Heavy emotions meet a deep well of understanding in this uplifting
sibling story
Two siblings wake up in two very different moods; the older one cheerful
and lively, the younger feeling sad and irritable. The big sister
negotiates and cajoles, tries everything she can think of to cheer her
little sister up, but nothing works. She offers to go outside and play,
but her sister refuses. She suggests they color a picture, but her
little sister only likes the color gray. She proposes they bake sweet
cakes, but her sister only wants sour ones.
It's only when little sister's gloomy mood reaches a boiling point that
the older sibling tries a different tactic. She empathizes and enters
the gloom with her sister, and offers up compassion along with a gray
picture and a sour cake. Together, they navigate the little sister's
grim, messy feelings until the siblings are able to play.
Told in striking, conceptual illustrations, this story explores empathy,
emotional acceptance, mental health, and acknowledging difficult
feelings in a warm, accessible way.