Picture Books about Emotion Management for Girls
by Le Fan, Liu Chanjuan, Liu Jiaxi
While growing up, girls are more likely than boys to receive contradictory expectations from different aspects of their lives: parents, teachers, peers, society, and themselves. They could be rebellious but at the same time remain "good girls". They could express anger against bullies at school while simultaneously meeting teachers' expectations of nonaggressive behavior. They could be powerful and competitive at the same time that they worry about being considered "unfeminine". Girls struggle with these conflicting messages in their everyday lives, trying to please all these other people and losing track of themselves. Writer Le Fan, who has experienced the same contradictions as growing up, hopes that girls could love themselves, put themselves first a little more. So here comes the Picture Books about Emotion Management for Girls. The series contains five stories of five courageous little girls who were experiencing confusion in their lives. Little Le Fan in I am not Just a Good Girl tried to find the balance between two sides of herself—a cool girl and a good girl. Xiaoxiao in I love myself learned to be more confident and accepted her new look after her baby teeth fell out. Jiang in I'm so Jealous learned to deal with jealousy towards her best friend. A timid girl Xiao in I can Say No strived to express herself and stop the little boy's bullies. Feng in I Really Want to Win embraced her inner "tomboy" with daddy's encouragement. All the five little girls, though struggling, broke out of cultural and societal stereotypes swirling around them and became their true selves.