Sometimes I Cry - by Jess Townes (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Follow a young boy as he explores the wide range of emotions that cause him to cry from joy to disappointment, from laughter to pain, from love to grief. Through moving and lyrical prose, Sometimes I Cry offers a gentle, necessary affirmation of the emotional complexity of growing up, particularly for a boy and assures young readers that it's okay to cry."--Publisher's description.

Book Synopsis

From Jess Townes with illustrations by Daniel Miyares, this poignant picture book deftly tackles the wide array of emotions experienced in childhood, and especially reminding readers that there's nothing wrong with crying.

Sometimes I cry
. . . when I'm angry.
. . . when I'm scared.
. . . when I'm happy.

There are all sorts of feelings that can make us cry--from disappointment to joy, from grief to love. Sometimes I Cry offers a gentle and necessary affirmation of the emotional complexity of growing up. Powerful, poignant, and universally relevant, it is a triumph for readers of any age.

Sometimes I cry.
And that's okay.

Review Quotes

A Bank Street Best Book of the Year

"[A] nuanced tale that normalizes crying and makes clear that it is a part of life...Townes' honest and resonant prose grounds readers in the protagonist's life and offers superb opportunities for discussion about social-emotional development. With stirring echoes of Ezra Jack Keats in palette and line, Miyares' illustrations are immersive." --Kirkus, starred review

"Childhood is full of emotional ups and downs, and in this beautifully illustrated story, readers follow a boy through a series of life events and the emotions they raise. These universal experiences and the tearful reactions they produce will resonate with readers of all ages...Highly effective for communicating the appropriateness of tearful expressions, this title will be useful in social-emotional learning experiences for starting conversations about our human -reactions to being alive." --School Library Journal, starred review

"For young readers just beginning to identify and grapple with complex emotions, this picture book is a cozy reassurance that it's okay to cry and could also serve as a conversation starter for older kids, especially boys, to consider how they process their feelings." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

"Townes reassures readers, supplying language to describe experiences and feelings in this tightly focused resource that examines how 'when I let my tears out/ My feelings fit perfectly inside my body.'" --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Jess Townes is the author of Spellbound, illustrated by Jennifer Harney, and Groundhog Gets It Wrong, illustrated by Nicole Miles. She currently works as a bookseller at Main Street Books in St. Charles, Missouri. Jess lives outside St. Louis with her family.

Daniel Miyares is a critically acclaimed author and illustrator of picture books, including Big and Small and In-Between by Carter Higgins, Come Next Season by Kim Norman, and Float. Daniel lives in Lenexa, Kansas, with his family.