There Are No Animals in This Book! (Only Feelings)

Sanchez uses rhyming verse, reproductions of 16 works of modern art, and a tongue-and-cheek tone to explore what different emotions look and sound like. Despite the title’s insistence, animals pop up from the start. After the narrator says that “this is a book about feelings. (Not animals),” a cow on the following page (represented by a silkscreen from Alex Katz) asks, “Wait, not about animals? Why?” The narrator explains that while “everyone already knows a cow says moo,” feelings have sounds, as well: “Sad says whaaa!/ Happy says yay!/ Angry says grrrr!/ A pony says neigh!” Artwork from Jeff Koons, Nam June Paik, Damien Hirst, and others showcases each emotional state—and occasional animals, whose appearances fluster the narrator (“Look, I’m just going to say goodbye if you animals won’t cut it out”). The artwork selections, set against bright solid backdrops, capture the intensity of each emotion, whether it’s Takashi Murakami’s quintessentially happy Rainbow Flower or an impudent girl painted by Yoshitomo Nara, who demonstrates that “Cranky says no!” Capsule descriptions of the artists’ work appear in an appendix, further boosting the book’s usefulness. Ages 3–7. (Oct.)