Candlewick Press (MA) Mad, Mad, Mad

I guess my daughter can really relate to the story, she loves it and imitates the actions of the baby in the book!

Baby is mad. We don’t know why and we see a few different ways Baby shows they are mad; all stuff that is pretty realistic for toddlers, like saying no when they mean yes. The parents are shown as supportive but not push-overs. There is no punishment or pate at getting mad. The parents are in the background just trying out different things to help Baby. I thought that was nice that there was no emotion shaming and also that Patricelli doesn’t shy away from showing Baby getting really mad and acting out. Then we see the parents intervening a bit, holding Baby and taking Baby for a walk. Then baby starts to feel better with more help from the parents, but again shown in more of a supportive/there-for-you tone. Then Baby notices they are starting to feel better and then does feel like themselves again. I like that there was a page progression to show that feeling better isn’t instantaneous. Then there’s the usual end page featuring vignettes of things that make Baby feel better. Good to reinforce emotional health tools and good spring board for parents to ask “What makes your mad go away?”. Great toolbox book for parents. Enjoyable to read, as usual, from this author.

Good book. My son thinks of breathing in and out when he gets mad now! Even though he is a little older now, he still likes looking through it every once and awhile, and laughs.

Excellent book to teach my almost two years old about what's happening to him when he gets mad! It's like showing him a mirror while throwing a tantrum. My son gets more aware of his emotions when reading the book.

These books are so cute, and my 2-year old loves them. We have several books by Leslie Patricelli. They are a nice quality, glossy, sturdy board book.