Raina’s (Un) Happy Birthday

Not all kids love hugs, and one little girl learns that’s it’s OK to speak up about it in Esmail’s debut picture book with watercolor images by Cooke.

Raina doesn’t like celebrating birthdays, and instead of getting excited when her mother mentions gifts she might get, “her stomach is in knots.” Specifically, Raina isn’t comfortable with her family members’ hugs and kisses on such occasions. Old Pa gives her a close hug and his bristly beard pokes her face, and a large uncle’s squeeze makes her feel embarrassed. Auntie’s touch makes Raina think of tentacles, and a cousin with a runny nose is told to give Raina a kiss. It’s all too much, and she yells that she hates her “unhappy birthdays.” Alone in her room, she speaks to her stuffed rabbit, who encourages her to tell the truth because her own feelings matter. She finds more comfortable ways to express love to her relatives, and this may inspire similarly sensitive readers to ask others to meet them on their own terms. Esmail offers a protagonist with whom cautious youngsters will identify, and the soft pastels of the watercolors create a comforting tone. Cooke also deftly creates unpleasant images from Raina’s imagination that readers won’t find threatening.

An excellent book for sensitive young readers.

In Raina’s (Un) Happy Birthday, a young girl discovers how to gently respond to unwanted affection from her extended family, while expressing her love for them on her own terms. 

Raina, a little girl with a loving family, dreads her birthdays. Though she looks forward to cake and presents, she dislikes the pressure on her to hug and kiss relatives. She is annoyed when she is greeted by family members in ways that seem innocuous to them, not considering how their expressions of affection make Raina feel. A faithful friend, her toy bunny Lola, helps Raina discover new ways of expressing affection and birthday joy.

An excellent book for sensitive young readers.

Today is Raina’s birthday! But what should usually be a happy day is the exact opposite. In fact, Raina would go as far as to call it her unhappy birthday. Every year the same thing happens; Raina’s relatives come over to celebrate her big day and smother her with unwanted attention!  From Grandpa’s scratchy beard kisses to Aunt’s constant pinching and squeezing it’s all too much and Raina wants to yell, “Enough!” But how can she say anything when she’s just a kid and they’re her family? Is there anything she can do to share her feelings before the end of this unhappy birthday?

“Raina’s (Un) Happy Birthday” by Britta Stromeyer Esmail is a great book to read with and to younger children, to introduce them to creating these types of boundaries and being open about them with others. It teaches them that it’s normal to not like certain things and it’s ok to tell others about it. In the story, Raina was ready to accept another unhappy birthday until a conversation with her stuffed animal rabbit, “Lola” about being honest with her personal boundaries changed her mind and gave her the courage to tell her family about her dilemma. They were all very understanding and made sure to avoid doing the things that upset Raina the rest of the day; which is the right way to react towards this kind of situation! It shows that having an honest conversation with others about our boundaries is just as important as them respecting them and the key to having a good relationship with others.

My sister and I really liked reading about how Raina solved her problems. The illustrations in the book are very descriptive and follow well with the story. “Raina’s (Un) Happy Birthday” by Britta Stromeyer Esmail is a great book to help kids understand how to deal with big problems at such a young age. We highly recommend it!

- Reader Views Kids