Jenny Mei Is Sad - by Tracy Subisak (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A picture book about sadness uniquely told from the friend's point of view as she does her best to comfort her friend Jenny Mei"--

Book Synopsis

A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
A Book Riot Best Book

With this educational and entertaining picture book, learn how to approach difficult emotions with compassion and understanding--and be the best friend you can be.

My friend Jenny Mei is sad. But you might not be able to tell.

Jenny Mei still smiles a lot. She makes everyone laugh. And she still likes blue Popsicles the best. But, her friend knows that Jenny Mei is sad, and does her best to be there to support her.

This beautifully illustrated book is perfect for introducing kids to the complexity of sadness, and to show them that the best way to be a good friend, especially to someone sad, is by being there for the fun, the not-fun, and everything in between.

Review Quotes

"Subisak sweetly shows, in word and art, how friends are supposed to stick together, even during the not-so-fun times."--Booklist

"A complex book with a beautiful, timely message."--Book Riot

"A sensitive, gracefully wrought portrait of compassion."--Publishers Weekly

"Intelligently and sympathetically demonstrates that children have complex emotional lives too."--Kirkus

"A child's consciousness of impending loss hums beneath the surface of Tracy Subisak's gentle picture book "Jenny Mei Is Sad."...In the colorful illustrations, we see Jenny Mei in school, smiling and playing the clown and then suddenly, inexplicably, tearing up a classmate's drawing. Those who are sad, Ms. Subisak shows with kindness, don't always behave as we imagine they should. Sad people may lash out in their misery and, indeed, feel swept away by loneliness and sorrow.--The Wall Street Journal

"Subisak's illustrations, rendered in India ink, Japanese watercolor, pastel, and colored pencil, are bold in color yet delicate in detail. The text is simple yet thoughtful, painting our narrator as the empathetic friend she is."--Horn Book

About the Author

There was a time when Tracy Subisak was very, very sad. Tracy's friends helped her through this time by going on walks with her, eating favorite foods together, and giving her big hugs often. She is the illustrator of several picture books, including the award-winning Shawn Loves Sharks by Curtis Manley and the nonfiction picture book Wood, Wire, Wings: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane by Kirsten Larson. Tracy is from Ohio and now lives in the Pacific Northwest. To learn more about Tracy, you can visit her website, tracysubisak.com and her Instagram, @tracysubisak.