Published as a board book in June, The Color Monster is a fun introduction to four emotions: happiness, sadness, peacefulness, and anger. Using the example of yellow (happiness), green (peacefulness), blue (sadness), and red (anger) to describe the four emotions in the book, children can easily identify each emotion. As a way to help children compartmentalize their emotions, Color Monster has a different jar for each one to ensure that the emotions don't get jumbled. At the end of the book Color Monster feels something new---a mix of feelings that makes a new color: pink!
What I like about Color Monster is that by compartmentalizing the four emotions in the book it allows children to not only have a better sense of their feelings but also allows them to think about what other color combinations they might be feeling. For instance, if a child is feeling angry and sad maybe they can draw a picture of a purple monster or recognize that, like mixing colors, it's okay to have mixed emotions.
Enjoy!