“When I Feel Angry” is a children’s book by a therapist, Cornelia Maude Spelman.  She’s also the author of “When I Feel Sad,” reviewed earlier here.  When I Feel Angry is also aimed at the younger crowd, from apx 2-9 or so years of age, depending on your child’s reading and interest level.

The main character of this book is a rabbit.  She talks about times when she feels angry:

“I feel angry when I have to stop a game at the best part and clean up my room, or when we finally go swimming it rains.”

She describes how anger feels:

“Anger is a strong, hot feeling.  When I feel angry, I want to say something mean, or yell, or hit.”

She elaborates on the different between a feeling and an action taken in response to a feeling (did I mention the author is a therapist?  ;^)  )

“But feeling like I want to is not the same as doing it.  Feel can’t hurt anyone or get me in trouble, but doing can.”

And then our little rabbit tells kids how she handles her angry feelings:

“I can take deep breaths and blow the air out, hard, to send the anger out of me.  I can make my anger cooler by running, riding my bike, or doing something I really like to do.”

The last few pages acknowledge that sometimes anger is a healthy response (yea!) an covers three more important points: sometimes things can’t be changed, sometimes it’s “me” that needs to change, and sometimes it’s “you” that needs to change.  (again, this is a very healthy message about anger!)

So, consider this another ‘highly recommended” book to keep in your child’s library.  If you’d like to buy this book, you can click on the picture of it below–it’s a link to the book’s page on Amazon.