I'm Mad (Dealing with Feelings)

5 stars for content, 3 stars for physical quality of book (cheap printing quality), 2 stars for the way the introduction is written, because I don’t believe it’s helpful for my daughter to read the framing around why we feel this book is helpful to her. I’ve had to rip out those pages - they are equivalent to teacher notes - and am left with a book which is not a very lovely object, even though I appreciate its contentUpdate:I’ve changed this from 4 stars to 5 because my daughter (5) loves this book and the others in the series SO MUCH, and really enjoys the process of thinking through the situations, emotions and strategies/ tools she could use to help. I still wish it was a nicer, better made object, but she doesn’t care.

This is a fantastic book for your 3+ year old children. My daughter, who is 3.5, had trouble labeling and expressing her emotions. Basically, this book is about a girl who is is mad after her picnic plans change. In an interactive format you and your child get to pick from the 6 choices Katie has to "get her mads out;" ranging from squishing playdough to doing a mad dance to calling a friend for advice. After reading this book a few times, my daughter started to have logical reactions to her frustrations, voicing them and then (thankfully) moving on.

I work with young children and their families and have found the Dealing With Feelings series very helpful. What I like most about these books is that present a situation and the child can choose what kind of ending they want from a number of alternative actions, and then see what the outcomes could be based on those choices. It is not preachy, and children and parents can learn about their feelings in an accepting and supportive manner.

Good ideas what to do when a child is mad. I read it to my 4 year old a lot ;) We made up our own "un-mad song" and "un-mad dance"

Good book but I wish it wasn't so "wordy". I bought it for my 8-year old, when she was 7, and it can hold her attention for only so long.

Wonderful ideas on how to handle anger. My son wanted to try some of them even though he knew I was "feeding" him the book for that purpose. See also: I'm Furious, which is just as good.

Not only gives kids ideas about what to do when mad, but also how to get ideas about what to do when mad. The 'choose-your-own-adventure' style also gives them a sense of control. Full of healthy advice without patronizing.

This has been great for my son.