Review: Tummies Flip, Hearts Skip: A Book About How Feelings Feel by Kris Downing
This is a beautiful and thoughtful picture book, ideal for ages 6–10, though I can also see it working wonderfully in a Reception classroom. It gently explores how different emotions feel in our bodies—helping children notice the physical sensations that come with big feelings.
Written in flowing verse, the book makes emotions more accessible while opening up space for conversations about why we behave the way we do when we feel a certain way. The gentle rhyme and rhythm, paired with expressive illustrations and thoughtful use of colour, create a warm and reassuring reading experience.
I especially appreciated the glossary at the end, which provides extra support for parents, teachers, and older children in discussing the vocabulary of emotions. This is a book that works beautifully on many levels: as a comforting story, a classroom resource, and a tool to help children explore their feelings.
Highly recommended for home and school libraries alike.

Tummies Flip, Hearts Skip is a great way to start a conversation with children about feelings. Kris Downing makes the connection between mind and body and this is where I think that more conversation would be necessary for children as feelings are such a personal experience. The illustrations are very well done and will keep the attention of the audience. At times, the white print was a bit hard to read but in the print version I do not think this would be a problem. This book is a perfect addition to a personal, school or public library.

Thank you Net Galley, Kris Downing and Teacher Created Materials for the opportunity to preview this title. The opinions shared are my own.
Tummies Flip, Hearts Skip is expected to be released on Sept. 30, 2025.

This is a beautifully illustrated book that explains how emotions feel in our body and it gives readers clues on how to identify their own emotions based on how they feel in any given moment.

This is such a thoughtful and beautifully illustrated book that explores emotions and the ways we feel them in our bodies. Each page highlights a different feeling—ranging from the basics (happy, sad, scared) to more nuanced ones like shy, brave, loved, and ashamed—paired with expressive images that make those sensations come alive.

I’ll definitely be sharing this with my 4-year-old, though some of the language may be a little advanced for her. I think it would really shine with kids from kindergarten to grade 2, and I could see it being a great resource for social-emotional learning exercises in classrooms.

What I especially love is how specific and concrete the examples are for how emotions show up in the body. It’s brilliant learning for children (and honestly for adults, too!) and helps deepen their emotional awareness beyond the basics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Teacher Created Materials/Free Spirit Publishingfor the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a great description of the physical sensations that come along with feelings. I think it will be beneficial to kids in helping them realize the mind-body connection and naming their emotions. The artwork is beautiful and enhances the emotion that's being described.

Love the artistic illustrations and the vibrant colors in this book, and the thought behind it, making a person think of "hey when i feel an emotion, where and how do i feel it?"

Tummies Flip, Hearts Skip: A Book About How Feelings Feel (Hardcover)
by Kris Downing
a bright social emotional learning book. The book uses definitions and artwork to show the nature of feelings. allowing children to understand their emotions, in understanding their emotions they may be able to find help with negative emotions. Written by a somatic experiencing practitioner of the therapy field.

How do you describe your feelings? “Tummies Flip, Hearts Skip” written by Kim Downing, illustrated by Vivian Mineker, can help one, especially little ones, describe one’s feelings. This book follows a girl through various feelings using both emotion words and sensation words to describe these feelings. The illustrated scenes help define each of the feelings that are featured as do the facial expressions of the girl.

This is a delightful book to read. I can see where it could help a child define and express their feelings. The colorful illustrations capture the possible whimsy of a child’s mind. The way the emotions are described makes it easy for a child to understand and define their feelings. While this book is designed for a child, I can see where it could also be helpful for an adult trying to express their feelings. There is a glossary at the end of the book that does a good job of defining the different emotions and sensations of feelings. When I saw the cover and title of the book I thought it might be for infants. I was wrong! I would recommend this book for children preschool age and up. Even adults will find value in this book.

I wish to thank Teacher Created Materials, Free Spirit Publishing for the advance electronic copy of this book as well as selecting me to review it on NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

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Thank you to NetGalley for this e-copy of Tummies Flip, Hearts Skip by Kris Downing in exchange for a honest review. This is a perfect book for preschoolers and young elementary students who are sometimes overwhelmed by their emotions and don’t know how to react to them.As a former educator working in a preschool setting, youngsters feel many different feels and this book is a great introductory informative book that tells children it’s ok to have lots of different emotions .It helps them identify how they feel and react appropriately . A great learning tool.

Tummies Flip, Hearts Skip takes you on a feelings adventure. Each page weaves a different scene that describes different ways you can experience your feelings. At the end there is a vocab list of different emotions and sensations to help children know what they are feeling and how they can describe it.

My toddler mom and therapist heart loved this book. As someone who has spent the last few years working with teens, it has become more apparent that there is a gap in students recognizing how they feel. I think this book is perfect for children, but also may be a valuable tool for adolescents and adults. I think a lot of parents will learn about their own body sensations while reading this with their kids.

As a bonus, the pages were beautifully illustrated and I loved that the main character looks like someone my daughter could see as herself.

This is a fantastic book kids can use to assist them with identifying and explaining feelings. The pictures are also very lovely! The glossary at the end is also an excellent tool!

Review from my 7 year old:
The pictures were so pretty and colorful and cool. I liked learning about different emotions and how they are all normal and ok to feel.

4.5
First, the illustrations in this book are absolutely stunning! I loved the bold colours. I loved how the author goes over how we experience different emotions in the body, and that the book is interactive, posing each experience as a question rather than a statement. I think the questioning is a powerful as it honors that everyone experiences emotions in the body differently. The authour also asserts that these sensations are neither bad nor good, they just are, which is essential for adults and children to understand. What I was quite confused about however was when the author said that these sensations are telling us what to do. If we are nervous and feel like we need to run, it doesn't meant that we should always run. There are times that we need to take deep breaths instead and remind our nervous system that we are safe. The glossary however was really good addition to the book.

Absolutely amazing book! The graphic are fantastic. They are bold and colourful. It will pull you right into the story. The dragon was my favourite.

I found the story touched on a wide range of emotions. 10/10 would buy.

💫 This book is everything when it comes to helping little ones understand big feelings! I loved how it breaks down emotional experiences into physical sensations and simple, relatable language. It’s warm, validating, and a must-have for helping kids name and navigate their emotions 💛💭🌀

The text flowed like a Dr. Seuss book. Huge compliment. I thought the illustrations did a great job of conveying the feelings. This book would be a great addition to a preschool or kindergarten library. I didn't think the extra vocabulary pages at the end were necessary. It was probably a suggestion from the editor, not the author's idea.

A great book to help children identify how they are feeling based on sensations they feel throughout their body. The illustrations did a good job in reflecting the exact emotion that was being talked about. Toward the end of the book, I really liked how it is stated that sensations are the reader's experiences and there is no negative or positive implications to these.

Really adorable book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Tummies Flip, Hearts Skip by Kris Downing is a book about emotions. The book teaches children that their bodies can feel sensations and their minds can feel emotions. "Where do you feel happy inside? Does your chest feel warm where your heart is thumping? Do your toes tingle and feel like jumping."

"What does your body want to do when you're mad?"

"How do you feel when you are scared?"

"Where do you feel sad inside?"

"When you feel peaceful and safe, how do you know?"

"When you're worried, where do you feel it?"

"How do you feel when you're surprised?"

"When you're overwhelmed, what happens in your body?"

"When you're embarrassed, how do you know?"

"Where do you feel brave in your body?"

"When you feel guilty, how do you know?"

"What happens in your body when you feel shy?"

"When you feel loved, how does your body know?"

We embark on oh so many adventures as a result of our sensational feelings. The book is a wonderful tool for children to express their emotions. There are times when the words rhyme. Colorful pictures adorn the pages. This is a book I would highly recommend.

A wonderful book for children that visually shows what emotions look and feel like. Through clear illustrations, kids can see and understand what it’s like to feel sad, angry, irritated, brave, guilty, tired, or safe.
I especially loved how the illustrator uses a wide range of colors to reflect the variety of feelings and emotions. A thoughtful and engaging way to help children identify and talk about what’s going on inside.

As a therapist, I liked this book! I try and find books that are helpful in showing children pictures and words together to help them understand their emotions and to recognize which ones are happening based on their sensations they are feeling in their body. This was a helpful book, and I think it could be helpful to use in practice with children.