In Manage My Emotions: Just for Kids, Kenneth Martz, Psy.D and Meredith Martz, a high school student, teach kids how to deal with their feelings. I must admit, the authors’ ideas taught me too so I think this book might be useful to us grownups in our own lives. The authors use emoji (ideograms) which, according to Wikipedia, originated for use on mobile phones in 1997 Japan, and are now commonly used throughout the globe. As is readily evident in this kids’ book, emoji are a succinct and effective methodology to visually convey emotion (although according to Wikipedia the similar spelling is purely coincidental). Our authors have used these images to tremendous effect in instantly conveying feelings throughout this little book. Nevertheless, the authors make it clear upfront that the book’s lessons are not a substitute for professional therapy. We all know how important it is for kids to manage their emotions, and I think this book will be a tremendously useful aid.

Kenneth and Meredith Martz show the six most prevalent emotions as happy, worried, sad, scared, mad, and love. They move on to explain each of these and to offer exercises for how to manage each one; for anger, use deep breathing and physical exercise. Then they encourage their readers to offer their own suggestions. The authors use the first person “I” effectively to integrate the reader into the process as indicated by the “my” in the title. The authors connect the reader also through the direct, simple vocabulary, and of course with the magnificent and plentiful emoji that populate each page. Though the exact age range for the lessons is not specified, I think the vocabulary itself gives us a key: headings like emotions, generation, role, coping, awareness, boredom, compassion, and so on suggest the upper elementary levels. Yet, the plethora of images exploding off the pages will certainly get the meanings across and excite the interest of even preschoolers. This book will be an excellent tool for teachers and parents, during which the advanced vocabulary can handily be explained by reference to the pictures. Managing My Emotions should be close at hand in every home and school. I intend to use it for myself on occasion!

Manage My Emotions is an excellent guide for children and their parents on developing coping skills to handle their emotions. Even teachers will be better equipped to deal with students who are having difficulty expressing their emotions. Dr. Ken Martz offers tips on coping with our feelings of anger, fear, and love. Although this book will not replace professional help, it can help children and adults to deal with their feelings. The more you practice your happiness skills, the better you’ll become at being happy. Children and their parents will learn about the six big emotions, how to recognize them, and how to handle them. He also suggests taking action like a superhero to control our fears. The book doesn’t just list the tips but also asks you for other ideas in managing your emotions.

Manage My Emotions is a wonderful tool for schools, homes, and libraries to deal with emotions and how to control them. Dr. Ken Martz increases our awareness of our feelings and how we can express them. Am I sad or am I hurt? The illustrations are fun, friendly, and very effective. Emojis are great for expressing our emotions. I like how the Sadness page has lots of sad faces so people will realize they’re not the only ones who experience sadness. The amusing artwork will entertain children while the book offers ideas for enduring or wrestling with our perceptions. Teachers will like the exercises they can practice with students to understand and take control of feelings especially anger—without resorting to hitting or yelling. I think this book would be an ideal addition to classrooms, homes, and libraries.

Manage My Emotions for Kids by Kenneth Martz Psy.D. and Meredith Martz is a delightful, easy-to-follow guide for children (and entire families would greatly benefit) on the ins and outs of recognizing, processing, and releasing their emotions in a positive, healthier way. Manage My Emotions explains how to recognize the six main emotions of mad, scared, happy, sad, worried, awareness, and love, plus how to face many situations that kids go through such as bullying, anxiety, fear, sadness, isolation, and self-esteem issues. Expressing emotions can be quite tough for some, and this book is a great tool that teaches how to navigate through and come out the other side with awareness, gratitude, and hopefully, happiness and joy. Each person is responsible for their sometimes very confusing, overwhelming emotions, and if this bubbly, informative guide was on the shelf of every school library and home, what a huge difference for so many searching for guidance on how to manage those tricky emotions once and for all!

Manage My Emotions for Kids by Kenneth Martz Psy.D. and Meredith Martz somehow manages to colorfully address some very uncomfortable feelings, things kids don’t always recognize they’re feeling, and what to do about them. What can they do or say when they feel lonely, helpless, afraid, worried, or jealous? I think that Manage My Emotions is masterfully written, inspiring, bright, totally kid-friendly, and understandable. The authors have hit the mark with this one and every parent should be reading this with their children and every teacher to their students. Any book that helps families communicate better and children to grow into happy adults is a smash hit with me. To the point, witty, informative, with silly and fun illustrations; a well-deserved five stars.

Manage My Emotions by Kenneth Martz is written to help both children and their families cope with their feelings. Martz discusses six main emotions: feeling scared, mad, happy, worried, sad, and love. The book lists specific places or situations where emotions come into play, such as in school or relationships with family members or friends. It also describes ways children can overcome negative emotions, for example, how they can overcome boredom. Martz encourages interaction by periodically asking his readers to answer questions about their thoughts and feelings. The book includes a link to a free parents' guide, which is written to give parents ideas on how to talk to their children about their emotions. There is also a list of what could be referred to as FAQs, for example, “Is it okay to be angry?”

This book would have been valuable when my children were little. Although it’s written for young children, even adults may find it useful. In addition to the text, Martz uses emoticons to help reinforce his topics. Besides being entertaining, the emoticons are a big help in explaining the point being made. One of the methods Kenneth Martz uses in Manage My Emotions is asking children to assess their own reactions. For example, he asks where in their body do they feel when they’re mad or sad. Perhaps most importantly, the book encourages practical exercises, such as making a list of what’s important to the reader. The book is especially relevant in our current situation with coronavirus and the resulting physical distancing and emotional turmoil.