Felix After the Rain Book Review

Books are for reading, am I right?

And I am a firm believer that books shouldn't have an age limit on them.

When we say children's book, I don't think that means that adults shouldn't read them and enjoy them too.

Actually, there are many stories produced that although primarily targeted at younger minds, manage to resonate with adults as well.

Felix After the Rain is one of those books. 

Produced by Tiny Owl Publishing, this is a tale that was originally written in Slovenia by author Dunja Jogan and now cleverly translated by Olivia Hellewell so we can enjoy it.

This is a hopeful story about a little boy called Felix, a young man who carries the weight of his sadness around with him in a large black suitcase ...

Felix hides all of his sorrows in a large, black suitcase that he carries with him wherever he goes. One day, a small boy opens the suitcase when Felix is sleeping. Felix wakes and the tears that he had been carrying for so long suddenly pour from him. Felix is uplifted, free and his heart is fully of joy. Felix embraces the world, and the world embraces him.

I've never thought to give sorrow a visual representation before, other than the obvious tears of sadness.

When I read about Felix's heavy suitcase, it made me think of the saying 'carry the weight of the world on your shoulders'.

This is a gentle reminder that it's not good to keep those feelings hidden.

Of course it is good to talk but it is just as good to cry, to let yourself be free of those overwhelming thoughts that hold you down.

In my opinion, this would be a great resource to use in schools. 

A tool to help explain these complex thoughts to younger children, which in turn would hopefully encourage them to talk about their own emotions.

A truly freeing story.

Quietly powerful in its delivery both with the written words and the visual details from the illustrations that you see. Felix After the Rain is an extremely clever and poignant tale that gives us all a different perspective on those emotions that come along with sadness and upset.