Our Hearts: A children’s book about how we navigate all of our feelings together with the ones we love.
Written by Kathleen Davis
Illustrated by Martyna Nejman
This beautifully illustrated rhyming picture book imparts a beautiful message for any age. The feelings we hold in our hearts belong not only to us but to those around us who love and care for us.
Our parents and friends experience the joys and sorrows, successes and failures we hold in our hearts. As we grow older our hearts expand as does the ability of others to share in those feelings. Our ability to love always outshines the feelings of fear and sadness.
I especially enjoyed the multicultural illustrations and the interactive feature, which encourages young readers to find and identify scenes and objects in the book.
Highly recommended for elementary and middle school readers, but a joyful message for all ages.
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Sometimes we don’t know what to do with them or how to change our thoughts that cause these feelings. The first day of school can be scary, but “Furrapist” Jackson Johnson and cute pup Ralphy of Ralphy’s Rules for the Good Life are committed to helping a busload of kids understand and manage their big feelings. During the ride to school, Furrapist Jackson Johnson teaches the children that they can choose their emotions and decide how to respond to them. Ralphy and Jackson make the complicated subject of emotional intelligence accessible for kids to understand and, more importantly, implement in their everyday lives.
So hop on the bus with us, and let’s learn about how taking charge of our feelings can change our day!
Talar Herculian Coursey is a lawyer by day and a children’s book author, Life Coach, and philanthropist by night (more like mornings). She has been a General Counsel since 2011 and recently joined ComplyAuto, a privacy/cybersecurity SAAS company. Before going in-house, she was a file clerk, associate, and partner at the national labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips LLP. Talar is a co-author of both #Networked: How 20 Women Lawyers Overcame the Confines of COVID-19 Social Distancing to Create Connections, CultivateCommunity, & Build Businesses in the Midst of a Global Pandemic and Women In Law: Discovering the True Meaning of Success. Her first children’s book,Ralphy’s Rules for Living the Good Life, was published in 2021.
Talar has served as the President of the Salt Lake City Chapter of the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (“SOAR”) since 2015. SOAR, founded in 2005, supports orphanages in Syria, Lebanon and Armenia. She runs the Salt Lake City Half Marathon every year to raise money for SOAR in memory of her father. Net proceeds from her children’s books also go to SOAR. In addition to being a mother, wife, lawyer, life coach, and philanthropist, she is also a runner, yogi, and Jesus, Eckhart Tolle, Peloton, and Brandon Flowers groupie.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL SKILLS EXPLAINED FOR YOUNG CHILDREN
Ralphy’s Rules for Feelings
Written by Talar and Riley Herculian Coursey
Illustrated by Meri Andreasyan
This is the second picture book in a series that defines and explains how to deal with emotions for elementary school age children.
Ralphy, a dog, drives the school bus and his friend Jackson Johnson, the Furrapist, sits next to him on the first day of school. As each child passenger enters the bus, Jackson asks how they are feeling. The children express feelings like excitement, sadness, nervousness, and tiredness. Jackson encourages each child to put this feeling on the front seat and decide later whether to leave it or take it with them when getting off the bus at school, teaching children that a feeling can be changed by thinking differently about it. The book portrays a wide range of feelings exhibited by multicultural children, which allows any reader to identify with the characters. At the end of the story, readers are encouraged to discuss their own feelings.
While the book is targeted for readers ages four through ten, it is relevant for a reader of any age. I would recommend it to parents and teachers for a read aloud and discussion.
GIVEAWAY
Enter the giveaway for the chance to win a classroom set that includes 25 copies of Ralphy’s Rules for Feelings!
Mina’s Ups and Downs (Written in Traditional Chinese, English and Pinyini)
Written by Katrina Liu
Illustrated by Rosalia Destarisa
This bilingual picture book written in Chinese and English walks the reader through Mina’s first visit to a carnival. She is so excited. As Mina experiences the rides, the petting zoo, and the sights and smells of the carnival, she displays a range of feelings
Mina feels happy when she flies up in the air but disappointed when she is too short for the roller coaster. She finds it difficult to choose from so many foods She feels angry when the goats cause her to drop her ice cream and sad when she first loses a carnival game. Young readers get the message that it’s okay to experience a range of emotions and that all works out for the best in the end.
This book is an excellent choice for toddlers and preschoolers. My only criticism would be that the font for English is rather small and a bit difficult to read as the Chinese characters draw the eye to it.
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Wally Raccoon hears a loud noise; he discovers that the animals on the farm are holding a Farmyard Olympics. Eager to join in the fun, Wally attempts to join the basketball and volleyball team. He is rebuffed and informed that there is no room for him. Wally is sad and disconsolate until Danny the Deer finds a solution to Wally’s dilemma.
There are four lines of rhyming text and an accompanying illustration on each spread. At times the rhyme seems a bit forced and unnatural. There are also a few editing errors. On the other hand, the book has value for young children who have experienced being left out and lonely. Recommended for children in the three to six age group.
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August 27, 2025
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