- Picture Books
- Ages 5–9
- Everyday Life
Why Do I Feel Like This?
Part of ImaginationView the full series
A girl in a thoroughly bad mood spins wildly inventive theories about where cross, sad feelings come from and how to shift them. A funny, genuinely useful picture book about big feelings.
- Best for5–9
- FormatPicture
- Length32 pp
- Read aloud~6 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Whimsical
- Warm
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Sometimes a girl gets in a really bad mood. People say mean things, or nothing goes right, and the crossness bubbles up inside her. But instead of just stewing, she starts to wonder: where do these feelings actually come from, and what could she do about them? Her imagination runs riot, from a pet wasp to chase off anyone who annoys her to a remote-controlled robot that gives troublesome people a tummy ache, before she lands on real, doable ideas: setting herself little tasks, singing into a pillow, or simply taking a nap until the storm passes. Shinsuke Yoshitake turns the everyday experience of anger and sadness into something funny, recognisable and reassuring, with his spare, expressive artwork in warm shades of pink, purple and yellow. Part comedy, part gentle self-help, Why Do I Feel Like This? gives children a playful vocabulary for their emotions and, best of all, the sense that bad moods pass. A brilliant conversation-starter for home and classroom.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Works beautifully as a shared read from about 4 or 5 and as an independent read for 6-to-9s. Its warm, funny take on anger and sadness makes it a reassuring pick for a child having big feelings, and the wit gives it appeal for adults reading along.
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- Best fit · 5–9
- Read aloud · 4–9
- Independent · 6–9
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Big feelings
- Emotional literacy
- Anger
- Read aloud
- Philosophy for children
Avoid if
- Wants action adventure
- Wants a strong plot
Particularly good for children who are…
- Anger management
- Anxiety and worry
- Being bullied
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A go-to PSHE and emotional-literacy text for talking about anger, sadness and self-regulation: the girl's coping strategies give children concrete, discussable tools, and the humour keeps a sensitive topic light.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Every child knows the feeling of being cross for no clear reason, and the girl's wild revenge fantasies (a pet wasp! a tummy-ache robot!) are hilarious. Then it hands them real tricks that actually work, so they feel both understood and a bit more in control.
- Being understood finally
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
It's the rare emotions book that's genuinely funny rather than preachy, and it gives children a playful, practical toolkit for bad moods. A reassuring, quotable read that opens up conversations about anger and sadness without ever feeling like a lesson.
- Shared humour
- Conversation starter
- Beautiful illustrations
- Indie gem discovery
In the series
Imagination.
5 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Shinsuke Yoshitake.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
