Where is my smile? By Natalie Reeves Billing {Book tour review}

Good morning and welcome to my blog, this morning I am reviewing a Children's book written by Natalie Reeves Billing and illustrated by Hannah Jesse. ‘Where is my smile’ is a book highlighting depression and sadness in young people and should spark some interesting conversations with children. Thank you to Lovebookstours for sending me a copy of this book and allowing me to share my thoughts on the book tour.

𝐵𝓁𝓊𝓇𝒷

A beautifully illustrated picture book about mental health for young readers. Where Is My Smile? is the story of a little boy who can’t find his smile anywhere. He searches and searches, but it’s nowhere to be found. Where could his smile be?

This delightful picture book is perfect as a bedtime story, and to help little children understand that it’s okay to be sad sometimes, but we can always find our way through it.

Where Is My Smile? is the first in a new series of picture books from Natalie Reeves Billing focused on children’s mental health.

𝑀𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈

Where is my Smile? Is a beautifully illustrated story. The pictures really help to share the message. The story itself is told in simple relatable rhyming language. It is a lovely starting point to have some good discussions about mental health and depression. I will be adding it into my school planning in order to open conversations with my KS1 students.

I read it with my 5 year old and he really liked it, we were able to discuss that it’s ok to feel sad and no longer have your smile but that with love it would come back. That it is important to acknowledge and notice how people are feeling so you can offer help and support as well as love.

As it states on the back cover with a quote from CBeebies presenter Gyasi Sheppy

“If children understood that love is a smile, as told in this beautiful book, then the world would be a much brighter place.”

I have to say I agree! We all know that it is not always as simple as this, however it is a really good way to open discussion, start the important conversations and begin to highlight the importance of understanding our mental health as well as that of others. If children are able to notice and spot sadness in themselves and others it will begin those conversations earlier and hopefully prevent these feelings from taking root. We all need to start somewhere and this book will be a big help. I look forward to seeing what other books Natalie will be writing, I feel that I will have a good selection in my school library!

I hope you may consider adding this book to your TBR, for those with children it would be a great addition!

If you are interested in any other thoughts on this book check out some of these fabulous bloggers and instagram reviewers joining this tour!