Skip to main content

Books to Read When... Your Toddler Is MAD!

By
The wrath of a toddler can be astounding! They can conjure full body, full volume reactions to things you and I might find insignificant. There are a lot of great books in our collection about anger (we list sixty-two in our RX Literature binder,) but I’m focusing on picture books that speak to the fury that very young children deal with as they navigate this big, tricky world. Anger can be intense, but all feelings are temporary and manageable. 

Mad at Dad
By Janie Hao
Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2024. Picture Book.

Dynamic, expressive, and universal, Mad at Dad is light on words, but heavy with truth, including the pitfalls of calming techniques and the toll anger takes on our bodies. The flaps in this book expand with the little girl's strong, uncontainable feelings. And I love her eyebrow.

Written by Nadine Brun-Cosme
Illustrated by Marion Cocklico
New York: Little Simon, 2021. Board Book.

Here's a board book for audiences with short fuses and even shorter attention spans. Little One turns into Little Mad when she has to stop playing. The chunky pages go from pale pink to bubblegum, to scarlet, then back down again to pale pink when she finds a way to feel better. 

By Polly Dunbar
London: Walker Books Ltd., 2019. Picture Book. 

My own fiery toddler loves this book. She likes to mimic the bold, angry facial expressions and she laughs when the child and his mom take a deep breath together at the climax of the story: "Phew-eeeeeeeee!" The visual language is expressed clearly through colors, scribbles, and bold lettering. Rhyming text gives a voice to the frustrated little kid and his reassuring mother. 

Written by Ame Dyckman
Illustrated by Abhi Alwar
New York: Orchard Books, 2023. Picture Book.

Little Volcano throws a temper tantrum when a coconut falls on their crater, then learns some emotional regulation skills that help Big Volcano in the end, too. This book has tropical, cartoony illustrations with big expressive onomatopoeia that will appeal to little kids. No one likes to get bonked, and we all KABOOOOM sometimes. 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

By Anonymous
There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

By Anonymous
J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: Super Boba Cafe

By
Super Boba Café By Nidhi Chanani New York: Amulet Books, 2023. Comics. 215 pages. 14-year-old Aria is excited to spend her summer in San Francisco getting quality time with her Nainai. She loves helping at her grandmother's Super Boba Café. But she can't help but notice that her grandmother is acting strange and secretive. She refuses to let Aria into the kitchen at all and she disappears at the same time each night without telling Aria where she goes. Meanwhile, Aria is eager to drum up more business for Super Boba Café. She gets a major windfall when the shop cat, Bao, surprises them by having kittens, and Aria realizes this is a major social media opportunity. She knows this will help Nainai's shop, but she is apprehensive to get back on social media after a terrible cyberbullying experience she had back home. As the shop starts to get busier, Nainai is more and more anxious about her secret project. This prompts Aria to investigate with help from her Nainai's neighb...
Post a Comment
Read more