#550 - Sad Glad

by Sidhartha Mallya and illustrated by Vibha Surya

“Sad Glad” by Sidhartha Mallya and illustrated by Vibha Surya. Published by Penguin. A reassuring picture book encouraging acceptance of different kinds of emotions and offering hope.

Little Sid wakes up feeling different one morning. He cannot pinpoint the reason for him feeling so low. Could it be due to the gloomy weather outside? He doesn’t even feel like getting off his bed. Thankfully he has his best Buddy come to his rescue. And that is his pet dog Duke. Sensing that Sid needs to be comforted, Duke gently encourages him to get out of his bed.

Sid wonders why he cannot be happy always. Why does he have to feel sad?! Duke explains in a simple and relatable manner that Sid needs to identify and accept the different emotions that he is feeling right now. He patiently answers all of Sid’s concerns and addresses why it is perfectly alright to be sad sometimes and glad at other times. He infuses hope into Sid’s thoughts and makes him understand why we cannot be happy all the time. Read this charming book with a beautiful and apt message of dealing with all kinds of feelings and learning to accept them with grace.

The book is heartwarming and spreads the beautiful message of hope and acceptance. I read it with my ten year old and he could relate so well with the narrative. This is what he said at the end - “Life would be so boring if we were happy all the time with everything going the way we want it to be. It is normal to be sad sometimes and it is fine to feel that.” We loved the bright and cheerful artwork which brought the narrative to life so beautifully with such apt colours and detailing. The narrative shows how embracing our feelings brings so much calm and warmth in a simple and relatable manner for children to understand. To show that it is normal for everyone to go through a range of feelings each of which may make them sad or glad is so reassuring for a child. To have portrayed this through the example of a little boy and his pet dog is a wonderful manner to reach out to the little ones reading the book. The book has been adapted by the author for younger readers from his debut book called “If I’m Honest : A Memoir of My Mental Health Journey”.

Recommended Age

The book is apt for children aged 5 and above.

Disclaimer - We received this book from the publisher, Penguin India, for review. Thank you to Mansi, from Penguin, for sending across the book!