About This Book
A parent should reach for this book when their young child is having difficulty managing outbursts of anger and needs a simple, visual guide to healthy coping skills. The story follows a little girl through common frustrating situations, like a friend taking a toy or a block tower falling over. For each trigger, the book validates the feeling of anger and then models a concrete, positive action, such as taking deep breaths, stomping feet, or squeezing a pillow. It is an excellent, direct tool for preschoolers that normalizes anger as a feeling everyone has, while providing an accessible script for self-regulation.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
None. The approach is entirely secular and direct, focusing on social-emotional learning (SEL) in a straightforward manner. The resolution to each small conflict is hopeful, immediate, and empowering for the child.
Ideal Reader
A preschooler or kindergartener (ages 3 to 6) who is just beginning to experience and express big emotions. It is particularly helpful for a child who defaults to hitting, yelling, or tantrums when frustrated and needs a new, simple script to follow.
Parent Prep
No prep is needed. The book is very straightforward and can be read cold. A parent could enhance the experience by having a pillow handy to practice the "squeezing a pillow" technique together, making it more interactive. The parent has just witnessed their child have a meltdown over a seemingly small frustration, like a broken crayon or a sibling dispute. The child might have yelled, "I'm so mad!" or acted out physically, and the parent is looking for a tool to introduce the concept of self-regulation in a non-punitive way.
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