Do we have to talk about everything? Can’t there be too much emotion? You can hardly turn on the radio, let alone click on a podcast app, before the tyranny of emotions explodes into your eardrums. People talk about infidelity and infidelity, about shame, betrayal and jealousy. Tears flow from celebrities on TV. If one is to do a portrait interview with athletes, the focus is surprisingly often that “dad would have liked this” (understood that he is dead) – or “NN defied grief and went for gold”. Inviting fact book Children’s literature is full of feelings, where great drama often triggers fear, shame, horror, loneliness or – most popular of all, in any case in books for children on the way to adolescence: Love. In the small book “Hello, feeling!” author and illustrator Elisabeth Moseng goes into the feelings matter-of-factly. WHAT DOES THE SQUIRREL FEEL? The author will inspire the young readers to feel in their own bodies how different feelings manifest themselves, and in what situations they appear. Illustration: Elisabeth Moseng WHAT DOES THE SQUIRREL FEEL? The author will inspire the young readers to feel in their own bodies how different feelings manifest themselves, and in what situations they appear. Illustration: Elisabeth Moseng Guides the reading with a gentle hand If the book is a question book, she starts from a concrete image: Bella Bjørn and Eno Ekorn are friends. She’s big, like a bear should be, he’s a little jerk. Nevertheless, they are best friends. But even veins can come into conflict with each other. And then both painful and difficult feelings can arise. Illustration: Elisabeth Moseng Illustration: Elisabeth Moseng Illustration: Elisabeth Moseng The first page shows Bella Bjørn enjoying a huge soft ice cream, while her little friend looks on. The question is: What does Eno Ekorn feel here? And then readers can tick off their own form for 1) I wish it was my ice cream 2) I am happy when Bella is well 3) You can’t eat ice cream in winter “Hello, envy” reads the headline on the next page – and there Moseng explains what envy is and how it can be recognized. The author therefore lays down some clear premises for which answer is the right one. She controls the reading, or the conversation, if you like. Moseng also asks direct questions to the reader and asks if the reader can think of when he himself was envious. I like the direct questions. The book invites those who read it, so that communication goes two ways. He or she who reads is given time and space to answer. Gives children emotional tools In this way, there are new scenes between the two friends, and the feelings that are presented are, among other things, shame, anger, regret and love. Illustration: Elisabeth Moseng It is entirely possible to have several feelings at once, says Moseng, and lets colors and feelings explode in a cascade of drama before she ends with the tickling feeling of joy. “Hey, feeling!” is a good educational book for young readers. She is probably suitable for children who cannot read by themselves; in this way, the book can be used as a trampoline for conversations between the adult who reads and the child who is stimulated to think about their own feelings. CAN DO MORE THAN DRAWING: Elisabeth Moseng is an illustrator, designer and author. Photo: Vigmostad & Bjørke For 30 years, Moseng has illustrated books for others. In recent years, she has also written the text for several children’s books herself, such as here. Then she has full control over all remedies and she tours them with natural authority. The illustrations are simple: Bella is blue and Eno is red, the color palette is sober until colors and feelings are brought together in a fanfare towards the end of the book. Because that’s how life is: open, wonderful, colorful. OK then, I tolerate one more There is no shortage of books about feelings for young children. Just think of the Albert Åberg books, Tor Åge Bringsværd’s series about Karsten and Petra or Kari Stai’s books where the friendship of the radar couple Jakob and Neikob is challenged. We have also received many non-fiction books for the very youngest in recent years, including the “Library of Feelings” series by Anna Fiske. Should we first have another children’s book about the troubled feelings, this is a sympathetic contribution. And what do I know, maybe it’s not just the children who benefit from an orderly approach to the subject? Elisabeth Moseng’s version is clearly public information that stimulates active participation. I know I like it. news reviews Photo: Vigmostad & Bjørke Title: “Hey, feeling!” Author and illustrator: Elisabeth Moseng Genre: Question book for children Publisher: Vigmostad og Bjørke Number of pages: 50 Date: 16 March 2023 Hello and welcome! I am a literary critic for news, and I write about books for both children and adults. Other good children’s books I have read recently are “Jakob and Neikob and the Time Machine” by Kari Stai or “The Heir” by Anne Gunn Halvorsen and Randi Fuglehaug. Tips for even more good children’s books can be found here. We are updating all our reading tips in this case.
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“Hey, feeling!” by Elisabeth Moseng – Reviews and recommendations
