What happens when you teach kids about their hearts? Or about their feelings? They begin to recognize different emotions and show empathy! In the (FREAKING ADORABLE!) book, ‘Big Heart Feels,’ by Mike and Mackenzie Morrison, Angela is back, and this time, she’s learning a super valuable lesson from her mom. (Go here to see my review of one of this author duo’s other works, ‘Little Hands Help.’ also featuring Angela)
Kids are resilient and so amazing. They mimic us adults and try their very best to please everyone. Each kid has their own unique heart with a completely different emotional take on things. One thing is for sure, they adapt and learn so quickly. Time flies for them, and us as their parents. It’s hard to see our kids growing and learning as they do! But super fun too!
In this book, Angela learns from her mom to try to “slip on someone elses’ shoes’ to see if she can think of how they might feel in a specific situation. Let’s be honest here; this is hard for adults to do. If it was easy, we might undoubtedly have a different world to show our children.
Angela faces a few different challenges and works through how the other person must be feeling. It’s a great story with beautiful illustrations depicting Angela, her friends, and her story! I can’t recommend this book enough! Or the series!! If you’ve got time, check them out on Amazon and other major booksellers!
I was fortunate to do a quick little interview with the authors – here it is!
Me: What made you decide to go on this adventure and write this children’s’ series in the first place?
Author: Mackenzie was the one who saw the potential in a book about our small voice. Because it was our first children’s book (with illustrations), there were a number of false starts.
Me: You teased in the Q&A I saw that there may be additional works that are influenced by Angela’s social circle we’ve seen created throughout the series. Any idea when that might occur in the future?
Author: As soon as we finish launching and promoting Big Heart Feels, we’ll start to noodle the next series. 2020 has been a challenging year, and it will be interesting to see how Angela will be impacted!
Me: What are your plans for the next five years? Will there be any other father/daughter journeys we can expect to see?
Author: Mackenzie is a great source of inspiration for her dad — so I hope so!
Me: How have you gone about promoting this book series? It would be great to see it in school libraries someday!
Author: We have been guided throughout the three-book series by Courtney Link of Smith Publicity. Her great insight and connections were invaluable!
Me: How did you all meet Nina? The artwork and illustrations in the series are fantastic and so fun for young readers!
Author: We found Nina on a job site featuring illustrators. We were so lucky to find her — an absolute delight to work with!
Me: When you’re not coming up with book ideas, or things like that, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Author: Mike is an avid tennis player, and Mackenzie loves to explore new places and hike with her two little dogs.
I think this about sums it up!!
What do you all think is a valuable tool for kids to learn to grow and eventually be successful members of society? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
While you’re thinking, take a look at the Small Voice Says website, where you’ll find additional information about both Mike and Mackenzie Morrison (the authors) and Nina Summer (the illustrator). Nina has her website as well, so go check out some of her work! (Note – it’s fantastic!)
Thanks for visiting today!! Do me a favor and share away, please!!!
Love ya,
Kelly Ann
2 Replies to “Big Heart Feels – Inspire Your Kids!”