Ian De Haes

What child — furious at discipline or a setback — hasn’t imagined the vengeance that s/he might take on those nefarious evil-doers who thwarted her/him? So does the tantrum-stricken Simon, who imagines metamorphosing into wild beasts — a ram, an alligator, and more — to exact what he’d see as rough justice. Whether it’s losing at a board game, being sent to his room for crayon scribbles on the wall, or being denied, Simon thrills in intimidating others. Until he realizes that show more his anger is getting in the way of having friends.

Author Ian De Haes’ beautifully illustrated picture book guides children into understanding the terrifyingly strong emotion of anger and how to use calm, quiet, and mindfulness to deal with impulsive angry outbursts. The book also includes excellent suggestions for parents and educators. Parents will come for the help with anger, but they’ll revel in the beautiful pictures and charming words.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Flyaway Books in exchange for an honest review. show less

Simon and the Big, Bad, Angry Beasts is about learning to temper your anger, and work with it, rather than let it rage out of control. Simon is a (rather bratty) kid who loses his temper on day after his father puts him in time out for scrawling on the walls. He temper tantrums, and the next thing he knows, there's a great ram pounding the door with him. As Simon’s anger gets more out of control, his beastly companion changes, eventually becoming a fearsome dragon! It is then that Simon show more realises no-one wants to be around him any more. He tried to shout the anger away, but that only makes it worse. Finally, Simon settle down and quiets his mind. The dragon turns into a flock of butterflies. Now that he's learns to manage his anger, his friends come back and he finds happiness.

Full of beautiful artwork, this is a perfect book for teaching children about dealing with anger, and cultivating mindfulness. At the back are some suggestions and guidelines for helping parents work with their kids using this book. I read this with my cubs, and they all loved it. It's a great teaching tool!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and FlyAway Books for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. show less

This is the first time I requested a Children's book for the Early Reviewers, but as a grandmother of a toddler who has discovered tantrums, I was curious to see what this book had to say. I was extremely impressed. The story of Simon is very realistic using examples of angry times that a toddler will understand and recognize. The use of big, ferocious, scary animals is something my grandson will LOVE! The illustrations are colorful and filled with energy. What I most appreciated was the show more Guide for parents and teachers included in the last 2 pages. Parents today are so aware of the importance and skill required in parenting and truly want to do it right! The ideas of how to use it with your child are wonderful. I am eager to give this book to my daughter (who happens to be named Charlotte and like the Charlotte mentioned in the dedication is the best of mothers!) I know she will value it. Kudos to Ian DeHaes. show less

The main character, Simon, a boy of about preschool age, has anger management issues. Each time he gets angry he imagines his anger turning into a large animal, such as a ram, alligator, lion, rhinoceros and more. The animal expresses his anger at the situation. Simon explodes with anger, too. He simply does not know how to tame (pardon the pun) this strong emotion that takes over him. When he finds himself isolated from his friends and family because of his anger he lays quietly in the show more grass and thinks his anger away. Everyone comes back to him after that. Pretty simplistic ending. The saving grace is the guide in the back of the book for parents and teachers. This is a book to use for instructional purposes as it appears that his parents have abandoned him because of his anger. His friends might do the same, but his parents should be seen to offer support, guidance and unconditional love. show less