Big Emotions
Part of the collectionBig Emotions→Spare, beautifully designed picture books that give each big feeling a shape a child can meet and understand — reassuring emotional-literacy reads for bedtime and hard days.
- Books2
- Arcs1
- Span2019–2020
- StatusOngoing
The series
At a glance.
Eva Eland's gentle picture book series introducing young children to big feelings, one book at a time. When Sadness Comes to Call gives sadness the form of a soft, semi-transparent visitor a child learns to welcome rather than send away; Where Happiness Begins turns to a feeling just as slippery, reassuring readers that happiness can't be forced and is never really lost. Across the series the approach is consistent: spare, calming text, simple warm illustrations, and a trust in the child to arrive at meaning without being lectured. These are books that do something genuinely useful — helping children (and the adults reading with them) understand that feelings are normal visitors, and that acknowledging a hard one is often the way through it. Quiet, reassuring and beautifully designed, ideal for bedtime and difficult days.
Spare, beautifully designed picture books that give each big feeling a shape a child can meet and understand — reassuring emotional-literacy reads for bedtime and hard days.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Gentle
- Warm
- Thought provoking
- Heartwarming
Order doesn't matter — each book stands alone as a self-contained look at one feeling.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- IStandalone collection arcBooks 1–2 · 2019–2020Low sensitivity
The feelings
One gentle picture book per big feeling, each meeting an emotion head-on.
A themed set of stand-alone picture books, each taking a single big emotion and giving it a shape young children can meet without fear. When Sadness Comes to Call welcomes sadness as a soft visitor to sit beside; Where Happiness Begins reassures that happiness can't be chased or captured, and is never really far away. There is no reading order and no continuing story — the books simply share a voice, a look and a purpose. Spare text and simple, warm illustrations make each an exceptional read-aloud, calming enough for bedtime and gentle enough for the most sensitive child. Together they offer a reassuring, non-preachy introduction to naming and sitting with feelings, useful as much for the adult reading along as for the child.
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 3–7
- Read aloud · 3–7
- Independent · 5–7
Reluctant-reader friendliness
High
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Adult crossover
High
Grows with the reader
Not especially
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
Similar in feel
Different shelves, same wavelength.
- The Colour Monster →
About the author