Out of a Jar

by Deborah Marcero

This highly anticipated follow-up to the critically acclaimed and bestselling picture book In a Jar stars one little bunny dealing with some very big feelings.

Llewellyn does not like to feel afraid or sad, angry, lonely, or embarrassed. And so he comes up with a brilliant plan: he tucks each of his feelings into jars and hides them away where they won't bother him anymore. But when he gets in trouble in class, Llewellyn finds he needs to put away excitement too. And when joy is quickly followed by disappointment, he decides to get rid of joy as well. After a while, Llewellyn walks around not feeling much of anything at all. And what happens when his emotions refuse to be bottled up any longer?

In this richly illustrated and universally relatable picture book, Llewellyn soon discovers that life is more colorful when he sets his emotions free. And only then, by facing and embracing each of his feelings, is he finally able to let them go.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Emotion, Animals, Mental Health, Fiction, Storytime

40 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2022

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Llewellyn doesn't like to feel sad or angry or embarrassed or lonely, and he comes up with a plan to deal with his feelings: he hides his feelings in a jar and puts them away so he won't be bothered with them.

It isn't long before he finds that he needs to hide not only the bad feelings, but also he has to hide feelings of excitement and joy, too.

And then he has no more room for jars...

A lovely little story that offers help in sorting out feelings for kids…and, maybe, for grownups, too. And who among us couldn't use a little more of that these days?

[Paige Pagnotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every therapist should have this book. Perfect representation of what happens when you don’t allow yourself to feel your emotions vs. when you do, in a very easy to understand, short, story.

[itselv]

I will never get tired of children-picture-books teaching younger generations emotional intelligence &mental health. so lovely, spot on and necessary.

[Viktoria]

прекрасни книжки <3

[superawesomekt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll see how my kids like this story of *literally* bottling up feelings. More time is spent on the "bottling up" and less time is spent on the healthy alternative, but I like the general message and I find the artwork interesting. I may come back and update my review later based on my kids' response.

Oh, and love the Welsh name Llewellyn for the rabbit!

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the art and the idea of bottling up emotions, but the story didn't go deep enough for me. First, I wondered why Llewellyn bottled up the good emotions too. It was clear that the time he was too excited that he got in trouble he might consider putting that into a jar, but why the joy? Why the inspiration? And then when the emotions are let loose, there is no understanding of how better to manage the emotions, which, it seems, was the problem in the first place. He learns to "let them go," but that doesn't help him produce them in a more manageable way in the first place. This was a missed opportunity.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

NetGalley Audio ARC.

A bit awkward to be an audiobook but of course, for those who have eye problems, this will be beneficial. It just seems odd that a publisher would pay to have such a short picture book become an audiobook. But unlike the previous picture book I read, this one has value and merit for children to learn to control their emotions because everyone knows children are volatile. Llwellyn has to learn how to deal with his emotions.

[Ashley Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new favorite in the field of emotional education. Every time little Llewellyn experiences Big Feelings, he learns to bottle them up. Or put them in a jar, rather. Eventually of course, the jars begin to break and all of the feelings come to the surface. Llewellyn learns to embrace each feeling as it comes, and lets it go to make way for the next feeling that makes the world a more vibrant place.

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not the biggest fan of books designed “to teach a lesson”, but this one did it so succinctly and simply, I see it as a favorite of school counselors for years to come. Sending it up to the school phycologist right away.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wat een heerlijk mooi boek was dit zeg! Wederom een succes! Ik zou ook af en toe mijn emoties wel in potjes willen doen~

Ik zal een langere review schrijven zodra ik kan.

Also note: Gelezen als hardcover, maar geen zin om naast alle Kindle edities ook nog een hardcover/paperback toe te voegen. Soms wel, nu niet.

English review:

A book about emotions, they can be scary, but should you put them in a jar… or not?


I really enjoyed the first book in the series, in which a bunny puts all sorts of gorgeous moments in jars and finds a friend/lover along the way! So I just had to get this one when I spotted it in the library. I had to see what would happen if you bottle emotions up, literally. Because we all know what happens when you do it in your mind, at one point, BOOM.

In this book we meet a bunny who finds out that he can put his emotions in bottles/jars/anything of glass really, and just hide them. Yep. Sounds like a plan right? I mean, I was definitely sold on the idea, bottling things up in my mind is fun, but if I can truly bottle them? Come on through. Haha. Especially as of late. But we can see that as each emotion gets throw into the jar and into the dark closet that things are changing. We see our bunny get less and less colourful. More a zombie rather than someone alive. We see cracks appear. I felt for him and wanted to give him so many hugs. I could fully understand him though, that he wanted to lock it all up. Again. I feel the same way many times. And our bunny has a lot of things happening to him.

The ending, well not unexpected, but I was proud of how our bunny handled it.

Oh, and dear bunny? Find a better friend. This one is terrible. At least if it is the same one who is doing all the bad things all the time.

The illustrations were absolutely stunning once again!

All in all, this was a gorgeous book about emotions, bottling them up, and more. I could fully relate to this bunny~

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had more stars to give to this book. Wow. This goes straight onto my favorites list.

We see a bunny with a problem in this story. Uncomfortable emotions (or ones which crop up inappropriately or unexpectedly) are shoved into jars and shut into a closet. What I loved most about this book is how they explained what happened when you ran out of space for the jars. Brilliant!

Now tell me this isn't one of the most important books you can share with your child? Heck, I shared this with my husband who read it and immediately said, "I feel a little called out."

The point is, this amazing book teaches you how to DEAL with your emotions, even the tough ones. But at the same time, you also learn how even too much of the good emotions can be overwhelming. In short, this book is absolutely perfect on just about every level. I intend to buy a copy and will likely buy a copy for each of my kids even though they're adults.

We all need a little emotional help. What can I say?

Awesome work, Deborah Marcero. You have just given me my favorite book so far of this entire year!

[Blanco Meyers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was a little creepy that Llewellyn bottled up all of his emotions.
I may read this with my young human to see how he responds, but I'm a little bit worried that he will infer that it is "normal" to bottle up your feelings.

I enjoyed many of the illustrations, and particularly liked Llewellyn's sculpture of a dinosaur with rabbit ears and butterfly wings.

[Shanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one tugged at my heartstrings. Such a wonderful way to talk about feelings. Llewellyn starts feeling scared, but he doesn’t like feeling scared, so he puts his scared feeling in a jar and puts it in the closet. Next, he starts to feel sad, but that’s uncomfortable too. So he puts sadness away. On and on it goes. Each feeling perfectly in a jar. But what happens when you can’t fit the jars in the closet anymore? This book teaches kids the importance of feeling every one of their feelings, even the “bad” ones. And it suggests ways to cope with some of them as well. I love Llewellyn the Bunny and his friends. The pictures are lovely and sweet. Thank you for touching my heart today, Deborah Marcero.

Mia’s Year of Books: Day 355

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Llewelyn bottles up his emotions.

Llewelyn is uncomfortable feeling his feelings, so he starts bottling them up and hiding them in the basement. Eventfully, a critical mass is reached, the bottles shatter, and Llewelyn is overcome by all his suppressed emotions. Afterwards, he feels surprisingly better and decides to simply feel his feelings as they occur and then let them go.

This story contains the positive message that all feelings are temporary and will pass and that it’s best to feel one’s feelings, good or bad, in real time.

This picture book helps teach emotional awareness, which enables children to identify and express their emotions, which is the basis for developing emotional regulation. It also affords readers the opportunity to reflect upon their own experiences and those of others.

[Janie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of a Jar, written and illustrated by Deborah Marcero, was so well done. What an important message to help children understand having feelings is a good thing. Her illustrations, fonts and color all worked seamlessly to convey the import of her words. For instance the color tones were deeper colors of blue etc in the beginning as Llewellyn, the little bunny, chose to hide away his emotions. He began stuffing them into jars until he ran out of space. After the “crash” occurs, her colors become lighter and brighter and more majestic! Children will fall in love with Llewellyn. Nicely done!

[Kerrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter clapped for the end of this book, she was so happy for the bunny feeling better and having friends. She asked questions throughout about the emotions and was very excited by the color representations. I'd say it's a great abstract look at how to deal with unwanted emotions, especially for 4-5 year olds with big feelings.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Чувствата не бива да се крият в килер в буркани, все едно са зимнина или нещо лошо, което не е хубаво някой друг да го вижда. Чувствата трябва да се изживяват, трябва да се показват и да се страхуваме, когато усетим няколко чувства заедно. Това е нормално! А Люелин се научава точно как да чувства, когато последният буркан вече няма как да бъде скрит

[Daisy Hendrikx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit prentenboek laat op een hele heldere manier zien wat er gebeurd wanneer je je gevoelens wegstopt. En wat er gebeurd wanneer je te veel gevoelens opbergt. En tot slot hoe fijn en verlichtend het voelt om je gevoelens te uiten en te delen.
Het is een erg geschikt boek om binnen het thema ‘emoties’ in te zetten.

[Bryan Loar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated continuation of rabbit Llewellyn’s travels through life. A great addition to anyone’s feelings collection. Out of a Jar would pair nicely with Brian Wray’s Max's Box : Letting Go of Negative Feelings. A digital advanced reader copy was reviewed.

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect audiobook to listen to with your kids while driving.

Not only is the story entertaining, but it also teaches a valuable lesson.

In the tradition of Aesop's Fables, children learn that all their emotions are valid and that they are necessary.

I rate OUT OF A JAR AS 5 OUT OF 5 STARS.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beautifully illustrated book about Llewelyn, a bunny who decides it is better to shove his emotions in a jar and hide them than to actually feel them. I loved the illustrations- they were a mix of vibrant shades of all the colors and the starkness of black and white. Beautiful!

[Katryna Ells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of a Jar is a great book for adults and children to discuss feelings. Everyone tries to bottle things up and this book really opens up how it's okay to feel but also okay to feel overwhelmed by those feelings at times to.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when you put all your emotions in a jar and shut them up tight? Eventually you're out of space and something's gotta give! A sweet look at what to do with emotions that may seem to be "too much" but really just need to be felt.

[Andita · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bicara masalah emosi dan perasaan. Setiap emosi yang kita rasakan itu valid dan semuanya berharga. Cara kita mengendalikan dan memahami diri kita adalah hal terbaik untuk mengelola emosi dan perasaan yang kita rasakan.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for SEL learning!

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute picture book about putting all your feelings in a jar and locking them away. But what happens when there isn't enough room in the closet for all the feelings you dont want to feel?

[Natalie Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book perfectly discusses emotions and mental health with beautiful illustrations on a level that both children and adults will appreciate.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Illustrates the importance of feeling feelings and not “putting them in a jar.”

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Llewellyn literally tried to bottle up his feelings which seemed to work. Each emotion has its own color -- black for scared, pink for joy, red for anger, yellow for excited. When he's bottled everything up and feels nothing, the page is grey with a hint of blue and Llewellyn is all alone. And of course, all the jars crack and spill out with a flood of color washing over Llewellyn. A good story for ages 4-8 about the importance of acknowledging your feelings while not letting them rule.