When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry...

Happily absorbed in her play, Sophie is unprepared when her sister grabs her toy gorilla, and absolutely infuriated when her mother points out that it is her sister's turn to play with it. Boiling over with rage, feeling like a volcano about to explode, Sophie does what she always does when she gets very, very angry: she runs...

Chosen as a Caldecott Honor book in 2000, When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry is illustrated in vibrant, primary colors that perfectly capture the emotional register of each scene. Sophie begins the story outlined in a happy yellow, but her quick descent into anger is accompanied by a red halo that grows with her rage, becoming almost another being - a red shadow being - as she throws a temper tantrum. show more As she slowly calms down, soothed by the quiet beauty of the natural world around her, her outline returns to less strident hues.

I really appreciated Molly Bang's use of color here, finding it very astute, and think her artwork will grab young readers' attention. That said, I have to agree with my friend Chandra, in wondering if it was really worthy of a nod from the Caldecott committee. I also had some mixed feelings about the story itself. While I applaud Bang's sympathetic portrait of a child's emotions, I wasn't sure I approved of the way in which the sibling conflict was resolved. I don't know about you, but when I get very angry, removing myself from the situation and calming down - while absolutely necessary - are just the first step. There needs to be discussion, possibly apologies, before everything is back to "normal." Still, despite these reservations, I think this is a good title to use with children, to explore handling strong anger. show less

There definitely are many many other better books about dealing with anger, but I still do enjoy this book. I'm particularly drawn in by the vibrant illustrations and the message that your family still loves you no matter how angry you get. Storming out as a child into the forest by yourself without letting anyone know isn't the best coping mechanism for being angry over an altercation about sharing toys, but the part where she sits on the beech tree realizing how insignificant her problems are compared to the wide world is lovely. Nature solves a lot of our problems. I also noticed how everything is outlined in different colors based on their mood or energy; the toys are outlined red when Sophie is angry.

Not a lot of girls get angry in picture books, unlike my actual girls who, being human, definitely do get angry from time to time. Good to see what other kids do to deal with their anger! Nice bright and chunky drawings too!

Of the Caldecott honor and medal books I've read thus far, this one is not stellar or even mediocre. The illustrations seem harsh and bright, they are hard on the eyes!
Sophie cannot control her anger and she kicks, screams and wants to smash "the world to smithereens."

She runs, she cries and then she discovers the beauty of nature and calms down. She returns home and is welcomed and everyone is glad she's home.

End of story....but....in the "real" world perhaps Sophie should be reprimanded and reminded that she is not the only one in the world and her emotional fits impact on others.

Perhaps childhood is the time to learn this valuable lesson in order for a mature adult to develop.

When Sophie Gets Angry— Really, Really, Angry is a beautifully written story about expressing emotions and coping with anger. Sophie gets angry when her sister takes a toy gorilla away from her. She begins to rage; acting uncontrollably, “She roars a red roar,” “Sophie is a volcano ready to explode.” But then, she runs and runs, cries, explores nature, calms down, and heads for home. The illustrations parallel Sophie’s anger in broad strokes of red and orange and as her anger subsides, the colors become more cool and calm in the hues of blue and green. The story implies that it is good to have emotions, but we need to be in control of them so we don’t hurt others with our actions and words.

Molly Bang writes an exciting story describing how a little girl named Sophia is learning to understand and deal with her anger. Sophie slowly starts to learn to recognize and deal with her feelings and the book shows how her family also learned important information on how to deal with anger as well. The language in the book is very colorful and descriptive. This type of rhythm and print help the reader to feel connected to Sophie and empathize with how she is feeling. The illustrations are bright and colorful and full of the word angry to emphasize in print how the character is feeling. This is a wonderful book for preschoolers. They will be able to relate to the character and her feelings and start to learn to recognize their own show more emotions. show less

Sophie is enjoying her time until a fight over a toy causes her to get angry...really, really angry. She runs away, and throughout her time with nature, Sophie is able to compose herself. She comes back home, and is welcomed into a more calm environment.
The colors of this book are really intense! There wasn't any possible way that I could look away. The story also displays a positive way of dealing with emotions...not necessarily to run away from your problems, but to retreat...regroup...and then keep on moving forward.
A couple of classroom activities immediately come to mind. It would be really easy for the children in any classroom to journal/ brainstorm about many different ways that they could deal with any issues that they may show more feel passionate about. Another creative thing for students to participate in would be coloring or drawing pictures of how they feel when they are mad vs how they feel when they are happy, and then compare the color differences (like red vs blue or orange vs green) to turn the book into an art lesson as well. show less