Little Aiden: A Feelings Book for Toddlers - Albert & Anna Choi - ★★★★.¼

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AUTHORS: Albert & Anna Choi
ILLUSTRATOR: Bettina Brasko
GENRE: Children's Picture Book.
SERIES: Little Aiden, #1
RATING: 4.25 Stars.

A lovely little story with a lovely little message for toddlers and their mommies and daddies.

Little Aiden is a toddler who experiences a variety of emotions every day. From feeling hurt to angry to happy to relaxed to sleepy, his emotional spectrum seems to cover the whole range of feelings. But which feelings are good and which feelings should he quash?

This is where the book won me over. The message is clear – no feeling is wrong. Aiden can experience every emotion he wants, and ‘that is okay’! This refrain of ‘that is okay’ is reiterated on every page, making sure the message is reinforced in the minds of the readers. I have seen many picture books focussing on calming yourself during anger and not getting frustrated when things don’t go your way, but what children need to know is that every feeling is normal, and it ‘is okay’ if you experience negative feelings.

The illustrations are sweet and will prompt lots of discussions as well as chuckles. I loved how even Aiden’s toy teddy bear displays his own emotions when Aiden reacts a particular way.

The language is mostly simple, except for ‘feeling’ words such as ‘frustrated’. But this is anyway a book that needs to be read with adults so a guiding explanation while reading the book ought to take care of comprehension issues.

The authors of this book, Albert and Anna Choi, thought of this book when they saw the antics of their toddler Aiden during a typical day and wanted to write a book based on the values they wish to teach Aiden. A shout-out to the photo at the end, showing real-life Aiden with his teddy bear. Both are so cute!

Definitely recommended, especially to first-time parents, to know that the terrible twos needn’t be so terrible if you can accept every mood phase as ‘okay’. (And do remember, as a parent, you too might feel frustrated or irritated at times, and that is also okay! Don’t beat yourself up over it.)

To read my review on the second book of this series, 'Little Aiden: A Love Book for Toddlers', click HERE. 

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