This board book teaches kids about why God made our feelings. Abbey Wedgeworth gives examples of why feelings are important, since they tell us what we need and can help us meet those needs. She also talks about how feeling happy helps us enjoy God’s good gifts, and she encourages kids to share their feelings with God and others. Then she writes about ways that people might mishandle their feelings, such as letting their feelings control them or ignoring and hiding their feelings. She also writes about how we shouldn’t let our feelings tell us what’s true. That nuanced concept isn’t fully explained here, but the illustrations show a good application of it, contrasting the thought “I have no friends” with “I can make a friend!”
Wedgeworth introduces Jesus after that, saying that he was once a child with feelings, and that even though he felt lots of different feelings, he never sinned. She explains that even though Jesus told God that he was afraid to die, he obeyed anyway out of love for us. The book then moves into life application, teaching kids that when they act out because of their feelings, they can ask Jesus for forgiveness, and that when they want to hide their feelings, they can ask the Holy Spirit to help them.
What Are Feelings For? expresses important concepts in simple, child-friendly terms, and the illustrations from Emma Randall are colorful, expressive, and fun. Every page in this book also includes a flap to lift, and these work very well. The flaps come up easily, and the material is thick enough to survive many repeated readings, as long as a child isn’t too rough with them. The flaps aren’t just for fun, either, since the illustrations and words under each flap are integral to the book.
What Are Feelings For? can help children appreciate God’s design for their lives, and even though this book is more abstract than others in the series, it can help kids understand the difference between positive and harmful choices in everyday life. Although the books in this series can feel slightly redundant because they follow the same structure and formula, the illustrations are all unique and the words are different. Many parents will find this board book helpful, since it gives them a concrete way to engage their kids with important topics instead of just giving verbal instruction.