First off, what an incredibly expansive, thought-provoking, colourfully inventive and wholly creative genius of a book this truly is!. Hence, author Marneta Viegas has culled together a book that not only seemingly covers all aspects of the emotional dragons in our human lives but has put together a sturdy-sized, and oh-so colourful book (a manual, if you wish) that helps parents of all ages not only better explain why certain outbursts have come to be but also how both parties can subsequently learn from it and quench it for the future. Trust me when I say that no matter how big, how cavernous your child’s feelings are, here in Relax Kids: A Monster Handbook: A Toolkit of Strategies and Exercise to Help Children Manage BIG Feelings, Marneta’s prose (along with considerably articulate illustrations from Nicola Wyldbore-Smith and Sarah Adams, with overall design by Amber Sutton) is a MUST-HAVE for all parents that have children showing signs of, or are currently going through worrying growths of messy and confusing emotions ie: being human. FULL REVIEW: https://annecarlini.com/ex_books.php?id=315 ~ Exclusive Magazine, Review

Being a parent can be tough and it can be especially tough when your children showcase some big emotions and you are unsure of how to deal with it. Recently we have been through a lot and this has culminated in some emotional outbursts. Olivia is the optimum age for a fear of death and as expected, she had a complete and utter meltdown the other week about not wanting to die, not wanting us to die, not doing anything that meant she could die etc. This was then enhanced by a tragic accident in our local community which both children were aware of and it has been a little tough, to say the least. Jack is also now 10 years old which is prime time for some big emotions – he’s no longer little enough for some things but not big enough for others and it can be tough for that age group. We were recently asked if I would like to review Relax Kids: A Monster Handbook by Marneta Viegas, from Our Street books. The handbook is a toolkit of strategies and exercises to help children manage BIG feelings. About The Author Marneta Viegas is the founder of Relax Kids Ltd and is the UK’s leading expert in children’s relaxation. She founded Relax Kids in 2000 and since then has written 20 books as well as developed a range of mindful visualisation audios. She has also created a unique seven-step program to teach children to relax and has trained over 5000 coaches from 50 countries with her method. About The Book The book is for ages 5-11 and helps children to manage the monsters of anxiety and worry, deal with the dragons of anger and stress and make friends with the grief and sadness gremlins. It is full of fun-packed relaxation exercises, affirmations and activities to help children feel better about themselves. What We Thought As a parent, I love this handbook. Sometimes it can be tough knowing how to deal with certain emotions or feelings and with two children vastly different in both age and personality, sometimes one thing doesn’t work with one that works with the other. We have been working through the book as and when we need to and have found it really helpful. Both Jack and Olivia are constantly asking to look at the book and go through the pages. If they are feeling any particular emotion, it helps them sometimes to sit down with the book and work through that category's activities or affirmations. Olivia particularly likes the Mirror Mirror affirmation pictured above. Overall, I really like this book as a parent and I think it is an extremely handy resource to have to hand, especially knowing that the author is such an expert in her field. The children love it because there are so many activities and things to do that help them to get a grip on their feelings which is great. ~ Futures, https://ialwaysbelievedinfutures.com/relax-kids-a-monster-handbook-review/

Praise for Marneta Viegas: Your splendid and amusing act made all the difference for me and all the other guests arriving at the Palace. Everyone was greatly impressed. ~ HRH Prince of Wales