When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry... Written and Illustrated by Molly Bang
Genre: Picture Book Sub-genre: Fiction
Theme: Dealing with our emotions (specifically, anger)
Theme: Dealing with our emotions (specifically, anger)
Published March 1, 1999 by Blue Sky Press
Awards: Caldecott Honor, Jane Addams Honor Award and the Arbuthnot Award
Characters
Primary: Sophie
Secondary: Sophie's sister, mother, and father
In the beginning of this vibrant children's picture book, a little girl named Sophie is interrupted by her sister as she plays with a toy gorilla. When she refuses to relinquish the toy to Sister, her mother chastises her for not sharing. In a small scuffle, she trips over another toy that is laying nearby. This incident sparks a temper tantrum, after which Sophie runs from inside her home to the woods and her favorite beech tree outside. As she runs, Sophie cries and fumes. When she reaches the top of the tree, she calms down as "The wide world comforts her". She climbs back down and returns to her house, feeling better after having worked through her torment of emotions.
This story was so touching! As human beings, we all experience emotional ups and downs and may even feel out of control of our feelings at times. This book would be an invaluable tool for teaching young students that the emotions they feel are okay to experience, because everyone gets angry sometimes. The lesson Sophie teaches us by getting away from the situation that angers her so that she may calm down after some "quiet time" is priceless. I would use this book to teach my students about coping with their feelings, and to show them that getting upset with someone over an incident like this is not the end of the world.
I also read this book and I thought it was a great way to help show young children how to express these feeling and that it is normal to get angry. This was a great book!
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