Why I Wrote The Feelings Hotel — And Why I’m Sharing It For Free
Six years ago, I wrote a small book for my little boy.
At the time, I was taking part in an Mindfulness Based CBT course, and during one of the sessions a poem was read aloud. The Guest House by Rumi. The poem stayed with me long after the course ended. Its message about welcoming every emotion, even the difficult ones, felt powerful, kind, and deeply important.
I remember thinking how valuable this idea was, and how much I wanted to share it with my son, who was three years old at the time, in a way he could truly understand.
So I wrote a story and I hand painted some images to go alongside the words.
The Feelings Hotel was created as a gentle, child-friendly way of exploring emotions. Imagining feelings as guests that arrive, stay for a while, and eventually leave. Some feelings are loud and messy, others are quiet or shy, but all of them are allowed. All of them have a place.
The heart of the story is simple: every feeling is okay.
Now, six years later, I’ve decided to make The Feelings Hotel available as a free PDF.
I want it to be shared with any parent, teacher, professional, or carer who might find it helpful for the children in their lives — whether that’s at bedtime, in a classroom, in a calm corner, or during a quiet moment together.
My hope is that this little book helps open conversations about emotions, supports emotional literacy, and reassures children that they don’t need to push feelings away.
All emotions are welcome here.
If you choose to share The Feelings Hotel, please feel free to pass it on and if you share it online, I’d love it if you tagged me @calmahoykids so I can see where the story travels.
With warmth,
Emma
Calm Ahoy Kids
