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11 Books to Help an Angry Child dealing with Big Emotions

Sometimes BIG emotions can get the best of us! Anger can make us feel like we're an erupting volcano or a big giant THUNDERSTORM! All we want to do is HUFF and PUFF! Eeek!

So many studies show that counting to ten, stretching, listening to music or simply taking a breather can help, but did you know that books are a brilliant way to help manage and develop coping skills for big feelings like anger?

We've collated the perfect list of books for children with anger issues. From the beautifully illustrated picture book When I See Red for the the youngest children, to books for children about anger for ages 7+ like The Exploding Life of Scarlett Fife. For ages 9+, some amazing books that deal with anger are award-winning When the Sky Falls and October, October. We've also got some well-known and much-loved classics in there, like There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom.

These books on anger for children are great introductions to discussing feelings and understanding how to manage them independently, however big or small they may be!

If you are a parent looking for advice on how to manage the whole other beast that is temper tantrums, look no further than our list of picture books for Temper Tantrums. It is a great way to familiarise yourself with books on anger management for children!

Georgina Atwell

Toppsta

2023-02-17

11 Books to Help an Angry Child dealing with Big Emotions

When the Sky Falls

War is raging. And one angry boy has been sent to the city, where bombers rule the skies. There, Joseph will live with Mrs F, a gruff woman with no fondness for children. Her only loves are the rundown zoo she owns and its mighty silverback gorilla, Adonis. As the weeks pass, bonds deepen and secrets are revealed, but if the bombers set Adonis rampaging free, will either of them be able to end the life of the one thing they truly love? Inspired by a true story.

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All The Things That Could Go Wrong

There are two sides to every story

Dan is angry. Nothing has been the same since his big brother left, and he's taking it out on the
nearest and weakest target: Alex.

Alex is struggling. His severe OCD makes it hard for him to leave the house, especially when Dan
and his gang are waiting for him at school . . .

Then the boys' mums arrange for them to meet up and finish building the raft that Dan started with his brother. Two enemies stuck together for the whole of the school holidays - what could possibly go wrong?

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The Exploding Life of Scarlett Fife: Book 1

Scarlett Fife has BIG FEELINGS. And when she has BIG FEELINGS, they explode out of her like an over-squeezed stress ball.

Scarlett's in big trouble after a BIG FEELINGS episode leads to a runaway hamster getting into the vicar's trousers at her aunty's engagement party. If she loses her temper ONE MORE TIME, she's going to miss out on her trip to Mega Awesome Sicky Fun World, the best theme park on the planet.

But feelings are like slime in a party bag. No matter how much someone tells you to keep it in, it'll always find its way out. And very soon, Scarlett notices that every time she pushes her feelings down, something explodes. Like ... really, properly explodes.

It might be her teacher's slimy green smoothie. A huge pot of purple paint. Or a massive pile of elephant poo at the zoo. And let's hope Scarlett doesn't get mad at Aunty's wedding - that wedding cake is HUGE ...

Laugh-out-loud action for every child and parent who has ever lost control of their feelings - this is sparkling, heartwarming and beautifully illustrated throughout by the fantastic Chris Jevons.

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The Boy with the Butterfly Mind

Jamie Lee wants to be normal. But his ADHD makes him feel like his brain is full of butterflies.
Elin Watts wants to be perfect. If she can be, surely her dad will come home.

When Jamie and Elin's families blend, the polar opposites of chaotic Jamie and ordered Elin collide. As their lives spiral out of control, Jamie and Elin discover that they're actually more alike than they'd admit. Maybe there's no such thing as normal, or perfect. And perhaps, just like families, happy-ever-afters come in all shapes and sizes.

Uplifting and moving, The Boy with the Butterfly Mind is an inspiring story of acceptance, blended families, and discovering that in the end, being yourself is more than enough.

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October, October: WINNER OF THE YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL 2022

A classic in the making for anyone who ever longed to be WILD. October and her dad live in the woods. They know the trees and the rocks and the lake and stars like best friends. They live in the woods and they are wild. And that's the way it is. Until the year October turns eleven. That's the year October rescues a baby owl. It's the year Dad falls out of the biggest tree in their woods. The year the woman who calls herself October's mother comes back. The year everything changes. Written in Katya Balen's heart-stoppingly beautiful style, this book is a feast for the senses. And, as October fights to find the space to be wild in the whirling chaos of the world beyond the woods, it is also a feast for the soul.

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Storm

The extraordinarily moving, funny and original new novel from the author of the rapturously acclaimed BLOOM.

"You were born raging, Frances Frida Ripley. That's what happens when you're born in a storm."

Frances's parents were not prepared for her birth: they had a blanket and an easel and some paint, but not anything useful, like a car or a phone. So it's no wonder Frankie has always had a temper. She was born on a BEACH, in a STORM.

What Frances was not prepared for was dying in a freak natural disaster that wiped out her whole town.

Waking up 100 years later, Frances finds a whole load of new things to be angry about. And that's before the visitors start turning up, treating her home like it's a tourist attraction. Which it is.

Only there are worse people out there than tourists... and they're coming for Frankie.

Frankie is about to discover that there are things more important than herself - and that anger has its uses. Because when you have a storm inside you - sometimes the only thing to do is let it out...

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There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom: Rejacketed

Meet Bradley Chalkers. He's the oldest child in the class. He tells ENORMOUS lies. He picks fights with girls. The teachers say he has 'serious behaviour problems'. And no one likes him ... Except Carla, the new school counsellor. She thinks Bradley is kind and generous, and she even enjoys his far-fetched stories. Carla knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren't afraid to try. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is believing in yourself. A heartwarming story of bravery and acceptance from Louis Sachar, the bestselling author of Holes and Fuzzy Mud.

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Apple and Rain

All the time Mum was away, Eleven long years, I saved up my hopes Like little pennies in a jar. Apple's mother disappeared years ago, leaving Apple with her nana and a lot of unanswered questions. But when she unexpectedly explodes back into Apple's life like a comet, homecoming is bittersweet. It's only when Apple meets someone more lost than she is that she begins to see things as they really are. This beautiful novel from multi-award-winning author Sarah Crossan explores family, friendship and reconciliation. It is a story about how messy, complicated and surprising love can be.

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Not My Fault

Maya and Rose won't talk to each other. Even though they are sisters. Not since the accident. Maya is running wild, and Rose doesn't know what to do. Now Maya and Rose have to go away together on a week-long school journey. But will the trip - and a life-threatening adventure - fix their relationship... or break it for good? An uplifting story of family, forgiveness, and finding out who you are, from the author of the highly-acclaimed Ella on the Outside.

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Ways to Be Me

From the bestselling author duo behind Can You See Me? comes this exceptional portrayal of autism diagnosis, with diary entries by 12-year-old autistic author Libby Scott. Taking place before Can You See Me? and Do You Know Me? this standout prequel follows Tally through her autism diagnosis in her final year of primary school. Ten-year-old Tally had high hopes for Year 6. Being in the top class at school means a whole host of privileges, but even better than that is the school production - and Tally is convinced she'll win the lead role. But at home, things aren't going so well. Mum and Dad have been making Tally feel pressured and upset, and Tally wishes things didn't bother her so much - but they do, and sometimes she feels so misunderstood and frustrated, she could explode. Then Tally's mum and dad tell her about something she's never heard about before. Something called autism. And everything changes. The third book written in collaboration with Libby Scott & prequel to the bestselling Can You See Me? When Libby's mum shared a short piece of Libby's writing online it soon went viral, with tens of thousands of people saying that Libby's writing helped them understand autism for the first time This fictionalised portrayal of a young autistic girl is written by Rebecca Westcott, in close collaboration with Libby Scott, making it a truly original and inspirational book that will give readers of all ages a deeper understanding of what it's like to be autistic

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When I See Red

The heroine of this beautifully illustrated story feels her anger like a storm in a dark forest. It sweeps her away, and she thunders and howls. She pours down her emotions like sheets of rain; rage surges like a wind whipping angry waves. Her anger takes her on a wild ride. Appropriate for a wide variety of ages, this book illustrates many aspects of anger that are often hard to articulate- how overwhelming it is, how isolating, even scary. But it also shows anger to be a source of power and an agent for change. Teckentrup's impactful, boldly coloured paintings skilfully evoke the way intense anger can take us on an emotional journey, one that can be both exhausting and affirming. This beautiful tribute to one girl's experience of anger offers readers the opportunity to make sense of, and talk about their own feelings of rage in a time when that kind of understanding is more important than ever.

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17th February 2023

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