Wild Feelings

by David Milgrim

Overview

Do you ever feel as stubborn as a mule? Or as chicken as a chicken? Of course you do. Everyone does.

In this lighthearted look at feelings, David Milgrim tenderly and humorously sketches the emotional range—from awkward to unnoticed, to really, rrrreally mad. Ultimately reassuring, this is a loving look at the normal, natural feelings we all have.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781627797801
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	08/04/2015
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	33 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

David Milgrim has written and illustrated over twenty picture books, including Some Monsters Are Different; New York Times-bestselling Goodnight iPad; and Cows Can't Fly, an IRA/CBC Children's Choice Award winner. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with his family.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2015
Milgrim uses animal metaphors (and costumes) to acknowledge that feelings can be overwhelming. “Do you ever feel... as stubborn as a mule?” he asks, as a father attempts to send his donkey-suit-wearing daughter off to bed. A boy who is afraid of a dog is “as chicken as a chicken,” and when a girl feels “totally and completely alone,” she appears in a wolf suit, howling in a moonlit desert. Sympathetic language (“Of course you do. Everyone does”), the revelation that it isn’t just kids who get moody, and the friendly energy of Milgrim’s cartooning make this a humorously reassuring take on the idea of allowing even the wildest emotions their time and place. Ages 4–8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Milgrim's lighthearted illustrations and empathetic understanding of child behavior make this a first purchase and a good choice both for one-on-one discussions and for storytime.” —School Library Journal

“This title is a fresh take on the theme of accepting differences in others. Milgrim's digital drawings feature silly monsters and contrast different likes and dislikes, different personalities.” —School Library Journal on Some Monsters Are Different

“Interesting how being yourself is championed, yet at the same time, most kids are keenly aware of the pressure to fit in and not be too different. In this slim title, Milgrim pairs his brief text with hilarious illustrations to celebrate a charmingly diverse group of monsters.” —Kirkus Review on Some Monsters Are Different

“An energetic romp with high appeal.” —School Library Journal on Eddie Gets Ready for School

“That age-old struggle of getting kids off to school in the morning goes to new extremes in this howler from Milgrim. . . . Parents who have been there and kids who are still struggling with independence will find it hard not to root for Eddie.” —Kirkus Reviews on Eddie Gets Ready for School

From the Publisher

05/01/2015
PreS-Gr 1—Beginning with the question, "Do you ever feel…/as stubborn as a mule?" this picture book demonstrates a gentle understanding of feelings that can often confuse and overwhelm young children. Illustrated in Milgrim's distinctive cartoon style with bold lines and plenty of white space, a relatively diverse cast of children dressed in animal costumes experiences a wide range of emotions. Most spreads employ familiar similes—"as small as a mouse" and "as clumsy as an ox"—while others rely more on the illustrations for illumination and may require some adult explanation. For example, the phrase "totally and completely alone" doesn't include an animal comparison but is paired with a child in a wolf costume howling at the moon, and feeling "batty" simply shows a child in a bat costume hanging from the ceiling of a schoolroom. In the end, Milgrim's message that everyone, even adults, has these feelings and "it's only natural" will resonate with young audiences and remind grown-ups that there are times when we all need help navigating emotional highs and lows. VERDICT Milgrim's lighthearted illustrations and empathetic understanding of child behavior make this a first purchase and a good choice both for one-on-one discussions and for storytime.—Chelsea Couillard-Smith, Sacramento Public Library, CA

School Library Journal

2015-06-06
A compassionate look at feelings uses animal similes to affirm universal human emotions. A child dressed as a lion roars the word "FEELINGS" in the display type on the book's cover. The conceit of animal costumes as visual metaphor for emotions described in the text carries on to depict children who are feeling as "stubborn as a mule" and "clumsy as an ox" and "sad as a lost kitten in the rain," among other states. Milgrim's boldly outlined, digitally produced illustrations expand beyond their focuses on the children to provide context for the highlighted feelings—the child who feels "as chicken as a chicken" is afraid of a friendly-looking dog on a leash, for example. Perhaps the greatest strength of the book is its concluding incorporation of adults. Big feelings aren't merely the domain of childhood, the picture assures readers, thus normalizing a range of human emotions as "only natural." A clever visual coda shows a child, stripped of animal get-ups and any clothing at all, running free. A picture book to feel good about. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews