Every feeling deserves a voice.
My Feelings Are Real: Big Feelings Made Real pairs Diedra I. Eshcoff’s expressive bird paintings with playful rhymes and gentle affirmations.
For children ages 4 and up and the grown-ups who love them, it opens a conversation about feelings, belonging, and being yourself.
A place for every feeling
Silly, shy, worried, surprised: there is room for every feeling in this colorful flock. Short rhymes and affirmations invite children to notice their emotions and share them in their own words.
Read together, choose a bird that feels familiar, and let the conversation begin. For parents, grandparents, caregivers, and therapists, each page offers a gentle place to start.
“Diedra’s book guides children to understand and cherish that their emotions “are OK!” Her birds seem so alive with a unique combination of whimsy and a “ I WILL tell you MY story attitude!”
Diedra’s verses playfully describe emotions in words and ideas to be explored and shared.
Each page is new. The eye may first be drawn to getting to know the birds before hearing the words that speak to their most special emotion. May we all embrace that all of our emotions, whatever they are, are OK.”
“What a wonderful way to help children find their emotional voice!”
“For 25 years, I have been sharing the exciting and magical journey of books with our youngest learners. My Feelings Are Real captivates with whimsical illustrations and the rhythm and rhyme of a true Children’s treasure. For young hearts, and those young at heart, these pages allow the reader to see themselves as each emotion is described. I read the title to a little one and she said, “I have feelings! My feelings are real!”
...at the end of our journey through the book, she said, “I want to read that book every day!” Page after page brought forth stories, connections, and conversation. This book is a must-have for teachers, families, bird-lovers, therapists, and coffee tables everywhere! It is an absolute.”
Meet the artist behind the birds
Diedra I. Eshcoff is an author, artist, massage therapist, life coach, and wellness educator. Her bird paintings became a book after people began recognizing themselves and their loved ones in the characters.
Through art and words, she invites children and adults to honor their feelings and embrace who they are.