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Mouse Was Mad: A Sweet Story About Expressing Feelings When Quiet Is Most Powerful for Children
Who knows the best way to be mad? Bear stomps. Hare hops. Bobcat screams. Mouse? He just can't get it right. But when he finds the way that works for him--still and quiet--he discovers that his own way might be the best of all.
Linda Urban's story about self-expression and managing anger is both sweet and sly, and Henry Cole's cast of animal friends is simply irresistible.
Linda Urban's story about self-expression and managing anger is both sweet and sly, and Henry Cole's cast of animal friends is simply irresistible.
40 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 2009
12 people are currently reading
507 people want to read
About the author
Linda Urban
18 books199 followersThis was from the About Me section at Linda Urban's website.
I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in a suburban house that looked like all the others on my street. Sometimes I liked that sameness. It made me feel normal, when I worried I wasn’t.
Other times, though, I wanted to be different — to shine, to have people see me as special. I tried ballet dancing and singing and playing musical instruments, but I wasn’t very good at any of those things. But writing stories was fun! And often people liked what I wrote.
At Oakbrook Elementary, I wrote lots of poems and stories. One story, SUPERBOX, was about a crime-fighting shoe box. That story won me a prize. Even better? I got to read it out loud to my classmates, who laughed at the funny parts and cheered when Superbox fought off the evil potato chip can that was his mortal enemy. Nothing made me feel more special than hearing an audience cheer for a character I had written.
So, I kept writing. All through elementary school and junior high I wrote short stories and plays and poems.
But then I learned something.
Not everyone will like every story you write. And sometimes, that will make you feel very bad.
I remember once, I wrote a story about how I felt on Christmas Eve. I described my excitement, that tingling sensation I got anticipating the presents I knew would be under the tree the next morning. A boy in my class thought one of the words I used was “weird” and that I was weird as a result. He laughed at my story and his laughter stung.
I began to write more nonfiction, mostly articles for my high school yearbook and newspaper. These pieces took thought and hard work, but unlike my stories, I felt like I didn’t have to put my secret heart into them. I could hide behind the words and no one would make fun of me or the things I wrote about.
I also started to worry that maybe I was not as good a writer as I had imagined myself to be. I started comparing my writing to that in the books I read. No way was I as good as that! (More about that sort of thing here.)
By college, I had turned my writing toward advertising and marketing, using my creativity to sell the creative work of others.
Which wasn’t such a bad thing.
Why not, you ask?
It landed me at Vroman’s Bookstore, a large independent in Southern California, where I served as marketing director for about ten years.
What a great job! I was surrounded every day by books and authors and artists and readers. One of my responsibilities was to organize author events. I met thousands of writers and learned that most of them have their own fears. Even the most successful worry that readers won’t like their books. Even the most talented sometimes think they aren’t as good at writing as they ought to be.
Hearing this gave me courage.
While I was at Vroman’s, I also ran a summer writer’s workshop series. Every Saturday a writer, illustrator, or editor would come talk to aspiring writers about writing. Secretly, I took notes. Their talks gave me tools for writing better stories.
Finally, when my daughter turned two and I turned 37, I got the guts to try writing fiction again. Having a child brought me back to reading the kinds of books that I most loved, books for kids. As much as I enjoy reading grown-up books, it is kids’ books that grab my heart and make me think and spin my imagination.
Reading those books gave me inspiration.
I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in a suburban house that looked like all the others on my street. Sometimes I liked that sameness. It made me feel normal, when I worried I wasn’t.
Other times, though, I wanted to be different — to shine, to have people see me as special. I tried ballet dancing and singing and playing musical instruments, but I wasn’t very good at any of those things. But writing stories was fun! And often people liked what I wrote.
At Oakbrook Elementary, I wrote lots of poems and stories. One story, SUPERBOX, was about a crime-fighting shoe box. That story won me a prize. Even better? I got to read it out loud to my classmates, who laughed at the funny parts and cheered when Superbox fought off the evil potato chip can that was his mortal enemy. Nothing made me feel more special than hearing an audience cheer for a character I had written.
So, I kept writing. All through elementary school and junior high I wrote short stories and plays and poems.
But then I learned something.
Not everyone will like every story you write. And sometimes, that will make you feel very bad.
I remember once, I wrote a story about how I felt on Christmas Eve. I described my excitement, that tingling sensation I got anticipating the presents I knew would be under the tree the next morning. A boy in my class thought one of the words I used was “weird” and that I was weird as a result. He laughed at my story and his laughter stung.
I began to write more nonfiction, mostly articles for my high school yearbook and newspaper. These pieces took thought and hard work, but unlike my stories, I felt like I didn’t have to put my secret heart into them. I could hide behind the words and no one would make fun of me or the things I wrote about.
I also started to worry that maybe I was not as good a writer as I had imagined myself to be. I started comparing my writing to that in the books I read. No way was I as good as that! (More about that sort of thing here.)
By college, I had turned my writing toward advertising and marketing, using my creativity to sell the creative work of others.
Which wasn’t such a bad thing.
Why not, you ask?
It landed me at Vroman’s Bookstore, a large independent in Southern California, where I served as marketing director for about ten years.
What a great job! I was surrounded every day by books and authors and artists and readers. One of my responsibilities was to organize author events. I met thousands of writers and learned that most of them have their own fears. Even the most successful worry that readers won’t like their books. Even the most talented sometimes think they aren’t as good at writing as they ought to be.
Hearing this gave me courage.
While I was at Vroman’s, I also ran a summer writer’s workshop series. Every Saturday a writer, illustrator, or editor would come talk to aspiring writers about writing. Secretly, I took notes. Their talks gave me tools for writing better stories.
Finally, when my daughter turned two and I turned 37, I got the guts to try writing fiction again. Having a child brought me back to reading the kinds of books that I most loved, books for kids. As much as I enjoy reading grown-up books, it is kids’ books that grab my heart and make me think and spin my imagination.
Reading those books gave me inspiration.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
February 17, 2010
Okay, officially adorable!
This is a great little tale about how we express our feelings in different ways (Bear stomps his foot, Bobcat screams, etc. - but what does Mouse do?).
While, if I'm being *totally* picky I could say that I wanted a little better resolution at the end, but the story is still great and the adorableness completely makes up for it!
The moral I got from the story? That we all have different ways to express our emotions, and that one way is not better than another, we just need to find the one that's right for us. And this was certainly a fun way to "learn" that lesson! :)
This is a great little tale about how we express our feelings in different ways (Bear stomps his foot, Bobcat screams, etc. - but what does Mouse do?).
While, if I'm being *totally* picky I could say that I wanted a little better resolution at the end, but the story is still great and the adorableness completely makes up for it!
The moral I got from the story? That we all have different ways to express our emotions, and that one way is not better than another, we just need to find the one that's right for us. And this was certainly a fun way to "learn" that lesson! :)
May 23, 2019
Cute book that addresses when kids are angry. A mouse meets with several friends and he shows different ways to to show he’s angry.... by yelling, rolling on the ground, stomping his feet etc. At the end it shows ways of calming down instead of acting in a certain way. Great book for kids to read or parents to read to their kids to address behavior.
January 19, 2010
This book is a hoot! I absolutely loved it. The illustrations are SO expressive and charmingly humorous! Little Mouse is so MAD but he can't quite express his anger in a way he sees fit. Other animals try to show him how they express their anger, but poor Mouse can only give feeble imitations--which only makes him angrier! In the end, he is SO mad he expresses his anger in a way wholly his own, one that the other creatures totally admire. Highly recommended!
April 14, 2011
It's when mouse if rolling-around-on-the-ground mad that we had trouble copying all Mouse's moves at storytime. In any case, a lovely picture book. I'm a sucker for Henry Cole's illustrations and would read a repair manual if it was written by Linda Urban.
Recommended for ages 2-5 and the whole family.
Recommended for ages 2-5 and the whole family.
July 15, 2019
Kinda bummed that none of Mouse’s friends asked him why he was mad or if they could do something to make him feel better. But I guess it’s a good book to show kids how to deal with their anger instead of hitting or breaking things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2009
Mouse is hopping mad. Until Hare tells him he looks “ridiculous.” But when Mouse tries to hop like Hare, he tumbles into a mud puddle. Mouse is now even angrier. Stomping mad, in fact. Bear arrives and shows him how he should be stomping. But when Mouse tries, it doesn’t have the same earth shaking effects. In fact, it’s much more Mouse-shaking and Mouse falls into another mud puddle. Now Mouse is screaming mad. Bobcat tries to show Mouse how to really scream, but Mouse, you guessed it, falls into another mud puddle. The book resolves with Mouse being so angry he can’t even move. Now the other animals are impressed and try to be just as still with limited success. Is that a smile readers see on Mouse’s face?
The end papers of this book are great. At the front, they show Mouse gripped by utter rage and in the end we can see him being oh-so happy. Urban has created a wonderful mix of emotions, humor, and repetition that will be embraced by toddlers and preschoolers. Her repeated dunking of Mouse in mud is great fun, offering the predictability that young children look for. It is also very effective against the unpredictable emotion of anger. The humor works well as a foil for that emotion.
Cole’s illustrations are very effective, showing Mouse really, really angry, tail twitching as he watches the others do demonstrations. The facial expressions of the animals are very evocative of emotions. Mouse seems to have an infinite number of angry looks that range from simmering peevishness to outright fury. Cole cleverly builds the tension before each fall into the mud with a series of illustrations showing Mouse just before the fall, in mid-air, and finally and delightfully covered in mud.
Highly recommended for storytimes on emotions or mice, this book is a winner of a read aloud and will have all of the children in your group enthralled. It can also be used as a book to get children moving, since you can have children stomp, hop, and yes, even scream.
(Reviewed from copy checked out from public library.)
The end papers of this book are great. At the front, they show Mouse gripped by utter rage and in the end we can see him being oh-so happy. Urban has created a wonderful mix of emotions, humor, and repetition that will be embraced by toddlers and preschoolers. Her repeated dunking of Mouse in mud is great fun, offering the predictability that young children look for. It is also very effective against the unpredictable emotion of anger. The humor works well as a foil for that emotion.
Cole’s illustrations are very effective, showing Mouse really, really angry, tail twitching as he watches the others do demonstrations. The facial expressions of the animals are very evocative of emotions. Mouse seems to have an infinite number of angry looks that range from simmering peevishness to outright fury. Cole cleverly builds the tension before each fall into the mud with a series of illustrations showing Mouse just before the fall, in mid-air, and finally and delightfully covered in mud.
Highly recommended for storytimes on emotions or mice, this book is a winner of a read aloud and will have all of the children in your group enthralled. It can also be used as a book to get children moving, since you can have children stomp, hop, and yes, even scream.
(Reviewed from copy checked out from public library.)
March 24, 2020
"Mouse was mad. Hopping mad," begins Linda Urban's delightful tale of a little mouse struggling to find a way to express his feelings. Unfortunately, Hare happens along, and seeing Mouse's rather small hop, informs him that he looks ridiculous. Discovering that he cannot match Bear's earth-shaking stomp, Bobcat's echoing scream, or Hedgehog's smooth roll, Mouse becomes progressively more angry (and muddy, as his efforts land him in a succession of puddles). Finally, at the end of his rope, he finds his own means of expressing his fury - something none of his animal companions can match!
With a narrative that perfectly expresses the frustration of a young child, struggling to find a satisfactory way of enacting a difficult feeling, and adorable illustrations that capture the perverse humor of a temper-tantrum, Mouse Was Mad is a wonderful affirmation of the child's emotional world. Many adults seem to forget how much more intense emotions seem, when we lack the vocabulary and skills to express them, but Urban clearly has not. Thanks to Kathryn, Lisa and Ann, for pointing me towards this one!
With a narrative that perfectly expresses the frustration of a young child, struggling to find a satisfactory way of enacting a difficult feeling, and adorable illustrations that capture the perverse humor of a temper-tantrum, Mouse Was Mad is a wonderful affirmation of the child's emotional world. Many adults seem to forget how much more intense emotions seem, when we lack the vocabulary and skills to express them, but Urban clearly has not. Thanks to Kathryn, Lisa and Ann, for pointing me towards this one!
January 27, 2010
This book is hilarious. The story and illustrations are both so funny, which is terrific when reading about a normally difficult emotion to express: anger.
I would have appreciated more about dealing with anger, rather than just how mouse ended up doing it, but I loved how it was shown that emotions are fleeting, that angry feelings won’t last. The illustrations couldn’t be more perfect for the story.
This is one book that can be thoroughly enjoyed by very young children and somewhat older children, and adults too. It would also be a good book to read and discuss with children who feel angry a lot or who are currently angry (but not too angry).
I would have appreciated more about dealing with anger, rather than just how mouse ended up doing it, but I loved how it was shown that emotions are fleeting, that angry feelings won’t last. The illustrations couldn’t be more perfect for the story.
This is one book that can be thoroughly enjoyed by very young children and somewhat older children, and adults too. It would also be a good book to read and discuss with children who feel angry a lot or who are currently angry (but not too angry).
May 20, 2009
We love this book at my house. Though intended for the youngest readers, it kind of transcends age, so while it's perfect for a toddler, it's also one that my seven-year-old daughter giggles at every time we pick it up. She and I both love the playful language, the energy of anger and chaos and quiet, all in turn. Henry Cole's cuter-than-cute illustrations bring added life to Linda Urban's story of a mouse who can't even seem to get mad the right way, according to the other animals, until he finds his own style of emotional expression. Kids, who always seem to be told they're doing something the wrong way, will appreciate Mouse's dilemma and be cheering for him at the end.
This is one of those picture books that's destined to be an all-time favorite. It already is at our house.
This is one of those picture books that's destined to be an all-time favorite. It already is at our house.
November 25, 2019
A great read-aloud on emotions and ways of expressing them. Mouse was mad, really mad, and was looking for ways to express his anger. He was trying to model the behaviour of Hare, Bear, Hedgehog, and Bobcat, and as they, has tried hopping, stomping, screaming, and rolling, only to discover that his own way may be the best of all.
March 23, 2009
If I could get my kids out of their angry fits with this kind of humor, I'd be a better mom. I love the way the animals just sort of butt in and try to correct Mouse, when they really have no idea what's going on. Henry Cole's illustrations are the perfect complement--cute, and full of expression.
October 11, 2019
This is a cute book about feeling mad. Might be good for talking about feelings with children.
May 30, 2017
Cute story with great illustrations. It shows that everyone deals with anger/strong emotions in their own way and that sometimes just a little quiet time can make all the difference. What my 5 yr old told me after she read it was that it was funny that Mouse ended up in the mud puddles. Not sure she took away the same message I did, although I do expect at least some of it sunk in. :)
November 17, 2017
Adorable illustrations and an important lesson about emotions. When mouse gets mad he tried many things to calm him down but nothing works for him. Finally he finds that being still and taking many deep breaths calmed him down. It was his own individual method and he had to find it out on his own. This can show children appropriate coping methods and understanding emotions.
March 27, 2021
This cute book is about the best way to get mad and through the book the mouse gets to reenact the different friend's way of getting mad, but his way turns out to be the best. I enjoyed reading this book because I like how it teaches children different ways to get upset and it's okay to express how they feel But there is a good way to express your frustration.
September 1, 2021
Eh, not my favorite. Some of the word choices felt a little odd, and I felt the message was a bit muddled. The illustrations were very fun though! And it could be enjoyable for a 'animals going around doing silly things' story rather than an 'I want to teach my child how to deal with anger productively' story.
May 21, 2018
An adorable story about a little mouse learning to control his anger. A great segue into teaching kids about how to deal with their emotions, specifically when they're mad. Just breathe and stand still....
April 17, 2019
Mouse was mad is a cute story! This book is about a mouse who is trying to discover being mad or upset. When a bear is mad they stomp. What does a mouse do when they get mad? This book teaches children how to express themselves.
January 29, 2021
Mouse is mad, really mad. Each of his friends try to show him a much better way to express his anger and every time.. well, it doesn't go well for mouse. Will Mouse ever be able to calm down and feel better? Will he ever be able to find a way to express his anger? Poor mouse.
December 19, 2017
All that anger and the best way to control it, was not to give into it.
August 4, 2018
I love this book! Especially since I had just had a perfectly horrible day when I came across it.
February 2, 2019
The kids and grown-ups were into this one more than I expected!
March 26, 2019
This is the cutest book. It would be great for storytime.
June 27, 2019
Cute book about figuring out your unique qualities. Trying to be like others doesn’t work. Ages 5-12 text set: everyone is unique
June 28, 2019
This book isn’t about why the mouse is mad, but rather how his friends handle the situation.
November 11, 2019
A cute book on different ways to express anger and how others may also express it. It also shows that different techniques work for different people or in this case animals.
November 29, 2019
Good for reading practice good lesson about deep breathing to be calm
June 10, 2020
mouse could not stomp like a bear he could not hop like a hare he could not scream like a cat he could not role like a hedgehog but he could stand still as a rock.
November 3, 2020
A really nicely done book. Could be good to use in discussions around emotional regulation, and also in how we are better off as individuals and not trying to be like others!
April 24, 2024
Mouse notices that he is mad, but the way he expresses his anger just doesn’t feel right. He doesn’t hop like a rabbit, stomp like a bear, howl like a bobcat, or roll like a hedgehog. It is only when he learns that standing real still validates his emotion and he begins to naturally feel better.
This book shows that all people (animals) show emotion, but in different ways. It’s up to us to find a way that works for us.
This book shows that all people (animals) show emotion, but in different ways. It’s up to us to find a way that works for us.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews