★★★★☆ 4.8 out of 5 — from over 17,738 Amazon ratings

The Color Monster wakes up with all his feelings tangled together, happy, sad, angry, scared, and calm, unable to tell where one emotion ends and another begins. With help from a patient young friend, he sorts each feeling by color and learns how it feels in his body. Anna Llenas pairs expressive collage-style illustrations with a simple story that gives children an approachable language for complicated emotions.

Works especially well for preschool and early elementary social-emotional learning, morning check-ins, and conversations after a hard day. Extend it with painting, color sorting, journaling, or asking your child which colors match their feelings.