Sometimes I Cry

by Jess Townes, Daniel Miyares (Illustrations)

From Jess Townes with illustrations by Daniel Miyares, this poignant picture book deftly tackles the wide array of emotions experienced in childhood, and especially reminding readers that there’s nothing wrong with crying.

Sometimes I cry
. . . when I’m angry.
. . . when I’m scared.
. . . when I’m happy.

There are all sorts of feelings that can make us cry—from disappointment to joy, from grief to love. Sometimes I Cry offers a gentle and necessary affirmation of the emotional complexity of growing up. Powerful, poignant, and universally relevant, it is a triumph for readers of any age.

Sometimes I cry.
And that’s okay.

Genres: Picture Books, Emotion, Childrens, Mental Health, Psychology

40 pages, Hardcover

Published September 26, 2023

Reviews

[Book Buying With Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yesssssssssss I love crying ❤️❤️❤️ especially the dad and grandpa crying too omg 😭

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetic story with multiple stanzas offering different examples that lead to crying. A scraped knee, uncontrollable laughter, righteous anger, disappointment, love.

"Sometimes
My feelings fill me up
Like a water balloon
That stretches
And stretches
And stretches
Until I think I might burst
But when I let my tears out
My feelings fir perfectly inside my body
All my feelings together
And I know it's okay that
Sometimes
I cry."

[Sarah BT]

A few years ago I created a booklist for Novelist about social-emotional learning and nonconforming to gender stereotypes. If that list was to be updated, this book would be at the top.

I love how various emotions are portrayed and explained. There's not one way to cry and there's not one reason to cry. Crying comes in many forms and our emotions are not something to hide away from. I love the openness of crying when happy, crying when sad, crying when frustrated, and crying when so overwhelmed with feelings those emotions have nowhere else to go but out through tears. All of this is accompanied by Daniel Miyares beautiful artwork which is tender and fits all the right feelings for each situation. This is a book to cherish.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how this book shows a broad range of emotions that kids can feel, from very happy to angry to sad that make you cry. Very useful for disccusing big emotions. It's very validating, and the examples are very poignant (I got so mad with the mean kid crumpling the origami frog! I would have cried too!). The art is lovely and I love the healthy representation that everyone has big feelings--even grownups!

[DaNae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely descriptive passages about emotional life.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one to be shared with everyone.

[Jessica Kulekjian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book! This is such a powerful and incredible book. Jess Townes’s language is gorgeous with phrases that make me pause to re-read again. For example, “Laughter that spills out of my eyes” and “I erupt with red-hot lava tears.” The story explores ordinary, universal, and specific reasons we all might well-up with emotion that cries out of us. Daniel Miyares’s illustrations are evocative with stunning expression that adds to the book’s tender exploration of emotion. As an elementary teacher, I can imagine this book will lead to many wonderful discussions that explore social-emotional learning. I would also use this as a mentor text for students to explore their own creative writing around why they might, “sometimes cry.” What a beautiful and important book!

[Jared White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I love that the lead character is a boy and that he cries because of so many things, like from pain and laughter, anger and disappointment, fear and grief (which from the pages seems like, in this case, it's a mixture of happy and sad tears as he and his grandpa remember the grandma), of love for his little sister and just FEELING so MUCH.

"Sometimes
My feelings fill me up
Like a water balloon
That stretches
And stretches
And stretches
Until I think I might burst
But when I let my tears out
My feelings fit perfectly inside my body
All my feelings together
And I know it's okay that
Sometimes
I cry"

What a powerful message that boys (and all of us) need to hear and absorb.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about being ok to cry. There are so many emotions and this goes through many of them like the lose of a loved one or hurting oneself. There are also those that anger fueled when people hurt us or we get embarrassed. Once we let them out, then our bodies go back to normal.

The art looks painted to me. It doesn’t look digital. The colors are nice and some of the feelings get some great artwork.

It’s a book to let kids know it’s okay to have feelings. I love this one episode of 'Everybody Loves Raymond.' Debra got everyone out of the house and she put on a sad movie and cried. I love that. Sometimes I just need a good cry. It feels like a good release.

This book would be good for young kids to reassure them.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's okay to cry and in everyone's lives, including a child growing up, there are also numerous reasons when tears appear. It may be a bump on the knee, or someone at recess doing something mean. But there are times when tears come from happiness, like loving on a new giggling baby sister or wrestling with dad along with a huge laugh fest! Daniel Miyares shows some on this special cover with full-color actions happening inside, all from a young boy, who realizes each one is really okay. This is one to share with every child, showing that tears appear in all kinds of times, and help in all kinds of ways!

[Bookishrealm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awww man this was so good!

I've been looking to read more books about social emotional learning and this one right here HIT THE SPOT. My goodness this was brilliant. Not only does it push back against the age old gender stereotype of "boys don't cry," but it illustrates all of the emotions that make you cry. At four years old my daughter often associates sadness with crying; however, books like this teach that crying goes beyond sadness; tears are representative of a host of different emotions. The illustrations by Daniel Miyares capture this perfectly. They are beautiful, rich, and the close ups of the main character work well to showcase a wide variety of emotions.

[Chelsea Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This stunning book poetically carries us through all the unique emotional experiences that pull us to tears. With each moment, you feel the emotions with our protagonist - the happy tears, the angry tears, the lonely tears, the scared tears, the hurt tears and the sad tears. It's really remarkable how Jess Townes was able to create such palpable moments with nuanced emotion. Daniel's art is phenomenal and really brings you close to the emotional heart of each beat. This is a beautiful book and a must have for any library.

[Derick Wilder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Especially as someone whose daughter calls him out for crying at movies, this touching story certainly hit home. The depiction of the various types of tears through relatable scenarios is moving, and appeals to adults and kids alike. The lyrical text from Jess Townes and powerful illustrations from Daniel Miyares complement each other beautifully, capturing each moment and heightening the emotional connection with the reader. And, perhaps more importantly, the underlying theme that it’s perfectly okay for boys and men to cry is an important one, and Sometimes I Cry handles it deftly!

[Becky Shillington · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this poignant, heartfelt book, a child thoughtfully explores the complexity of tears. Using simple, direct text, Townes does an outstanding job of showing how emotions can become so big that they overflow into tears of all types—pain, laughter, anger, disappointment, fear, sadness, and pure JOY—and are a natural part of being human. Miyares’ beautiful illustrations provide the perfect narrative complement and add even more emotional depth. This book is suitable for young children but will also work well for launching discussions with older elementary students.

[Becky Scharnhorst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I cry… especially when I read tender and powerful books like this one! I can’t count the number of times I paused while reading this to take a breath, sigh gently, or whisper, “Wow!” This book lovingly explores the many emotions and experiences that may lead us to cry, and it does so in a way that brings you right alongside the character on the page. Children and adults will find the scenarios both relatable and profound. There are books you read, and books you experience. This one was an experience. I believe this book should be in every classroom and home library.

[Karla Valenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this moving and thought-provoking picture book, dream team Jess Townes and Daniel Miyares, explore the nuanced landscape of tears. A lyrical and evocative text, accompanied by gorgeous illustrations, SOMETIMES I CRY guides readers through a number of experiences that may elicit tears (in the characters and readers alike) - from an injury to unstoppable laughter, from a memory to a loss, from fear to profound love - reminding us that crying is the most human of emotions and a powerful salve for the soul.

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too many kids, particularly boys, get the message that they shouldn't cry (often because it makes parents and other adults uncomfortable), but this picture book provides warm affirmation that sometimes we cry--and it's OKAY. The boy in this story cries after an accident on his bike, out of anger during a bullying incident, and because he's disappointed by his performance in a game. He also cries tears of joy and of nostalgia--all valid reasons to tear up. Gift this book to any kids who should know that crying is simply an appropriate emotional release.

[Johnell Dewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant story about accepting one's emotions, particularly those that might make us cry from joy, fear, pain, or anger. The story follows a child who experiences various moments that bring tears as that child realizes that those tears are okay and a natural way to deal with big emotions. The art is evocative, the text is brief and poetic but packed with meaning and connections that a parent and child can discuss and learn from. Beautifully done.

[Jami Gigot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous and beautifully written book that shows all the various ways in which our strong emotions can come out through our tears. It shows crying as a natural way to process these complex feelings. The text is poignant and sweet, and the illustrations are gentle and heartwarming. A really moving book and great way to show children, and everyone for that matter, that it’s all right to cry!

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall: good but overdone/too much.

The story & illustrations are odd: a range of hitting the right note to disturbing (over-large eyes that are streaming with tears, the boy crying when he meets his new baby sister...Little kids cry when they have a new baby in the house? I've never seen that tearful awe in a young kid but have seen tears of confusion or jealousy.).

Themes: emotions
Ages: preK-1st grade
Pub year: 2023

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I wish I'd written and a book I wish I'd had as a highly sensitive kid. Jess Townes uses lyrical language to explore the many feelings that might cause tears (fear, physical pain, grief an overwhelming sense of love for a younger sibling) and affirms these feelings. The book is great for any gender, but I especially love that Daniel Miyares' emotive illustrations show dads and grandfathers crying, too, destigmatizing male vulnerability.

[Mandy Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. I love the message behind it that teaches kids that it is ok to cry. I also really love how the main character is a boy because a lot of times society says that boys can't cry or that it makes them weak. This will hopefully show little boys that its ok to cry. I will 100% be putting this in my classroom library and using it as a read aloud. I recommend this for a 2nd-5th grade classroom.

[Kelli Panique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I wish this book was around when my boys were little. I love how this normalizes the emotions that bring tears to our eyes from laughter to anger to pride to scariness and, of course, sadness. The illustrations are beautiful and what a wonderful way to talk to your kids about emotions and how to express them. Well done.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world where boys are so often encouraged to quell their emotions, this beautiful book is a refreshing narrative about the ways life might make us cry (pain, joy, loss, humiliation) and why it's okay to do so. The celebration of vulnerability, lyrical prose, and sweet illustrations make this a must-have for any home, school, or counselor's bookshelf.

[Jack Gabrielli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The way the book shows all the different situations in which a kid might cry is very powerful. Daniel Miyares’ illustrations are very color and fun to look at. It’s a great message for kids to hear that it’s okay to cry or be sad. It would definitely make for a good book to purchase.

[Kelly]

I liked reading about all the different reasons why we might cry. I liked that it was all about the same character to show that the same person can cry for so many reasons and it's okay. Maybe a bit old for the toddler crowd, but good for preschool/kindergarten.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Mom, why are you crying??" I am the sort of person who cries due to joy, sadness, and everything in between, which was startling to my then five-year-old. I would have loved to share this book with her then to show how tears do not exclusively mean sadness and can express all sorts of feelings.

[GS Dachslove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explores all the reasons someone might cry...and that it's okay. It ironically made me cry and get chills.

Great for exploring emotions and the natural physical response to them.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bottom line: it's OK for boys to cry. Hurt, sad, moved, amused. With Dad. Alone. On the baseball field (on the bench with mitt over face, but still). Good stuff.

[Nicki Jacobsmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Townes’s heart-felt language and Miyares’s vivid illustrations, make SOMETIMES I CRY a must-read celebration of emotions.