#527 of 1001 · January 9, 2022

Negative emotions can make us deeply uncomfortable. Adults often send children the message, whether implicit or explicit, that being angry is wrong. While it is of course important to practice constructive forms of expression, the internal feeling of anger is a universal experience, to be acknowledged and understood rather than denied. To that end, it is with true awe and delight that I am reading When I See Red by @britta_teckentrup. A young girl narrates the course of her wrath as it emerges, builds to a thunderous crescendo, and then recedes. The rush of fury evolves through physical symbols: storms, oceans, monsters, wild beasts. Teckentrup’s powerful language flows, twists, and soars throughout the book, an evolving series of gerunds serving as a bold prose poetry refrain. The compositions of the art employ strong motion and vivid color in the externalization of the girl’s rage, her ability to emerge once more into a state of calm, and, crucially, her discovery of the limitless possibilities that follow. #red #anger #angry #feeling #feelings #emotion #emotions #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks