An alphabet of emotions, created by two clinical psychologists for parent-child discussions.Intended to provide a starting vocabulary for expressing feelings, the text for each of Mitchell's cartoon-style, utilitarian scenes consists of a cue ("A is for afraid") and a tagline ("I am scared"). In the pictures, a diverse cast of children in everyday settings mostly responds with facial expressions rather than actions to common situations, such as being left with a babysitter or having to wait for a turn on the swings, or they display general moods like sadness and grouchiness. Unsurprisingly, considering the authors' credentials, most of the modeled emotions are related to anger or anxiety. Those of a more positive cast tend to be less easily definable: "D is for determined"; "Q is for quiet." Furthermore, the abecedarian conceit is overstretched with "K is for kind" and "Y is for yelling" (as in, "I'm full of energy, and I feel like being loud!"), which aren't feelings so much as behaviors. The "Letter to Caring Adults" at the beginning as well as closing spreads of advice and bulleted activity lists suggest the main audience for this are adults rather than children themselves.Useful, if not particularly artful. (Informational picture book. 5-8, adult) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Alphabet book meets bibliotherapy in this stilted compendium of "feeling words." Each letter introduces an emotion; a sentence exemplifies the feeling and a saccharine picture depicts a scenario that might evoke it. For example, U (upset) shows a boy whose kite has crashed ("I don't like this"). An appended guide instructs adults on the importance of recognizing and expressing emotions and suggests activities. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

This alphabet of emotions runs through an array of feelings, starting with A is for afraid and ending with Z is for zany. Each condition is introduced through a simple declarative sentence printed in bold, oversize font (L is for lonely), followed by a simple descriptive sentence (I am on my own and I'm feeling left out). Cartoon illustrations featuring a diverse and expressive cast of characters do an effective job of reinforcing the abstract concepts, providing visual reinforcement (for lonely, a young boy sits by himself on a bench watching kids nearby playing a game). The emotions and pictured scenarios are age-appropriate and should resonate with young readers (an embarrassing milk spill; a worrisome first-time babysitter). Additional content aimed at adults offers suggestions on how to generate discussion; build vocabulary and self-awareness; follow up with games, songs, and role-playing; and build empathy. This will engage young audiences and serve as an apt introduction to other titles that explore individual feelings in the Our Emotions and Behavior series.--McBroom, Kathleen Copyright 2015 Booklist