The Way I Feel

by Janan Cain

Silly is the way I feel
when I make a funny face
and wear a goofy, poofy hat
that takes up lots of space.

So begins a child’s romp through The Way I Feel, a delightful book that helps kids describe their emotions and understand that feelings are a normal part of life.

Feelings come and feelings go.
I never know what they’ll be.
Silly or angry, happy or sad
They’re all a part of me!”

Vivid, expressive illustrations fill every page with color, encouraging children to understand their emotions (and those of others). For parents and teachers, The Way I Feel provides a means of introducing both the concept of feelings and the vocabulary that helps children express their emotions with words.

I’m frustrated because I can’t do it.
It’s hard and I want to cry
I don’t know whether to give it up
or to give it another try

Parenting Press’ best-selling children’s book is now available in a toddler edition! With a million copies in print, this delightful introduction to feelings is now published in a sturdy board book perfect for toddlers. Beloved by children and adults alike, The Way I Feel is being used at bedtime, in child care and preschool, and in pediatric clinics to teach children the words for emotions.

Even the youngest children will love Janan Cain’s whimsical characters: dressed in colorful zany getups, they truly bounce off the walls in excitement, swing into the sunshine with joy, and erupt with anger.

Check out what critics critics have to say.

For more information, there is an online media kit and a lesson plan for teachers available on Parenting Press website as well.

This content is re-published with permission from the Parenting Press.

Like many entrepreneurs, Elizabeth Crary was frustrated by what was available in the marketplace and set out to create a better mousetrap; or, in Elizabeth’s case, a better parenting book. Based on her experience as a parent-educator at a community college and written on her dining room table, Without Spanking or Spoiling: A Practical Approach to Toddler and Preschool Guidance synthesized Elizabeth’s observations on and beliefs about parenting. Unable to find a publisher, Elizabeth self-published Without Spanking or Spoiling, housing the first 5,000 copies in her garage and invoicing customers from the dining room table. Sensing that there was an unmet market need, Elizabeth founded Parenting Press to bring other parenting-focused titles to market. Since Elizabeth published Without Spanking or Spoiling, Parenting Press has published more than 100 books. Parenting Press focuses its attention around four main areas: child guidance, problem solving, emotional competence, and kids’ personal safety issues.

In each of these areas, Parenting Press stresses practical advice for parents that builds “people skills.” Books are based on several different parenting philosophies and extensive field-testing. This emphasis on practical, adaptable advice and real world testing results in books that are timeless—a testament to this fact is that of the 100 titles published by Parenting Press only a handful are out of print.

Since its inception, Parenting Press has been notable for its willingness to tackle subjects—bullying, grief, death, divorce—that other publishers would not and be successful with them. A case in point is the publication, early on, of It’s My Body, which tackled sexual abuse. It’s My Body, which is still in print, is used to this day by pediatricians, professionals and parents.

Parenting Press also diverges from standard industry practices when it comes to marketing and operations. Of course, that’s not surprising given that Elizabeth typed the first manuscript on a computer that her husband built from scratch, warehoused the books in their garage, and used the dining room table for invoicing and packing.

Where most publishers use catalogs and sales reps, Parenting Press, like all great entrepreneurial companies, relies on non-traditional marketing tactics—outreach to preschool co-ops, email newsletters, activity plans, online press kits, and word of mouth —to spread the word.

Clever Parents thinks that the mission of Parenting Press and the books it publishes are hugely important to parents and we’re happy to announce that we are starting a new column that will spotlight books, authors and related information from the Parenting Press.

Learn more about Parenting Press and its books at www.parentingpress.com.