Milo's Monster: A Big Bright Feelings Book

Like many other parents and teachers, I was happy to see there was another Big Bright Feelings book from Tom Percival; he seems to capture children's emotions so clearly and to find stories that will engage young children and support them in navigating those feelings.

In Milo's Monster, the author explores jealousy and what happens when Milo feels that his best friend, Jay, is being taken away by new girl, Suzi. Milo gets angrier as he feels increasingly left out of their games until eventually, a green-eyed monster appears, making Milo feel even more angry and jealous to the point where he stops playing with his old friends.  Eventually, Milo realises that his actions are making them as sad as he feels and he finds a way to say sorry, and the children become friends once more.

So many children will at some point experience the feeling of being 'left out' and recognise it in this story. Reading Milo's Monster will help them understand those feelings and give them a way to manage them; it will help them to see jealousy as an emotion they can control, and also how to extract themselves from a situation by saying sorry. 

Let's not forget the illustrations in the picture book, either; like his other Big Bright Feelings books, the illustrations have been created by Percival and are integral in helping explore and explain the emotions the children face and the colours and backgrounds through the story reflect what he is feeling.

A lovely picture book to add to your Big Bright Feelings collection!

Picture Book / Reviewed by Elen

Suggested Reading Age 5+