Reviewed by annieb123 on
Why Do We Cry? is an sweetly illustrated and sensitively written book for young readers. Originally published in Spanish in 2018, this English translation released 7th April 2020 from Kids Can Press is 34 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.
The book takes the form of a dialogue between a mother and son about why people cry and why it's good to examine and experience negative emotions so we can process them and what function tears (and crying) actually serve physiologically and emotionally. The text by Fran Pintadera (weblink in Spanish) is supported and enhanced beautifully by the nuanced illustrations by Ana Sender.
This would make a superlative reading circle, library group, or classroom read for youngsters. There's a short discussion resource at the back of the book which includes some science based information on tears and the physiological functions they perform.
Learning to process strong emotion in a positive and constructive manner is -vital- for development. I appreciated that the dialogue was sensitively handled and that the author chose to make the child male was a nice touch. I think that this could be a very valuable book *especially* given our current pandemic world situation.
Five stars. Beautiful little book with universal relevance.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 19 April, 2020: Finished reading
- 19 April, 2020: Reviewed