Why Do We Cry? Hardcover – Picture Book, April 7, 2020

Beautiful book. Big, beautiful illustrations. The reading is easy though some of the concepts may be a little difficult for younger ones to grasp. Though this just leaves a great opportunity for further discussion on all the different reasons for crying. Great teaching tool. The illustrations do a wonderful job depicting these deeper concepts. Readers may find themselves lingering a little bit on each page, after the reading is done, absorbing the meaning of the words and pictures. Very well done.

Go ahead and buy it for all the kids you know

I'm a child life specialist I have heard many parents and providers tell kids (and teens) to "stop crying" or "there's nothing to cry about" or some other variation of that hurtful phrase. I now work with children who have a parent with a serious illness and those experiencing grief. Why Do We Cry? is an amazing resource that is relevant to the majority of situations experienced by kids in my practice. It is beautifully illustrated with images that reflect the emotion in the written content. This book embraces the many reasons people cry without overstepping a boundary by trying to explain or justify the feelings. I love the subtlety of normalizing a variety of feelings and the gentle truth that sometimes we cry without knowing why. I highly recommend this book!

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own."Some days we cry because we call out for a hug but all we get back is an echo."Why Do We Cry? begins with a boy asking his mother why we cry. There are many answers to such a question and the mother helps the boy explore the many reasons why we may shed tears.As the mother explains the reasons why we cry, the illustrations become a bit surreal, to show the emotions and feelings associated with crying, from sadness to anger to grief. The mother compares and contrasts, all the while weaving a poetic story about her own life or memories and emotions.This book reminds us that it is okay to cry, that crying can be a release, a way to heal, or let go. It helps us understand the difference between emotions and how they affect us.There's an educational spread at the end of the book that teaches us the different types of tears, one of which--emotional tears-- is featured in this book, what they are made of, and even how much they weigh!

Why Do We Cry? is an sweetly illustrated and sensitively written book for young readers. Originally published in Spanish in 2018, this English translation released 7th April 2020 from Kids Can Press is 34 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.The book takes the form of a dialogue between a mother and son about why people cry and why it's good to examine and experience negative emotions so we can process them and what function tears (and crying) actually serve physiologically and emotionally. The text by Fran Pintadera (weblink in Spanish) is supported and enhanced beautifully by the nuanced illustrations by Ana Sender.This would make a superlative reading circle, library group, or classroom read for youngsters. There's a short discussion resource at the back of the book which includes some science based information on tears and the physiological functions they perform.Learning to process strong emotion in a positive and constructive manner is -vital- for development. I appreciated that the dialogue was sensitively handled and that the author chose to make the child male was a nice touch. I think that this could be a very valuable book *especially* given our current pandemic world situation.Five stars. Beautiful little book with universal relevance.Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

4.5 Stars: Times have changed, but for years, boys were told not to cry. In this story, Mario asks his mother why we cry. His mother has to think about it for a few moments and then she shares ideas with her young son. The text is beautiful in this book. The reasons for crying are not just simple answers they are metaphorical and poetic. The illustrations are not direct to the text, but hint at what is meant. I read this to my 6 year old grandson and we had quite a discussion about each page and each reason for crying. He is a very emotional child, so this was a great book to read to let him know that it is okay to cry. Kids can still be mean about crying and tease others calling them cry babies, but not nearly as often as in the past. I loved this beautiful book and think it needs to be in every family and school library to help children understand that crying is normal. The end pages includes some scientific facts about tears with some activities as well. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

This picture book beautifully normalizes the reasons why children (and adults) may cry. It passes no judgment and does not belittle. Rather, some of the many reasons for tears are described; these include anger, sadness and happiness among others. Crying is seen as a normal response to being human. At the end of the book, there is additional information, some of it scientific, about tears. The book is sensitively illustrated with gorgeous pictures that enhance the text. This would be a great title to share with a child you know.Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read in exchange for an honest review.