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< Picture Books Library
Categories: Aggression & Tantrums, Anxiety, Kindness, Sadness

The Colour Monster

A good book to help young children identify, recognise and explore their emotions.
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The Colour Monster

Author: Anna Llenas
Illustrator: Anna Llenas
Publisher: Templar Publishing

A small girl narrates the story, and begins by introducing her friend, the colour monster. He’s feeling all mixed up and very confused, and the girl explains that it is because his feelings (and colours) are ‘all stirred together’. The girl begins a mission to help her friend recognise and separate his feelings (and put each one in a jar so they can look properly at them). She assigns a colour to each emotion: yellow for happiness, blue for sadness, anger is red, black is fear and calm is green. She describes each feeling for him, and offers to help him through the challenging ones. At the end of the story, the colour monster has calmed down and jarred all his emotions, which has made room for a new (pink) one to blossom…love! 

The author has used classic storybook role-reversal here which children will enjoy: the small girl takes the lead and imparts her wisdom on the (much larger) monster. Beautifully illustrated using cardboard cutouts and mixed media, this is a great starting point to open up a conversation about emotions and exploring how a child feels when they experience each one mentioned. 

This video link is provided to help an adult assess the book's suitability for a child's situation before purchasing it. It has been filmed by a third party and hosted on YouTube and is not made by Little Parachutes. More info

The messages we found in this book:

Acknowledgement:

  • Challenging emotions such as sadness and anger can make you feel small and alone. 
  • Young children can find their anger very difficult to control and it can lead to undesirable and compulsive behaviour. 

Guidance:

  • Breathing slowly and deeply can make you feel calmer
  • Taking time to stop and recognise your emotions may make you feel less confused and overwhelmed by them. 
  • Happiness is something that you should share with others around you. 

Hope & Inspiration:

  • The girl is kind and helpful, supporting the monster through his challenging emotions (although she is impatient with him at first!) 

Categories: Aggression & Tantrums, Anxiety, Kindness, Sadness
Tags: anger, behaviour, emotions, fears, feelings, friends, loneliness



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What is a Parachute Book?

A challenging experience can make a young child feel as if they are in emotional free fall. As a parent, you can’t stop them falling, but you can offer them a softer landing:
a Parachute Book.

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The information provided on the Little Parachutes website is not a substitute for professional care by a qualified practitioner, and is not intended to provide medical advice. If you are concerned about the health and wellbeing of yourself or children in your care, you should always consult an appropriate healthcare professional.