Member Reviews

"The Seasons of Me" by Bonnie Cantarutti is a delightful children's book that compares emotions to elements like fire, air, water, and earth. It's written from a kid's point of view and shows that feeling different emotions, even the tough ones like sadness and anger, is totally normal. It's a fun and insightful read for kids and adults alike!

Was this review helpful?

The Seasons of Me tells the story of a little girl and her parents who live in the forest. They celebrate nature's beauty around them, consistently using it as a metaphor for themselves. This is particularly true when it comes to their daughter, Aurora. They use the elements and the seasons to help her understand her emotions better.

The love Aurora's parents have for her, and the respect they have for the natural world around them is really lovely. The copy I received was text only, but I feel like the right illustrator could bring this book to a five star rating. I would really enjoy seeing a completed copy.

Was this review helpful?

for some reason, when I opened the file, there was just a script without illustrations.
Its hard for me to judge a picture book without the illustrations.

Was this review helpful?

I wasn't a fan. I didn't feel like the words flowed together for it being a kids book. As a parent I do not see myself purchasing this book for my little one.

Was this review helpful?

I had larger expectations for this, thinking it would be a multi page picture book. However it was only a page or two, and just a lot of words. I think this would be far better for the audience if it was multiple pages and far more engaging.

Was this review helpful?

I'm sad this was just text, because based on the cover illustration, I'd looove to see the end result and beautiful illustration to go with a sweet story.

Was this review helpful?

This is a very sweet story about emotions and the beauty of nature. This book has a wonderful message and the analogies are superb! Highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Good story, weird format. I am unsure if this book was intended to just be 3 pages of only writing, but I think that if that is really the case, kids won't get as much out of this story as they potentially could. With a good illustrator that likely uses watercolors or oil pastels, this book could really go far. It addresses emotional management in an easy-to-understand and age-appropriate way. Lastly, I really liked the whole motif of nature that the whole book was built on, but I think that what each of the four elements represents could be edited a little. For example, having fire represent anger is pretty narrow. Instead, fire could represent strong emotions like love, anger, passion, or anxiety. Likewise, earth can represent so much more than just strength, like connectiveness, ability to be grounded, and family. Just a few suggestions.
Overall, though, I thought it was written well for a base, it just needed a little bit of visual flair to go with it.

Was this review helpful?

This book was cute! I liked the concept a lot! There were parts that were difficult for me to understand. I wonder if the language could be shifted more for the target age. Still love the concept and it would be a great resource to help teach kids about emotions!

Was this review helpful?

Very sweet book for children, using weather to help them understand their emotions. I think this would be helpful to share with the young people in your life.

Was this review helpful?

This was a beautiful work that I really enjoyed. It was more advanced in the language than I was expecting, but I liked it. I think older children, teens, and parents will appreciate it.

I loved the relationship between her emotions, seasons, and nature. I think it will help people navigate big feelings and express them with maturity.

Was this review helpful?

I don't know how to review this. Is the book getting art? Because that would raise my rating. Right now it is just two pages of text which I don't think kids will connect with. It has potential if the art is good and the prose is spread out in smaller chunks.

3 stars

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely beautiful. A wonderful way to express emotions and to help kids understand their emotions.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a beautiful read. I'm not sure if it's the final format of the book or if there will be art added (I hope so!) but the words alone were enchanting and so lovely. I think this book seems more appropriate for older children, but could be read to a younger child as well, and would also be a beneficial read for adult audiences, even. This is a lovely reminder that it's natural and human and beautiful to feel everything we do. It teaches a lesson that we all need to be reminded of from time to time, and the words it uses to do so are so deeply touching.

Was this review helpful?

It was a cute book. I wish it had more of a drive to the plot. Looking forward to see the art for the book. I think this would make the story far more enjoyable.

Was this review helpful?

This is so so beautiful. Comparing emotions to seasons to make them easier to understand was such a great way of explaining emotions to children and it was done in such a beautiful way.

I really hope that when it is published there’s beautiful illustrations to go along with it as i think that would take this book to a whole new level.

Was this review helpful?

I love the metaphors and lyrical flow of this verse. It's a children's book, however, and I'm wondering if there will be illustrations when the book releases. It's difficult to review without illustrations - unless that's the way it will be released? There is so much potential for beautiful pictures! I love the idea of comparing feelings to the seasons - it's beautiful!

Was this review helpful?

This is a beautifully written story about the growth and strength of a young girl. Comparing emotions to the natural elements is brilliant, and this text teaches young readers about the available support to tackle difficult emotions. I definitely recommend this read for juvenile and adult audiences alike.

Was this review helpful?

I loved the way that this described feelings from the child’s point of view versus the typical third person view. This is a great read and helps to explain how our feelings continue to grow, change and evolve and that they should be accepted as they are a part of us.

Was this review helpful?

I really loved this book and while I know it's probably aimed at children I think it would be great for both adults and children to read. I really enjoyed the idea of comparing emotions to the weather and seasons, and how it describes releasing your emotions in a physical way that related to nature (shout into the wind for example), overall it is a great way to help people visualize and understand their emotions and maybe find ways to try and regulate with them. The writing is very poetic and the art is beautiful, I do wish it had been longer but overall I really enjoyed it

Was this review helpful?