of others, just as their moods make us more happy or sad. A charming read-along for kids learning to be truly interactive.
School Library Journal
K-Gr 2—Based on the author's adult work How Full Is Your Bucket? (Gallup, 2004), this book explains that we all have invisible buckets of water over our heads. The negative actions of others toward us can empty the buckets, and our own meanness toward them can deplete their vessels, too. Positive actions reverse the process. Felix refuses to allow his sister to play blocks with him. When she angrily kicks over his tower, his grandfather explains that Felix dipped from his sister's container. The next morning Felix actually sees a bucket floating over his own head, and during the course of the day, as he is alternately bullied and praised, he realizes what causes it to be empty or full. This story is so heavy-handed and didactic that children are likely to find it laughable. Neither Felix, his sister, nor even their dog is a likable character, and the floating buckets over everyone's head look just plain silly.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ
