Need ways to calm your angry child down? This collection of children’s books about anger helps kids manage frustration and understand these big feelings.
It’s that moment when you realize this is far more than just a tantrum or mere stubbornness. And after three kids, I’ve seen the face of true anger, especially when it arises out of nowhere.
It might’ve been when I said it was time to leave the school garden, only for them to kick and scream in the van the entire ride home. Or when one of my kids yelled at the top of his lungs, his face in anguish because I told him it was time to take a bath.
Sometimes it’s when they overreact about what another brother had said (“I wasn’t being mean!” they’ll scream).
For some kids, this anger goes beyond that moment, as they make their way to their room, knocking down the hamper or flinging blankets to the floor. They’re so angry they feel compelled to hit or scream endlessly when things don’t go their way.
And for us parents? We get angry right back, then feel guilty and exhausted afterward. Or we feel like we have to tiptoe around our kids, afraid of yet another angry outburst.
The thing is, as frustrating and overwhelming as this can be, anger itself isn’t inherently bad. I certainly don’t want my kids to suppress anger or to feel like they can never get upset. I don’t want them to think that anger is something to be ashamed of, or that they’re a worse person because of it.
After all, everyone feels anger and frustration, and it can often be a necessary emotion to process.
Children’s books about anger
Still, being that it’s an emotion we all feel, we need to teach kids anger management and ways of calming down.
Rather than brush it under the rug, let’s show them how to identify anger and better manage it. Let’s give them examples of how to communicate so they don’t always erupt in anger, and of course, provide coping ways to get through it.
One of the best ways to even discuss anger is through children’s books.
You see, kids don’t come equipped knowing what emotions are. So when these overwhelming and challenging emotions rush through them, they don’t always know what’s going on, whether it’s normal, or what to do about it.
But by reading children’s books about anger, they can then see that everyone experiences it in one way or another. They see other characters going through the same thoughts and feelings they do, picking up tips on how to manage anger.
And more important, they know that they’re still a good person, no matter what.
As my kids grow and I get better about responding to their anger, I’ve seen vast changes in how they handle it. And I can say with certainty that reading children’s books about anger has been instrumental in helping us talk about this important but often challenging emotion.
Take a look at my favorite children’s books about anger:
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission—at no extra cost to you—if you make a purchase.
When I Feel Angry by Cornelia Maude Spelman
Llama Llama Mad at Mama by Anna Dewdney
No Fits, Nilson! by Zachariah OHora
Today I’m a Monster by Agnes Green
How to Take the Grrrr Out of Anger by Elizabeth Verdick
When Miles Got Mad by Sam Kurtzman-Counter
Train Your Angry Dragon by Steve Herman
The Very Frustrated Monster by Andi Green
Zach Gets Frustrated by William Mulcahy
Want more tips about handling your child’s anger? Join my newsletter and download my PDF, 5 Tips to Raising a Strong-Willed Child and discover 5 ways to nurture and work with—not against—your child’s inner spirit and strong personality:
Get more tips:
- How to Help Your Angry Child
- How to Discipline a Toddler Who Hits
- 5 Ways to Stop Toddler Power Struggles Many Parents Don’t Think to Do
- 7 Game-Changing Ways to Respond to Your Argumentative Child
- Unique Ways to Meet the Emotional Needs of Your Child
Tell me in the comments: Which of these children’s books about anger have you read with your child?
Leave a Reply