great book on how to deal with the sad feelings for kids

for my own purposes -- https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/list/share/139101912_librarybeast/360420317_an... ( )

This book is a plot book about personality development of emotions, specifically, depression. In this book, the child describes waking up and knowing that the blooz have come. Furthermore, the child continues their day and talks about how the blooz stay with them everywhere they go. In the end, the child is able to shake the blooz away.
Ages 3-5
Source - Pierce County Library

A young girl must contend with the squishy, sloshy creature known as the Blooz in this understated but affecting picture-book exploration of sadness. After attempting to resist the oozy, wet creature, the girl eventually accepts his presence, spending some time with him, and even taking him on a bike ride. It is only then, in the bright sunshine of a beautiful day, that the Blooz finally disappears...

I found the personification of melancholy here - the eponymous 'Blooz' is a creature representation of those all-too-common blues - quite effective, and think many young child reader/listeners will as well. The narrative in Stuck with the Blooz has a quiet quality to it that works very well in communicating the emotional state of the girl, while the artwork, created digitally by Jon Davis, has an appealing quality that reminded me a bit of Peter H. Reynolds. High praise indeed! Recommended to anyone looking for picture-books that explore the emotional lives of children, particularly the experience of sadness. ( )

Author (Last name first): Levis, Caron – illustrated by Jon Davis
Title of the Book: Stuck with the Blooz
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books Date of Publication: 2012
ISBN# 978-0-547-74560-2
Price: $16.99 Grade Level: Primary/LowerEl Number of Pages: 29
VOYA Rating: 3Q 3P for Elementary

Recommended

A little girl wakes up one morning only to find out she was being visited by “The Blooz.” She didn’t want to let him in and tried to ignore him once he did get in. She tried to ask The Blooz questions as to why he was there. He wasn’t sick, hurt, hungry or sleepy. The girl decided the would try to make The Blooz happier by building a fort, reading a favorite book, singing songs, going outside and going for a bike ride. The Blooz was flipped off the bike “And then the Blooz was gone. All that was left was quiet. And when I looked around…I found the brightest, bluest day.”

What a great book for young readers who are fighting the blues. The illustrator made The Blooz look like a blue, oozy, round, sad looking character. The blue hues in the drawings bring out the theme of being blue. The book ends on such a hopeful, upbeat mood and the blue turns out to be the beautiful blue of a sunny sky. This book could be used for learning about emotions. It could help students understand that sometimes it’s ok to be a little sad some days. It does make a good read aloud for the Kindergarten crowd. The cover, writing and illustrations are well done. It would make a good addition to a school library. ( )

A young girl confronts her personified sadness. ( )