Being a kid is tough and I would argue today’s kids are certainly seeing more and experiencing things I didn’t have to until I was much older.

No wonder one in every five children in Ontario is dealing with some sort of mental health issue.

Mental health is always on my radar with my 10-year-old son. I am always asking him if he has any fears or worries and we work at finding the positive in every situation and and acknowledging what we are grateful for.

Sometimes it’s difficult to talk about how you are feeling, particularly if you don’t have the words to describe it. It is this reason why I was anxious to get a copy of DK’s My Mixed Emotions help your kids handle their feelings ($20.99).

I think the book is intended for children younger than my son, but nonetheless we both loved it. While my son didn’t want me to read it initially, each night he requested it and mentioned how much he loved it.

The book is broken down into chapters about happiness, anger, fear and being sad, along with a chapter about the wonders of each person. The fear chapter also has information about separation and divorce, pets dying and what happens when you are new.

Each chapter begins with a quote and then offers information about what the feeling feels like and how it manifests, activities including deep breathing and tips to deal with the emotion. There are real pictures of children along with graphics including some very cute emotion creatures.

I liked the quotes and the tips kids receive for dealing with various types of emotions such as jealousy, fear and worry and how to handle a bully.

My Mixed Emotions is a great starting tool to teach children what these emotions look like and the basic tools to help them deal with them.

“You’ll soon discover that feelings are your friends – you just have to get to know them.”

Not sure if DK has a book that follows this, but it would be appreciated.

A copy of this book was provided by DK for a honest review. The opinions are my own.