Fred's Big Feelings

November 11, 2019
Renauld (Porcupine’s Pie) and Barrager (Uni the Unicorn) tell the story of Fred Rogers’s childhood and rise to fame through the lens of emotions, explaining that the beloved PBS personality was “a quiet boy with big feelings.” While young Freddy “felt sad when his schoolmates overlooked him,” he grows into someone who “broadcasted affection, compassion, and respect for his audience.” The earnest text, which uses italics to call out emotive words, occasionally feels aimed at a well-meaning adult audience: readers are told, for example, that Rogers wanted to “be more intentional about the content of his shows. The brightly colored, cartoon-style, gouache-and-pencil drawings chronicle the subject’s life with whimsical details, such as confetti-like streams of hearts occasionally emanating from Rogers, his cast, guests (including Officer Clemmons and Koko the gorilla), and audience members as they connect with his message that “there’s only one person in the whole world like you.” Those seeking a tribute more reflective of Rogers’s own soft-spoken grace may want to opt for Aimee Reed’s You Are My Friend: The Story of Mister Rogers and His Neighborhood, but many families will welcome the affirming messages in this affectionate portrait. Ages 4–8.

Starred review from November 1, 2019
An account of the life of this humble giant of children's television. Children know about emotions perhaps before any other concepts--big emotions, too, like fear, sadness, frustration, joy, love. Fred Rogers understood this and used the medium of television to connect with children and help them manage and accept their emotions. From a childhood often spent inside and isolated from other children who bullied him to his career change from ministry to children's media, Rogers' life was punctuated and driven by the emotions he felt, recognized, and then used to add authenticity and tenderness to his television shows. Using second person, as well as Rogers' iconic phrase, "Hello neighbor," Renauld's lively, approachable text welcomes young readers in the same way that Rogers welcomed his young viewers into his living-room set. Words describing emotions are italicized throughout for emphasis and recognition by children, and myriad details offer touchstones for grown-ups familiar with the show. Bold colors spotlight each spread, especially an array of individual panels that illustrate the feelings children experience daily. The book ends as it began, with a message validating each reader's intrinsic worth; it's one we should all have in our hearts, every day of our lives. A note from the author offers additional biographical details. It's an excellent companion to You Are My Friend, by Aimee Reid and Matt Phelan (2019), with a personality all its own. Bright, well-researched, and welcome. (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

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January 1, 2020

Gr 1-4-Renauld's charming, lovingly illustrated picture book biography, framed similarly to an episode of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, opens with a depiction of Fred Rogers changing his sweater and shoes, followed by a brief look at his childhood. Italicized emotions highlight the focus of this biography and his work: "He felt sad when his schoolmates overlooked him.... He felt scared when they chased him home." The text describes Rogers's evolution into a thoughtful, music-loving adult who was inspired to create a gentler alternative to frenetically paced children's television programs. When the government threatened to cut the funding for public television in 1969, Rogers testified before the Senate about the importance of children learning to express their emotions constructively. His testimony allowed him to secure the necessary funding for PBS. The book teems with vocabulary words that capture emotions: affection, compassion, respect, generous, worried, selfish, shocked. Children will relate to the portrayal of their emotional experience while adults will find many comforting reminders of Rogers's well-known catchphrases and references to the tone of his show. Barrager's bright, cheerful gouache and colored pencil illustrations, featuring a trail of hearts on almost every page, add warmth and depth, emphasizing that Mr. Rogers was a beacon of love and acceptance. VERDICT A welcome addition to the growing number of books about Mr. Rogers. Recommended for purchase where picture book biographies are in demand.-Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood Public Library, MA

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