From the Dealing with Feelings series comes this easy reader that describes an African American girl's day at the fair. At first, she's nervous, but her teacher shows the students a deep-breathing technique that calms. Once at the fair, her emotions range from excitement to contentment as she goes on a Ferris wheel and watches her teacher win the pie-eating contest. But a new feeling arises when she can't share the desserts because she has a nut allergy. Fortunately, her teacher shows her a way she can still feel good about the experience: she can serve the refreshments and help others enjoy the experience. The message may be too subtle for some, but most children will understand that happiness can come in a ball of other emotions, like excitement, feeling part of a team, and helping. This bright, appealing offering could be used as a discussion starter with primary-grade students.

A girl is thrilled to ride a roller coaster, visit the petting zoo, etc., on her field trip to the fair. Everything is happy-making until the charity bake sale, where her peanut allergy prevents her from partaking. No matter: she can still enjoy the satisfaction of giving. The easy-reader story, with its "Dealing with Feelings" message and somewhat static digitally-colored pencil illustrations, is reassuring if a little bland.

An elementary-age child recounts what she does and feels during a school field trip to a county fair.Clean, colorful graphic design, first-person narration, and short declarative sentences bode well for the inaugural entry in the Dealing with Feelings series. The narrator is a wide-eyed girl with brown skin and textured, black hair, and her fellow students represent every possible complexion. The teacher is also brown, with straight hair. However, much of the story itself seems contrived to elicit a variety of feelings in the narrator. Would a teacher enter a pie-eating contest while supervising a field trip? Unlikely, but it does give the class a chance to cheer her on. Similarly, a contest to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar gives the narrator a chance to compare her feelings to the rainbow of colors in the jar. When the class stops to purchase treats at a bake sale "to support a good cause," the heroine can't indulge because she has allergies. Conveniently, the teacher reveals that she also has allergies. A mindfulness activity on the bus and a review of what produced the child's positive feelings makes it clear that teaching emotional vocabulary is the book's primary mission. Even 17 exclamation points can't make this well-meaning lesson exciting.The book is potentially useful as a discussion starter about feelings, but kids probably won't demand rereads. (Early reader. 4-6)

In this addition to the Dealing with Feelings series, an African-American child describes her class field trip to the county fair, illustrated in Kushnir-s cozy, upbeat art. At the fair, she goes on a roller coaster, has her face painted, and visits the petting zoo. Even a happy day has minor setbacks-the girl can-t have any bake sale treats because she is allergic to nuts: -I feel left out. My teacher sits down next to me. She has allergies, too.- On the bus ride back, she reflects on her busy day: -Many thoughts bounce around in my head. I focus on them one at a time. What am I feeling? I am feeling happy.- Carbone models being mindful of all emotions, while suggesting that happiness is not always about what occurs but how one chooses to look at circumstances. Ages 4-6. (Apr.)