As an autistic adult, I really loved this whole series. Obviously, I’m not the target audience, but this one taught me a lot. I have alexythemia, struggle to understand what I feel, the book talks about it but doesn’t name it, which I loved!!! People never understand me when I tell them I don’t know how I feel, I never have, so this book was very helpful in trying to help me figure some of those things out. I still very much struggle, but this book did give me insight I didn’t have before! I think it’s great, and definitely will be recommending it to future autistic children/their parents that I meet!

What's particularly valuable here is the authors' understanding that autistic individuals often experience emotions differently sometimes overwhelming, sometimes barely perceptible. The inclusion of Min the meerkat as a guide character shows thoughtful consideration for how autistic readers might connect better with information presented through a relatable intermediary.

This is really necessary for autistic young people who are experiencing the world differently and who are being met with people who either refuse to understand the source of the behavior or are actively trying to refusing to believe that autism is something that is a part of young people's lives. At this moment autism is being demonized and pathologized - as someone who is autistic, I think this is crucial to promote acceptance and understanding in young people of autism.

i can tell that this book will help so many people, it is wrote in a way that is imformative as well as being funny sometimes too. i think this book will be relatable to lots of people.

Having read several of the Awesome Autistic Guides so far, for my young daughter with autism, I was looking forward to reading this guide on feelings and emotions the most. Because that is something very particular that my kid struggles with, and I thought this book would be most beneficial to her as we help her educate herself on her beautiful brain. I'm glad authors Yenn Purkis & Tanya Masterman wrote a guide specifically about this subject, allowing us to dive deeper into these themes.  

If this is your first Awesome Autistic Guide, you'll be new to the way Yenn & Tanya begin this book: simply by introducing themselves and their own autism to their young readers. This relatability instantly makes this book a safe space and I love that approach. They as always also introduce their character Min: a meerkat who helps illustrate certain examples for additional clarity. 

The book starts with a clear goal: to help autistic children understand what emotions they may feel, what one's "comfort zone" is, and to provide clear "ways to stay calm". The authors give a broad explanation at first, and work their way down into more detailed topics the further along you read. 

They outline neatly what it means to feel comfortable and at ease with yourself, including in your body. The authors implore their young readers (and their caretakers!) to have a look at what a comfort zone may look like for them. After that, we learn where emotions come from; they touch on the concept of common emotions for certain situations, but also the understanding that people are still different and can feel/react differently. Early on the authors validate their readers: "your emotions are YOURS and they are always the RIGHT ones for you". This is so important! I've noticed they repeatedly add in boosts like these to make their readers feel understood. Re: safe space!  

I mentioned earlier that Purkis & Masterman include the body in the topic of emotions. They go on to explain a bit about hormones, the fight or flight response and in a chapter about sensory issues, they include the "other" senses - e.g. sensing your body's position, sensing your bodily needs such as hunger, etc. So good to include these senses that are usually always overlooked! It's a little more technical than what we've read in other guides, but we're getting relevant, necessary facts that will be helpful for autistic children to understand how their body works to help them feel emotions. It's not too complicated because they bring in helpful examples. 

They continue with chapters about how to know what feeling, if anything (it's okay to not feel something, too!), you're feeling. I thought the comprehensive lists describing how each emotion MIGHT be experienced are especially helpful both in learning about emotions in general, but also as a tool to use in particular situations, when you're not sure how to express what is going on in your brain. Kind of like a feelings wheel, but taking it one step further to identify broader emotions. For example, for anxiety the authors list things like "Feel as if your heart is racing" and "need to go to the toilet" alongside "worry about things".  

Finally they go into strategies. One thing I've learned about my daughter is that she often needs in-depth information to help her process the world around her. For most people, feeling anxiety is obvious, we know how to identify it. But for my daughter, it isn't obvious - she often just feels really, suddenly, intensely overwhelmed and has a hard time telling us what's the matter. So the more information she has, the more strategies she can develop, the better. Helpful exercises are scattered throughout the book at useful times, but the whole guide reads like an exercise in understanding, identifying and coping with emotions. An example of a good coping strategy, one could say, is reading this book! 

Anxiety and anger are the more stressful and overwhelming emotions in the moment, so I think it's good that the authors focus on those two emotions with regards to finding ways to cope. 

The book goes full circle with advice on how to stay in a calm place. (Something we could all use a little help with every now and again.) A lovely guide, and I'm grateful to NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for generously providing me with a copy of this book; all opinions expressed are honest, voluntary and 100% my own.

This is a great guide for young kids and tweens about how to deal with feelings and emotions as an autistic person. It comes from a very positive place and I really think it will be helpful to kids and tweens. Recommend!

An incredibly informative and helpful guide. This book I feel is a must read for even those who do not have autism. I know plenty of children (and adults) that could definitely use these explanations of emotions and tips on how to regulate them.

Interactive, straight-forward guide to what emotions are, where they come from, and how everyone experiences them differently. Full of real-world examples set up to show empathy, compassion, and a message of “You’re Not Alone”.
Readers are almost guaranteed to be more emotionally intelligent after finishing this book. Nearly everyone is likely to have learned something new from reading this, no matter how much they have studied the subject.
Incredibly comprehensive lists of emotions and the various ways they show themselves. With detailed explanations in simple terms for the science behind emotions, and different strategies to help deal with them.
A wonderful look at the complexities that make up the human body and brain - and how that varies from person to person, but especially for autistics.
I would absolutely love to see a version of this book on grief.

I wish I’d had this book series when I was growing up. As an AuDHD Mama with two daughters with an Autism diagnosis, and a young baby potentially also on the spectrum, I feel this is such an important series. Both for neurodivergent people, and neurotypical people for better being able to understand neurodivergent people.

This book was great for suggestions for coping skills for social interactions. Some of the things as an adult I still struggle with, and so it was immensely helpful to have some new tips I can implement, and help teach my kids, too. I am so grateful to both authors for writing this book.

I hope having these tools will make my children’s lives a little easier than mine was, in both social interactions and determining true friends from toxic friends, coping with Autism overwhelm, and being to love themselves as they are.

This provided a variety of helpful and healthy tools to be able to deal with hyperfocus, decision fatigue, sensory overloads, meltdowns or shutdowns, and executive dysfunction.

This is super helpful guide for teachers and parents as well as therapists to assist the children who are learning about their feelings. It gave concrete examples by using animals and scenarios that help children understand or get a tip of understanding of the feelings. It helps that the examples are simple and straightforward, then turn around and ask the children themselves what they think. That exercise helps identify the feelings and what they're supposed to be. There are quite a few examples so you do have to parse the lessons apart.

Thank you NetGalley & John Murray Press | Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the ARC.

A really great concept, and a really clever way of explaining common emotions and feelings to autistic children. The interactivity of the book means that each child can think about what works for them, as opposed to just providing a list of potential coping skills that may not suit their needs.

Appropriately paced, and in a good level of detail for the age range.

This is my second book by this author and I’ll probably read many more. I loved reading this with my son. The break down of each emotion was so amazing and it gave us the opportunity to start conversations about these deep topics. I also loved the examples that each chapter brought as well as the conversation starting questions at the end! What a great resource for autistic kids, but honestly, this would be a great read for any kid trying to understand the complexity of emotions!

I’m neurodivergent, AHDH, and I think these books are an excellent way to help autistic people in their travel to self-discovery and living to the best
Highly Recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this copy, all opinions are mine

Where was this book when I was small?
I've recently discovered I'm autistic, and after struggling my whole life, it's something I'm coming to terms with. Yes, this book is technically meant for kids. But it was enjoyable for me at the ripe age of 25. It's very simple, but practical and straightforward.
It's helped me shape some conversations with my little brother who's also on the ASD journey. It's a great read and I'd recommend to anyone who suspects they may be autistic and are struggling with their emotions

Thank you so much Netgalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the opportunity. As someone with family members and kids with both ADHD and autism, this book really resonated with me. I love the use of describing the different emotions, the techniques and the little activities to do. I also really loved Min and their headphones.

A wonderful read!
Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is a fantastic resource for young readers! I truly appreciate how it simplifies complex emotions in a way that’s easy to understand and fun. The authors (especially Min the meerkat!) do a wonderful job helping children grasp their feelings without overwhelming them. The tips and tricks are perfect for helping kids find their comfort zone when emotions feel overwhelming. (I can say that this book somehow works for me too! I love gaining new experiences and knowledge!)

As a special ed teacher of almost 20 years and now mom to an autistic 9 year old, I absolutely loved this book. it did a really great job breaking down emotions into bite sized chunks and using understandable terms. I liked the bulleted lists of what you might be feeling with each specific emotion. I also liked the small reflective exercises that are throughout the book that allow kids to reflect on how they feel and how they might react as well as determine how they can support themselves emotionally. I have ordered the set to work through with my own son and will be recommending the series to fellow educators and autism parents.

This was my favourite of the three guides by the authors. I have learned loads and will definitely reuse and recommend the tips to the young people and parents I support in my job.

A very good activity book for autistic children about recognising and working with their emotions and feelings.
At the core lies accepting them and being in more tune with them and the strategies for being more empowered are helpful.