What can you do when your feelings get the best of you? The students at Sunnyvale Elementary carry a lot in their backpacks - including some things you can't see quite so well, like big feelings and confusing emotions. Today, one fiery red book keeps spilling out and exploding onto ANGER! It’s time for the kids to use their best detective skills to figure out what's underneath those angry feelings. Ana feels HURT when her friends don't play fair. Ben feels EMBARRASSED when he makes a mistake. Grace feels DIFFERENT when nobody chooses her for their team. When our feelings get the best of us, we need to do our best with our feelings. Become a backpack detective like Ana, Ben, and Grace! Stop when I'm furious. Pause and be curious. What is underneath the mad? Am I lonely, stressed, or sad?
Jessica Sinarski, author of Riley the Brave, is also a therapist, supervisor, consultant and educator. She is a thought-leader in connecting neuroscience with practice, especially in adult-child relationships. Her areas of expertise include early trauma and adoption, with an emphasis on brain development and the mind/body connection. She has been consulting with schools, agencies and parent groups since 2005 and was recently invited to speak at the largest adoption conference in North America. Jess lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and 3 busy boys.
Hello, Anger does a really great job of examining why someone might feel angry. I feel like so often anger is a vilified emotion, especially in children, when it’s usually a response to another emotion. I love that the characters were able to work through their anger and consider what might have been making them feel the way they were feeling. Confronting that can be hard for even adults and I think this book would be a useful tool to helping children find the words to explain their anger and what might be fueling it. I look forward to reading this with my child and using it as a helpful place to start conversations.
The illustrations were great and I love the diversity of the characters drawn. I also loved that the teacher set the example by apologizing and discussing her own anger.
I hadn’t read the other Magic Backpack book “What’s Inside Your Backpack?” so at first I thought it was a little cheesy, but still a good way to display what the characters are feeling. Overall enjoyed and think it would be a great book to read with kids, especially those struggling with their emotions.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book, which I received in exchange for a review of my own opinion.
Anger is one of those tricky emotions. It can often feel overwhelming and an angry child therefore often responds in ways that are not helpful to them and those around them. Learning how to cope with anger at a young age is something that is important and it will make life better for many years.
This book is addressed to kids who are invited to become magic backpack detectives; they will learn to “unpack” this emotion. Anger is seen as a bright red book in the bag while other emotions, like embarrassment and hurt, have their own colorful titles.
Hello, Anger addresses the function that this emotion serves. Importantly, the feelings that may lie beneath angry feelings are acknowledged talked about. The teacher in the story models this behavior for her students. Kids are also shown ways to channel their feelings in a productive manner.
This book could be most useful in opening up a discussion with a child. It is best read and talked about with a trusted adult. Note that a helpful section for adults is included at the end of the title.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the National Center for Youth Issues for this title. All opinions are my own.
A book is an amazing tool to help children, and young adults, better understand their anger. This story delves into the emotion of anger and the other feelings that we all may be feeling underneath those angry feelings like hurt, embarrassment and feeling different. Even though the concept is rather complex the story is one ages 7 an older can easily understand and tells of a few friends at school being “backpack detectives”. The detectives search for the clues that give them an idea of what they truly are feeling under the anger they each feel. The backpack detectives uncover which “book” (represent each emotion) they are each individually feeling under their anger. I can see an accessory line, small backpacks with books labeled with various emotions that kids can see, hold and touch, being produced to further assist in helping children explain what they are feeling.
I wish this book was available even sooner- what a priceless tool!!
Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & IBPA
This was a great book about addressing the underlying feelings beyond just surface level anger. It’s about understanding emotions and thinking before reacting.
I really thought the little poem/chant in the story was clever. Hopefully it’ll be something that kids remember easily the next time they get angry.
I think this is a good book and might be best suited for 2nd-3rd graders.
A very good resource for teachers and counselors. Sinarski gives school time examples of anger, then uses a fun storyline of being backpack detectives to explore other emotions that can be the underlying cause for the anger.
The way this book is written makes it an excellent way to approach the topic of anger and behavioral problems with students and even our own children. Examples of students and their teacher showing anger in different situations and how the body can react to anger are explained. The teacher leads a discussion to help identify what caused her outburst and what underlying emotions are at the root of her angry reaction. Then the students who got angry explore the reasons they got mad. The teacher gave them a short rhyme to help them work through future situations on their own.
The storyline and illustrations are catchy and entertaining for readers ages 7-12. “Tips for Caring Adults” are included at the end of the book. This book provides a very effective way to start a conversation with a child that is exhibiting anger in elementary or middle school.
I received this book from the author/publisher free of charge, with no expectation of a positive review.
Emotions are complex beings with a life of their own. Anger is one that overpowers so many and makes understanding the cause of your anger to get lost in translation. This book presents this and finds an easier way to dig deeper into the ‘why?’.
In this book you’ll see Mrs. Miller and her students meet challenges at school and when everyone reaches their tipping point, they meet their anger. The author brought this up as a way to say we have magic backpacks that hold heavy books throughout the day. Some hold embarrassment or even guilt but all those heavy books hide behind our anger. She further teaches a small rhyme to get her students to stop, think and process the ‘why?’ behind their anger and finds so much more.
I thoroughly enjoyed how this was presented and I think this would be an appropriate way to teach and aid emotions for people of all walks of life.
I think it’s also important to note the inclusivity in this book. We see a teacher and her struggles. We see the emotions of a student who struggles to speak in front of class and we even see the struggles of a student with a prosthetic leg.
5/5 stars, I would absolutely purchase this and use this as an approach on emotions and teaching understanding and regulation.
A delightfully simple exploration on anger, Sinarski has created a book with a focus on social-emotional vocabulary. Tackling all five SEL core competencies, it touches on self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, social awareness, and relationship skills.
Sinarski creates a fantastic visual for students, relating the emotions they carry inside them like having a backpack full of feelings. When a bright red book won't stay in the backpack, the students have a chance to explore the feeling of anger. They start to understand that anger is a complex emotion and often has many other feelings connected to it, such as sadness or fear. They learn that when someone acts out in an angry manner, it could be because they were embarrassed or their feelings were hurt.
This story was both entertaining and educational, which can be a tricky balance to maintain in a children’s book, and I will be suggesting it to teachers whenever possible. Incorporating topics such as this into children's picture books is a tried and true way to teach important life skills in a way that is fun. This would be an amazing addition for classrooms, libraries, counselling offices and more.
"Stop when I'm furious. Pause and be curious. What is underneath the mad? Am I lonely, stressed, or sad?" -Hello, Anger; Jessica Sinarski
Hello, Anger is a pretty decent book on handling anger (and other emotions that are perceived as negative), specifically for school aged children. The advice would be good for older kids as well, teens, etc. but the art and phrasing of the book is definitely aged at younger kids. It gives examples of when you might feel angry, and what emotions are often hiding under the anger. The art is quite nice, and I especially liked how the author chose to show an adult, the teacher in the book, dealing with the emotion of anger herself! I think showing kids that adults also feel the same things is vitally important for connection.
I'd definitely recommend this to families I know, and think it would be a good book to have at the homes or schools of middle school aged kids.
*I was given a copy of this title via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
If you are looking for a book to help your child with dealing with their anger, then check out Hello, Anger by Jessica Sinarski and illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. I loved how the discussion about anger is led by the teacher who also shares examples with herself as a model. Starting the book off with how examples of how anger can occur in both children and adults, it quickly lays out for the reader why anger can be tricky.
Leading as the model, the teacher works through unpacking the other feelings behind her anger. She introduces a very catchy rhyme for students to help them do the same. I love that the book delves into a method students can do to help them refocus and understand the feelings behind their anger.
There is also a page of tips for adults who want to practice being more mindful of how they express their anger in front of their children. Hello, Anger is a great addition to any SEL library.
I was sent a copy of this book to review via Net Galley. All thoughts are my own!
CW: Ableism, bullying
This has a good message & lesson, teaching kids about where anger stems from and just learning about their emotions in general such as guilt, embarrassment, and frustration.
However, I wish there was more nuance to the scene where the disabled character is bullied and discriminated against. Personally, I believe there could've been a better lesson here than having the teacher tell the disabled child to forgive the able-bodied kid who made fun of her for wearing a prosthetic leg. There are definitely some plot holes that made me question things. Overall, I'd recommend this for the lesson of anger because the end of the book shares a guide for parents on why they should help support their kids when they are angry rather than punish them for their feelings.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Jessica Sinarski for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
As educators we hear all the time how the pandemic has impacted our students socially and emotionally. This past year many teachers saw more anger than in previous years. This book is a timely godsend.
Thanking your anger and understanding that it is there to protect you from harder emotions is mind blowing. Getting to the crux of the matter, what’s hiding under that anger, is paramount.
This book will give teachers the ability to mobilize their student bodies to ask that question and help unpack what it was that was really causing the issues. I certainly wish I had this book earlier in my career. I cannot wait to share it with my colleagues and my students. Thank you so much !
This is a great resource for early to mid elementary kids to work on identifying and dealing with anger. Using the metaphor of books in a backpack, students learn about why anger shows up and what other feelings it might be trying to call attention to. With a helpful rhyme, kids are given a framework for how to react to angry moments in order to figure out what's really going on and address the underlying problem.
The scenarios that made the characters angry will be very relatable for kids, and it's really helpful to see an adult also deal with anger. This would be an excellent classroom read and should start some very productive discussions about how to process and regulate feelings.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion*
This is just the book we need in schools right now! It talks about anger in a way that children can understand and is also a great way for parents to better understand their own child's emotions. I always talk to teachers and parents about how all behaviors serve a purpose and this book how much other feelings play a part in a child's anger and outbursts. I hope there are many more books from this author. I strongly recommend this to parents, school librarians, school counselors, teachers, and anyone else who works with children.
This is a fantastic book about the importance of identifying and naming your emotions. The teacher has the children be backpack detectives and look at the titles of the books in their backpack. Each book has a different emotion, and on the top of the pile is anger. The teacher encourages the children to look at the emotions on the books underneath anger and understand what led to the anger.
Identifying and expressing emotions is such an important skill for kids and adults to learn. I plan on reading this book to my 7 and 9-year-old children. Thank you to NetGalley and National Center for Youth Issues for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ae At first, I didn't think this book was going to work for me. The books in the backpack thing was a little awkward for the first little bit of the book. I needed a little more explanation, which the author does give as the story continues. In the end, I really liked this little story. It would be a great tool for helping school aged children process their anger and understand their feelings. I expect it would be a bit complicated for preschool aged and younger. The art is lovely and appropriate.
Every child should have this book in their home and school and it should be read on a regular basis. The story does a great job in providing realistic situations that could happen and showing why it is that one gets angry and that it is okay to get angry but in order to help yourself you need to look behind the anger at other big feelings. It also provides the adult with a quick guide at the end to help with their feelings as a way of helping to model for the children in their lives. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.
This book can help a reader explain to children how a person’s feelings can weigh them down like a heavy backpack. This representation of the students’ weighed down in the illustration is a relatable visual for elementary age students. The children in the story are directed to look underneath the anger book in their bags and discover the feelings that caused it. Each feeling is described and validated. While students recognize their reasons for their feelings, reconciliation is made and everyone is happy. The way the book is laid out is a great way to teach students to talk about their feelings and problems with others in a way that is not threatening to others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I think this book is very relevant to today's society. A lot of times, people--especially children--don't know how to control their anger. Often times, we act quickly when we are angry. And this book does an excellent job on explaining one way to process our emotions, not just anger. I'm not a big fan of the books symbolizing emotions, but the message is pretty clear to me. Also, a bonus in this book is that there's a lot of representation! Different skin tones and hair types. There's even a girl with a disability as well! Love that about this book.
I love books that help my kids understand emotions! This is a great one! Anger is an emotion kids feel negative about having, however, it is 100% ok to feel anger (and normal I might add). Thank you for creating a book that gives parents a space to have a great conversation about anger and emotions. This book would be great at home or at school as a read aloud or one on one. The graphics and illustrations are fun and full of emotion. Even adults need this book :) Thank you, Jessica Sinarski for this book!
This is the perfect book for parents to read with their kids.
Hello, Anger does an amazing job of explaining what Anger is and how to deal with it. Each of the characters, Ana, Ben, Grace and even the teacher feels some sort of anger throughout the school day.
I really like how Jessica Sinarski used the emotions as books we carry around daily with us, allowing us to open up and see what is bothering us. There are also tips and tricks in the back of the book for parents to read through.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story was perfect. I loved the message and it was easier to follow even for a younger child. It allowed me to explain to my kid about his feelings under the anger when he acts out and the rhyme is GREAT. I will for sure help him memorize it and make him think of it every time he gets mad or frustrated. I really loved this book. The art was great too!
This is an interesting. Much like the Boy’s Town Press the reader is given an issue and a way to deal with it, which is been repeated by example at least three times. However, in this book there is this magic backpack concept with each book in the backpack reflecting a different emotion. I think concept is a hard to follow and the story is confusing because of it. The concept is great for an educational setting, but I think in general is does not work very well.
This was a wonderful children's book that gave not only voice to big feelings, with anger being just one of them, but also gave strategies to use with anger. I liked the premise of being detectives and curious about what is causing our feelings. Including the teacher in the anger was great too because it shows a model of a healthy way to deal with big feelings. I would love to have this book in my classroom and others like it.
I received an ARC of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This children's book is just perfect for social emotional learning. As a children's librarian I would recommend this book for parents and teachers who are looking for how to teach children to manage their anger. The illustrations are charming and cute.
This book is really helpful for helping kids and grown ups alike to learn how to unpack the feelings behind their anger. It is useful both in the classroom setting and at home. It also shows that sometimes grown ups have difficulty controlling their anger, which is important to recognize.
Without looking at the author bio, can you tell this was written by a therapist? So good, such an interesting and fun read! I would totally use this as a social-emotional aid for parents/guardians/teachers of little people!
I WANT THIS BOOK! It was so informative, with great language to recognize, accept, and work out our feelings in a smart, healthy way. We were on socio-emotional stuff in our classroom and this series could be a great tool to benefit the learning. I plan to read more from this series in the future!
las emociones representadas en libros que echamos en nuestra mochila, me encantó eso y al final de día hablar de ellas y comprenderlas y librarnos y tener paz. bonito libro.