One day Simon became so angry that his feelings transformed into a frightful beast. The animal terrified all who encountered it and sent them running. Each time Simon became enraged his anger grew more fearsome. Until the day Simon’s family and friends did not want to be around him for fear that they would have to confront some new beast.

Simon discovered that he missed his family and friends. He enjoyed their company, their laughter and love. He determined he had to find away to get rid of his ferocious creatures.

The Illustrations are vibrant and the characters are diverse. Repetitive text encourages our youngest readers to anticipate phrases and events. Simon and the Big, Bad, Angry Beasts includes an author’s note with strategies for dealing with anger for caregivers and teachers. It also discusses mindfulness and provides activities including that encourage self-control. Simon breathes and concentrates on being calm. He envisions the fire-breathing dragon exploding into butterflies, each one carrying away pieces of his anger.--Highly recommended.

I absolutely love this book, but I also absolutely hate this book. And EVERY library, classroom, and home should have a copy. First the love. The illustrations are amazing. They do such a good job of conveying the story. At first anger is the ram running into the door, then it’s an alligator, a rhinoceros, a dragon. It’s glorious. But as the story says, it’s also lonely. So the reader needs to learn calming ways. At first the boy loves the anger side and how everyone reacts, but that reaction doesn’t last.

And It’s probably that I am reading and judging this book the Monday after the Douglas Stoneman High School shooting which makes me hate this book. I hate that we as a society NEED this book. That we are not teaching our kids to control our anger, or manage the feelings inside us. I HATE that we need a book that in the back talks about WHY we need to teach these things to our kids. Because they are not learning it on their own. Instead they bottle it up until it explodes. We need this book for Adults as well. We need to remember, or relearn the lessons of this book. We need to stop talking over everyone, letting our anger ram hit the door, and teaching our children that anger is okay. So for me, this is not just a lesson for child in a kids book, but a lesson for all the USA. And even sadder, is it takes a French book to teach the US a lesson. Because we cannot write it ourselves.

OK - I know this (probably) isn’t the point of the book. But it seems like it’s saying we should let kids have their temper tantrums and let them figure out for themselves that no one will like them if they keep getting mad and acting like Class-A jerks. This seems like a poor way to raise a child. I get that kids get mad - and we need to teach them that’s a valid emotion. I like that this book teaches that it’s ok to be angry sometimes, and that we need to learn how to identify and deal with our emotions.

But the way the book is laid out, it feels like the best way to let kids deal with their emotions is to let them completely play out until they receive what kind of consequences those emotions have. I mean, the parents seem to be good parents, until Simon has a tantrum, then they just let him. What? I mean, the book is about teaching kids how to deal with anger, but the 3 times he has a tantrum at the parents, they just let him be. It just seems that showing parents not doing anything when their kid gets angry and has a tantrum is an odd way to try to teach people to help kids deal with their anger.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Flyaway Books for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

Not only the graphics are wonderful the story is too. This book is nice to help children (and some adults) deal with their anger. The writer does this in a cute and subtle way. It is great for any school staff to have on hand as well as parents. Even if anger is not an issue it is a cute story and might be a helpful story for those dealing with someone that is anger -- it will help them understand.

Simon and the Big, Bad, Angry Beasts is a story about a boy who expresses his anger in harmful ways, which begin to manifest themselves as progressively meaner beasts that lash out at his friends and family. Though it feels good at first, Simon eventually realizes that his beasts are not making things better -- in fact, they're making it so that no one wants to be around him. By learning to be more calm and mindful, he is able to find a healthier way to deal with his anger.

I think this story works very well as a parable of sorts, and though I can't personally speak to its effectiveness, I can see how it could be useful in helping to give children a visual and fantastical perspective on how unmanaged anger can hurt others and them. I don't know whether or not this would be the kind of story I'd just randomly pick up to read with a child who doesn't struggle with anger -- I see it as more of a teaching tool, but it looks like a good one.

The story focuses a lot more on the anger part than on the management -- it wraps up rather quickly and somewhat abruptly, but the book does include a lot of explanations, tips, and encouragement in the end notes about how it can be used to help children who need it, so hopefully this will be a valuable tool for parents and educators.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

#NetGalley #SimonAndTheBig,Bad,Angry,Beasts

Simon handles his anger by having temper tantrums. But he is discovering that each time he has a tantrum the imaginary monster he becomes grows into something larger and more fierce. Eventually, Simon’s temper is so large that no one wants to be around him. When he realizes that life has become quite lonely, he tries to figure out how to get rid of the angry monsters that come out when he is angry. Can he work through his anger issues and enjoy playing with his friends again?

Cons: Like all books of this nature, the issue is handled in a simplistic manner that is not quite realistic, and I felt the ending was very abrupt and needed a few more pages, but . . . (see below).

Pros: this is a definite start to managing anger issues and adults have several pages at the back of the book with strategies for talking to children about their emotions along with various exercises they can use to cope with anger. The illustrations are just right for this book.

I received this advance copy via Netgalley and after a particularly angry tantrum by by grandson, I decided to read the book to him in an attempt to calm him down. Simon and the Big, Bad, Angry Beasts was the perfect book for doing this. The boy in the story, Simon, was prone to temper tantrums and the angrier he became, the larger the imaginary monster became. A ram becomes, an alligator, then a lion. From a lion, to a rhino to a large angry dragon. Until all Simons friends stop playing with him. The only was for Simon to get back his friends is for him to control his beasts. My grandson really related to this story (he is only 6). He even realised the similarities between him and Simon and at the end, we even practiced some breathing exercises in a bid to get rid of his own beasts. A simple, but effective and powerful book that is beautifully illustrated and should be ready by everybody involved in raising an angry child.

Quando Simon si arrabbia, si arrabbia davvero tanto!

E la sua rabbia diventa coccodrilli, e rinoceronti, e leoni, e draghi temuti da tutti!

Finché Simon non si trova solo, in compagnia dei suoi mostri

Senza amici, che ne hanno paura.

E deve trovare il modo di far andare via i mostri e la rabbia che li crea.

Meraviglioso libretto illustrato, perfetto per impostare con bambini dai tre agli otto anni un percorso di riconoscimento e gestione della rabbia, da vedere non come emozione da soffocare o negare ma, appunto, da governare.

Simon finds himself angry at times. Whether it's losing at games or being told no about something he really wants, he can't keep calm, and he can't keep his anger under control. One day, when he gets angry, an angry animal appears next to him. He thinks it's great, and every time he gets angry it becomes worse. Every time, a bigger, angrier beast appears next to him. What he hasn't realized, however, is that the beasts scare his friends and family away. Nobody wants to play with "Simon the Terrible" anymore.

This is a wonderful allegory about anger and its consequences.Beautifully illustrated, the book helps children understand that angry tantrums and outbursts, if not treated with mindfulness, can chase people away. It teaches us that tantrums are not pleasant, neither for others, nor for ourselves.

What is more, long with the story come notes for parents and teachers, as well as exercises, so that the book can be used for discussing the topic with children.

Simon and the Big, Bad Angry Beasts is a kid-friendly way to explore the feeling of anger. Simon learns to accept his anger, as well as other ways to cope when he’s angry. The illustrations are colorful and match perfectly with the text. An appendix filled with activities for parents and groups is provided and looks extremely helpful.

Simon and the Big, Bad Angry Beasts are the most colorful, mindful book for kids from 4 to 8 to learn how to manage their anger.
The illustrations are so meaningful to the story. You can see Simon'anger through the color of the beasts. Even their sizes, the angrier he gets, the bigger his beasts. Children are visual learners and this book gives all the elements to be understood. A book to adopt in your classroom library or at home to start introducing your children to mindfulness and calming down. You will also find activities and a guide for parents and teachers. Love it!