Angry Me

by Sandra V. Feder, Rahele Jomepour Bell (Illustrator)

Overview

A young child tells us what makes her angry and how she tries to let the anger come and go. An artful starting point for conversations about strong feelings.

“I get angry,” says a little girl, looking fiercely in the mirror. Sometimes she gets angry when someone is mean and tries to take her toy away, when it feels unfair that there’s not enough time to go swimming, when she’s tired and just wants to go home, or when the kids at school leave her out, hurting her feelings.

When she’s angry, she tries to remember to use her words — even though that doesn’t always work. Sometimes she can’t find the right words, or the words don’t come out the way she intends. But sometimes words do help, and when her anger melts away a new feeling can blossom.

Sandra Feder’s cleverly constructed text presents different situations in which a child might feel angry, creating a nuanced look at anger and its many underlying emotions. Rahele Jomepour Bell’s illustrations show a loveable, angry little girl, brimming with personality, who learns how to express herself as she moves through her feelings.

 

Key Text Features

dialogue

explanation

illustrations

vignettes

 

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781773063386
Publisher:	Groundwood Books
Publication date:	05/01/2022
Series:	Emotions and Me
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 11.25(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

SANDRA V. FEDER is the author of the highly acclaimed books in the Emotions and Me series, including Angry Me and Peaceful Me, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell (Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year), and Shy Me and Lonely Me (the latter forthcoming in 2026), illustrated by Ashley Barron. Sandra’s other books include Bitter and Sweet, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker (a PJ Library selection), and The Moon Inside, illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. She lives in California.

RAHELE JOMEPOUR BELL is an Iranian-born illustrator and educator whose vivid, textured work explores cultural identity, migration and the richness of everyday life. She is a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute, teaching in the Illustration program. Her award-winning illustrations have appeared in Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali and To Change a Planet by Christina Soontornvat, among others. Rahele has been a winner in the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition. She lives in Kansas.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for author Sandra V. Feder and illustrator Rahele Jomepour Bell for Angry Me:

"A valuable tool for teaching children the important skill of recognizing and naming feelings." — Kirkus Reviews 

"A fresh addition to teeming 'anger management' shelves." — Booklist

Editorial Reviews

Anger Me is an excellent example where both illustrations and text work in tandem with one another to create an interesting and pertinent experience for the young reader.

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

A valuable tool for teaching children the important skill of recognizing and naming feelings.

Kirkus Reviews

An effective springboard for discussing a topic that may be hard for young children to verbalize.

School Library Connection

Artfully captures the nuances of anger. STARRED REVIEW

Shelf Awareness

A fresh addition to teeming 'anger management' shelves.

Booklist

A wonderful book to share with young ones to talk about communication and let them know they are understood.

Calgary Herald

A nuanced look at anger and its many underlying emotions.

Midwest Book Review

Anger Me is an excellent example where both illustrations and text work in tandem with one another to create an interesting and pertinent experience for the young reader.

Canadian Review of Materials

2022-03-02
Anger comes in many different forms.

Clenched fists, hunched shoulders, furrowed brows, and a downturned mouth—undoubtedly the young girl protagonist is angry. Her self-aware first-person narration reveals that anger can stem from many underlying emotions. The girl presents various scenarios. When sharing a stuffed animal gets thorny, she reflects: “Sometimes I get angry when I feel like people are being mean.” That is called “ ‘It’s my turn!’ angry.” Or if she finds a puzzle difficult and frustrating, that is called “ ‘I can’t do it!’ angry.” Anger can even spring from sadness; the girl refers to this as “ ‘But why?’ angry” as she looks at a photo of a man who is presumably her deceased grandfather. The second half of the book revisits each scenario, this time offering the possible solution of using words to help diffuse or understand anger. But that can be difficult, too: “Sometimes I can’t think of any words at all, just mad sounds.” Familiar coping mechanisms—such as counting or breathing exercises—aren’t mentioned, though the girl, who has straight black hair and tanned skin, does scribble on paper furiously and cathartically when “anger comes from deep inside and bursts out.” Readers of all ages will identify with the rush of this familiar emotion, explored so sensitively in the book’s thoughtful narrative and emotive, textured digital illustrations. The protagonist’s caregivers are an interracial couple; background characters are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A valuable tool for teaching children the important skill of recognizing and naming feelings. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews