Crying is Like the Rain: A Story of Mindfulness and Feelings

by Heather Feinberg, Chamisa Kellogg (Illustrations)

Feelings come and go like the weather, and crying is like the rain. The words of this gentle book elaborate this soothing, encouraging theme, while the pictures tell a story of a little boy tearfully bound for his first day of school in the company of his older and wiser sister.


“Have you ever noticed that after a storm ends, the whole earth feels like it took a big deep breath? And then we can search for a beautiful rainbow. It’s the same for you and me. When we relax into our tears, we remember they have lessons to teach us. They are here to connect us to ourselves, deep inside. We can learn to express and share our feelings in ways that are safe for everyone. And then we can look inside for our very own rainbow. Crying is like the rain.”

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Emotion, Mental Health, Graphic Novels, Ebooks, Fiction

36 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2020

Reviews

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are not our feelings.
Feelings come and go.

A book that tells us that it is okay to cry. Crying or wanting to cry is nothing to be ashamed of, it doesn't mean that you are weak. It just means that whatever you are feeling is okay and it will pass just like after rain, the earth feels like it took a big deep breath and feels rejuvenated. It tells us that our feelings are validated. Lovely pictures, good rhyming and a beautiful and a very important message.

5 stars

[Maia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't tell you how excited I was to check this beautiful picture book out from my local library. It's illustrated by Chamisa Kellogg, a friend who I met in the THIRD GRADE! We were two of the most "artsy" kids in our class all the way through high school, and now we are both published illustrators <3 This short, accessible text uses metaphors of weather to talk about emotion, specifically how emotions like sadness and anger are natural, and that we all experience them like passing storms. The unnamed main characters walk to school, through fields, puddles and rain showers, and see a gorgeous rainbow at the end.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful colorful book that explores how feelings change like the weather. I appreciated reading the author's notes at the end which include, Weather Reports: A mindfulness Game and Words Have Power, both of which are truly helpful in exploring our own feelings, or being alongside someone who is experience deep feelings. As the author notes, and has been my experience also, people are uncomfortable around tears, their own and the tears of others.

Favorite lines:

"Have you ever noticed that after a storm ends, the earth feels as if it took a big deep breath? Then we can search for a beautiful rainbow."

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feinberg has created an honest and emotional comparison of rain and crying.
The illustrations by Chamisa Kellogg are a mesh of watercolors and evoking a natural mood.

The message of mindfulness and conveying feelings and the support of Crying makes a very worthwhile picture book for any reader, particularly if you have a little boy who has a problem sharing emotions.

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25-4.5 stars

This was a book a person I met in a therapy group suggested. Thankfully my local library had it available for me to check out and keep for a while. I’ve read it a few times and I find that I get some new understanding about how to accept my emotions and release them. The author’s note at the end has some nice tips being mindful of your emotions and that we don’t need to be afraid of anyone’s tears including our own. I can see myself buying a copy of this book in the future and rereading it often.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Featured in a grandma reads session.

Permission to feel how you feel is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other - in our relationships, homes, communities and lives. Whether we are close as woven linen threads, or as random as strangers in airports, being given the freedom to cry when and as it happens is a person-building gift. This author realizes and presents ways to allow others to cry and to allow ourselves to cry by pairing those feelings up with rain. Whimsical - is it? (it isn't, just seems so) - rain. Be brave and dig down for reasons, even if it is no reason at all.

A person allowed to cry is a person relieved, soothed, unburdened, revealed. . .all good things for what they teach the crier and other persons present. My group, mostly male, a number from a parent who considers this a weakness, listened hard, and nodded.

[Zaghol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tangisan adalah seperti hujan,
Hujan akan berhenti,
Begitu juga tangisan,
Pelangi akan muncul selepas perginya hujan,
Begitu juga kelapangan akan muncul selepas perginya tangisan.

فَإِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
Kerana sesungguhnya bersama kesulitan itu ada kemudahan,

إِنَّ مَعَ الْعُسْرِ يُسْرًا
sesungguhnya bersama kesulitan itu ada kemudahan.

Tenang baca buku ni, lukisannya pun sejuk mata memandang, masa adik aku kemalangan patah kaki beberapa tahun lepas, tatkala aku bersama adikku di dalam ambulans. Aku menangis sehabis-habisnya kerna sedih mengenangkan nasib malang adikku. Selepas tangisan itu, aku rasa seperti semua tekanan aku telah hilang, bersama-sama air mataku. Insya-Allah akan ada keadilan untuk Palestin.

#SelamathariRaya
#BebaskanPalestin

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it mainly because of the sentences "We are not our feelings. Feelings come and go." I remind myself of this constantly as an adult. Be lovely if we taught our kids this, I always thought I WAS my feelings and let them overcome and rule me. It was also my way of absolving myself of mistakes or wrongdoing against others. Took a long time to figure out that's not how it works.

[Fatini Zulkifli · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a well-written and well-illustrated book! It educates children about different emotions which are supposed to be experienced; not to be surpressed. It's okay to feel and be angry, frustrated or worried. But the emotions must be expressed correctly. These feelings are also temporary; just like the rain.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cried my eyes out on Saturday and Sunday of this past weekend and it really did help me to get back on track. The words from the afterword are on target: "Learning to be with ourselves as we experience feelings--understanding how to weather our inner storms--is an invaluable practice, one we can learn and teach our families." Crying is like the rain--refreshing and a re-set. What a good lesson for ALL of us.

[moomooread · Rating 5 out of 5]

ชอบที่เปรียบความรู้สึกกับสภาพอากาศมาก และแม้ว่าฝนจะเหมือนน้ำตา แต่ก็ไม่ได้แปลว่าฝนและน้ำตาจะแย่ไปซะทั้งหมด เพราะหลังจากฝนตกผืนดินก็จะชุ่มฉ่ำและสดชื่น

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A soft, nice story of using metaphors between weather phenomena and the emotions we feel inside. Feinberg gives many examples of what feelings can be like for a kid and presents it in a way to promote that feelings are something we should express in a creative way. Truly, we should all embrace the feelings we feel each day. She also provides other activities on the back for other ways to show feelings.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Well, if feelings are like the weather, then crying is like the rain." Amen, y'all!

This is one of the best picture books I've dome across that explains feelings so well. It lets kids know that we are not are feelings, and we need to take the sorrow with the laughter, the raging with the quiet, the hurt with the joy. LOVED THIS.

[watermelonreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

borrowed this on libby because of the cover but man, the reading experience reminded me so much of that talk I had with my prof. the words soothe you, the illustrations invite a wave of calmness and a sense of hope. the illustrator Kellogg is one you should look out for!

[donna backshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not expecting such a powerful message. Young and old, everyone should read this book and remind themselves just how cleansing crying can be.

[يَمَامَة · Rating 3 out of 5]

•لا تتوفر نسخة عربية

This was meant to be a children's book but for me it wasn't. It teaches us to understand our bodies and feelings like weather, you can be angry and scream like a thunderstorm or cry and spill all of your tears like pouring rain or maybe your soul is shining bright like the morning sun and above all your feelings matter.
I loved the concept of expressing feelings like weather forecasts I have never thought about that before. I find the last 2 pages very instructive as well, but I don't think this is a regular everyday read for children I don't think they'll enjoy it nor fully comprehend it, but I do recommend to read it for children who are experiencing major changes like divorce, school change, bullying...etc.

Final evaluation: 3 stars

[Wardah · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are not our feelings.
Feelings come and go.

Crying is Like the Rain is a powerful picture book about feelings and expressing it. About it's okay to cry, feelings never defining us, and accepting all our emotions. The illustrations are beautiful. The story itself is simple and easy for children to understand. But the message is remarkable.

[Satangan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about feeling that its okay to cry and be emotional.
Open up and express yourself.
The metaphor is clearly expressed.
Anxitey, sadness, happiness; emotions are healthy to have.
Its natural to have feelings And encourage you to share them.

The illustrations are nice, beautifully drawn, and colorful.
Easy to understand and would recommened others to read it.


Favorite Quotes:

“Feelings aren’t meant to be kept inside.” (Pg. 26)

“They’re meant to be felt, to flow through us like rain water.” (Pg. 27)

“And then we can look inside for our very own rainbow.” (Pg. 34)

“Crying is like the rain.” (Pg.35)


—- There are many more likeable/loveable quotes from the book, these are just some of them.

For a childrens book, it really did a great job on getting the understanding across that emotions and feelings are safe to share with others. And that crying is okay, its always okay to cry. 🥺😭🥹😍🥰🥰

It made my day and myself feel better.

[Mark Robison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally down with the concept but it was a bit too didactic to me. It's got two pages of exercises in the back to help little kids work through emotions so I would've simplified the text in the heart of the book, which can sound like an earnest young kindergarten teacher, and left the heavy lifting to the exercises. The words might work in person but they felt a little off reading them, to me anyway.

Excerpt: When you are worried or upset, scared or lonely, or something deep within feels off balance, there is a storm building inside you. The storm may be small or big. ... You may feel tidal waves of pressure inside, expanding and pushing out like a hurricane."

The art's good, and I think it would give good ideas to parents trying to figure out how to talk to a child struggling with strong emotions — and the metaphor of emotions passing through like a storm is spot on — so this may work better for others than it did me.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crying is Like the Rain is a stunning, descriptive, expansive book - an important book - which offers language, understanding, and tools to help navigate emotions. The beautiful images tell the story of a particular child's struggle while the far-reaching words make the story relatable to any circumstance. The story takes us on a journey into the healing process of accepting feelings and allowing them to flow through us, without judgement or fear of other people's reactions. There is a lovely activity at the back of the book, which offers practical support in making this wisdom a part of daily routines. This book is a gift to the emotional wellbeing of children and adults alike, perfect for every home, classroom, and library!

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully written and illustrated book is a delightful introduction for children to the importance of both rain and tears in life. The liberating, at times scary, at times sad, and at times joyful experience of both rain showers and crying in this story, when read to or by children is sure to help many children accept the transitory sadness, discomfort, embarassment, and loss of control experienced as part of living well. I am anxious to buy a hard copy for my read aloud stack for story hours and bedtime. I know plenty of adults too, who need to hear this story.

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading a few children's book as part of a July challenge / group. The books I've picked are short picture books that I think might appeal to my grands (ages 1 to 4 yrs).

This one is lovely. The illustrations are colorful and seem to include a variety of characters (both girls and boys, in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors). There is not a story, but more of a way of thinking about feelings - with weather used to illustrate both the variety of feelings and their transient nature. (Storms pass...We are not our feelings. Feelings come and go.... and do our feelings.)

[Khurin W. F. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children book with this genre really helps a lot to understand ourself better. Reading this made me look back at the day I still suppress my emotions. I forgot that all feelings are temporary. This book describes it well tho, the analogy between emotions and the weather, it helps children to understand it better.

“We are not our feelings. Feelings come and go.”

[Laura Kisthardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book! Excellent social emotional learning. Too often in children’s books crying is portrayed as bad behavior or sadness that needs to be immediately comforted. I really appreciated the lessons this book teaches. Crying is normal. It is okay to cry. And we cry for different reasons sometimes. I think it is the perfect book for kids age 4-7 who have big feelings.

[Joanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m in the market for books about feeling our feelings to share with my son. This one is okay….but I am still looking.

[Mii · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty illustration and easy metaphor to teach children about emotion

[Dhifa ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book. BENER buku ini bagus bgt isinya.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This made me cry and I'll definitely read it to my future kids and/or students

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and short.

[Metallmillitia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this as a teenager looking for something to help me fall asleep and would have never guessed that this short childrens book would change my views on how i see myself. Truely a story for all ages. Definitely sharing this with my therapist.