Me and my children read this book. With all the farm animal characters within. And they could talk to each other and also the farmer. One was a cow and when something happened and didn't go her way she got angry with the other animals. Throughout the story the cow learns a lesson about being angry.

This was a fun story to read. It had action throughout. The illustrations were fun and colorful to look at.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my unbiased opinions.

I feel like this was a story about my life. Fun and loving but also with a very short temper! I really enjoyed this book and the illustrations and I think kids will definitely also love reading this!

Petal is quite the talented cow. She is a very kind and wonderful friend to all of the animals, she can dance, bake and is an artist. It seems like she is a bit too good to be true, but she has one major flaw, she has a terrible temper and does some not very nice things when she gets angry. The farmer uses traditional consequences to correct Petal's behavior, but nothing seems to work. When the farmer tells them they are going to go to the Water Park for a field trip everyone gets excited. By mistake, the horse steps on Petal's foot and she loses her temper. The farmer tells her she can't go on any field trips until she learns to control her temper. She runs off and ends up at the edge of the pond, where the swan who lives there promises to show her how he keeps his temper from getting him in trouble...

This book is sending a message that losing our temper and being unkind to others is not okay. Petal learns different strategies to control her temper as well as letting the others know what it is they are doing that is upsetting her. I know many people commented that they loved the illustrations, but I thought they were just okay. I liked that the author first pointed out all the good things Petal did before talking about the negative thing as the readers will already like her and be more receptive to seeing how she corrects her behaviour. My one complaint is when there is name calling. I know that was part of the negative behavior to be corrected, but the more children hear those words, the more they will think they are acceptable. That knocked a star off my rating.

I like what Fergus is doing here. Kids will relate to Petal and her struggles to control her response to anger. I like that the lesson here isn't not to get angry at all but keeping control of yourself and your reactions when you are angry. Cute.

I absolutely love Petal the Angry Cow by Maureen Fergus! Petal the Angry Cow takes place on a farm and tells the story of Petal the Cow who is good at many things, but gets angry quickly and passionately. One day, the Farmer announces that they are going on a field trip soon. When Petal throws a temper tantrum, the Farmer tells Petal she cannot go on the field trip due to her outburst. After hearing of her punishment, Petal runs off and meets a swan who acts very similar to Petal when she is angry. Because of meeting the Swan, Petal learns an important lesson.

I love Petal the Angry Cow from beginning to end! Petal the Angry Cow is one of the funniest kids books I have read in a long time. I love the examples of anger that Ms. Fergus gave in the book. I love how easy the book is to understand for children. I like how the children can relate to the anger outbursts easily. I also love how we all can learn from the Swan’s behavior. The illustrations are also adorable!

Petal the Angry Cow would be a perfect read for any setting. If you are specifically looking for a book that deals with emotions and talks about anger, I believe it would be perfect. I also believe with the amount of humor that is in the book, it is a fun way to introduce and talk about anger.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book! My review is on Goodreads and my blog, Leslie's Library Escape.

I'm absolutely in love with Maureen Fergus' charming story about Petal, a barnyard cow who needs to learn to rein in her negative emotions. Filled with true to life situations, when life doesn't go her way, Petal acts out (and even imagines plotting pranks to get her revenge).

Warm and pleasing colors and shapes are a pleasure to view, but what really impressed me is the way Olga Demidova's adorable illustrations capture all the emotion in this tale. Each and every expression of the human experience is clearly portrayed in Ms. Demidova’s representation of this diverse barnyard family.

Learning to put up with perceived sleights and transgressions is a lifelong battle for most of us, and we could all learn a thing or two from Petal. Adults are going to enjoy this story every bit as much as the youngsters, and I say without a bit of doubt, that Petal the Angry Cow is a keeper!

'Petal the Angry Cow', is truly wonderful story about an animal learning to control her temper.

I really appreciated how the cow in this story was a female, as on many occasions books that look into anger, have male main characters. However, when a female main character is used, it generally isn't done very well.

This is a great book to use for all ages, specifically, using the book for ages between 8 and 11 to discuss and introduce topics such as anger, friendships, and respect. The illustrations were lovely, and I can't wait to buy myself a physical copy!

Rated: 3.5 stars

Thank you to netgallery for allowing to me to read this insightful story.

Maureen Fergus’ Petal the Angry Cow with illustrations by Olga Demidova is a funny and cute little tale that will help young readers with controlling their tempers. The simple storyline is easy-to-follow and Demidova’s cute illustrations are just lovely!

Petal the Cow is a good friend and worker and is also talented at dancing, art, and baking. However, she also has a fiery temper and it often gets the best of her. One day, the farmer announces that he will be taking the animals to the water park. The animals are so excited…until the horse accidentally steps on Petal’s hoof. Petal’s infamous temper rears its head! When the farmer tells Petal that she won’t be allowed to go if she doesn’t control her temper, she storms off. When Petal meets a moody swan whose behaviour hits a little too close to home, she quickly learns a valuable life lesson.

This is a delightful and engaging book! Fergus’ writing is simple, approachable, and easy-to-follow. The short and easy-to-read sentences along with the natural dialogue are definitely kid-friendly. I really like the book’s gentle messages about learning to control your temper mindfully, getting along with others, and the consequences of misbehaving. It is nicely done and never seems forced. While this book is aimed at helping children learn how to navigate their emotions, I also think that the messages are applicable to adults.

Petal is such a unique and funny character! I love that although she has a quick temper, it isn’t her only defining characteristic. She has many good qualities and I enjoyed watching her learn and grow. But, I do think the book’s ending is a bit abrupt and could have been more built up.

Demidova’s full-page and full-colour illustrations are fun, bright, and cheerful! I love the soft colours and the cute and quirky animals. Each drawing is so funny and memorable that I can’t even pick a favourite: I love seeing Petal dancing, plotting revenge on the sheep, and being tucked into bed by the farmer!

Petal the Angry Cow is a funny picture book with wonderful illustrations and an enduring and important message about dealing with your emotions mindfully. It will be a lovely addition to any child’s library!




🐮🐮🐮🐮 ½ cows out of 5!

I loved the illustrations and the premise of the story - but something just fell flat for me in the combined execution. Maybe too long?

You’ve heard of the Angry Birds but have you ever seen an angry cow? Well, your dream comes true with this book! 😉

Petal the cow is a lovely soul. She paints, she dances, she cares for her friends when they need help…But the one personality law that she has is that she has a short fuse. Because of this bad temper, she falls in trouble many times. One fine day, the farmer decides that enough is enough and as a penalty, he won’t take Petal on the planned picnic to the water park. (Animals going to the water park! 😂😂😂😂) Petal realises that her temper gets her into trouble and she needs to start dealing with it. But is it that easy?

I loved the story to a great extent. Petal the cow is adorable and so are the other farm animals. All of them are shown with personified human talents and hobbies so it’s a fun story. Having so many animals in the storyline is a great advantage as kids enjoy such narratives.

The moral that the book tries to put across is quite obvious: it is not worth it to lose your temper for every small reason. What I appreciated is that the book doesn’t just say, don’t get angry but offers practical ideas of how Petal responded to anger-inducing situations. There’s a lot to learn from the ‘before’ and ‘after’ behaviours of Petal.

The illustrator of this book is born and brought up in Russia, and that old-world touch that the Russian fairy tales of my childhood had is very evident in this book. The illustrations aren’t cute but quirky, and they aren’t overly vivid but shaded in cute pastel effects. They add to the book perfectly.

The book is written in simple prose, thereby making it a great option for bedtime reading or even for school read-alouds.

Where the book falls short:
1. There is a swan who doesn’t behave properly. His behaviour verges on the border of spoilt tantrums and won’t be a great example for little ones. Parents/Guardians would need to explain how this kind of behaviour is very toxic.
2. The word ‘stupid’ and ‘dummy’ are used in the story by one animal. Well, if you don’t want your child to learn these, then you will need to edit your way around them while reading the book aloud.
I would have gladly ignored the first point but am not too sure how to feel about the second. Bad words in young children’s books are always a risky proposition.

4 stars.

My thanks to Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books, and NetGalley for the ARC of “Petal the Angry Cow”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's book. I actually enjoyed this book! LOL The graphics were spot on, and we can use a refresher about anger issues. 4 stars

This is a very sweet children’s book. I did feel like it glorified tantrums a bit, as my child would definitely have the most fun with the pages where Petal or the chicken is having a tantrum. But the illustrations are adorable! I think this would be the perfect book for kids who are a little older, maybe 4 years and up.

This was so adorable!! First of all, I loved the storytelling style. I find myself chuffed at seeing animal cartoon characters that are anthropomorphized and doing human things such as painting or playing card games. I definitely chuckled a few times at all the antics and hijinks that Petal the cow got herself into with her farm friends. Second, the art style was simple but cute. I liked the pastel palette of the coloring and the soft muted colors used throughout the book's illustrations. And finally, the plot of the tale itself had such a wonderful and important lesson to teach. Having another character through whom Petal saw her own actions was such a great way to exhibit the issues in her behavior, and prompt her to make changes and repair her friendships with the other farm animals. Overall I really enjoyed this story as well as its writing style.

Petal the Angry Cow sure is angry. The story is somewhat cute with a nice ending but I found that some of the language was a bit colourful. Words like stupid and dumb don't really have a place in books for impressionable toddlers. It was less funny in a ha ha wholesome way and more outrageous.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for providing me with an advance reading copy of the book.

A good storybook to start with to tell the kids how to not lose temper in front of others and how it affects us.

I would say the presentation and the way the story is written is quite apt for the target audience. However, I feel the illustrations can be much better, specially towards the end.

Good enough, this piece has a cow with a temper on her learning to make the farm a better place by counting to ten, being measured in response to things and people, and not flying off the handle. It's a good moral and the visuals are as clear as the message, but I don't think anyone will have tantrums at being denied this. Three and a half stars.

Petal the cow is hardworking, talented, kind and pretty much perfect... if not for her bad temper!

This delightful book put a huge smile on my face! As someone who tends to be very irritable and short-tempered, this was the perfect read for me. The book not only acknowledges how difficult it is to resist lashing out when we are angry, but also acts as a good reminder to be more mindful of how we react to situations.

Both funny and charming, this is one I would recommend to everyone.

Petal the Angry Cow is such a cute picture book that will teach children about anger management. I think this is my favourite type of picture book where it has a lesson adults even still struggle with to learn wrapped in beautiful illustrations and an easy to understand story.

I needed this book so badly. (And so did my daughter!)

Petal has anger management issues but luckily her friend, the swan, helps her realize what a tantrum looks like and feels like from someone else's perspective. This is a kind and educational story, and I would recommend this for kids from the age of 3 - but you might want to change the language here and there (skipping "dummy" and "stupid").

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for a Review Copy.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tundra Books for a free digital copy.

A great book to teach the lesson of how having a temper affects your friendships. Words like "stupid" and "dummy" are used so I personally wouldn't read this to children because I wouldn't want them to pick up those words, but if you are cool with that then this book does teach a good lesson.