The format of Dealing With Hurt Feelings is a one page full color illustration opposite one page of large font text. Photos show a wide range of cultural backgrounds, as well as boys and girls. The text contains pronunciation information for difficult terms. Also included is a glossary and index.

      While Dealing With Hurt Feelings has several stories about different characters, it never addresses anything but the superficial causes of hurt feelings. Name calling, being excluded from a party or playing with someone, and being laughed at, are the only areas covered. Real cultural differences between people, which are often treated with intolerance both by adults and other children, are ignored altogether.

      The part of the text which deals with handling hurt feelings is equally vague. The most frequent reason it provides for hurting feelings is being moody or angry. Once again, it avoids developing tolerance of differences in people and accepting one another's differences. The only solution provided for a child was to apologize.

      I felt the book could have been much stronger had it addressed hurt feelings that a child may have which are the results of interactions at school and at home, with adults, as well as with other children. It underestimated the ability of a child to understand and cope with numerous situations.

Not Recommended.