This was a wonderful children's book that gave not only voice to big feelings, with anger being just one of them, but also gave strategies to use with anger. I liked the premise of being detectives and curious about what is causing our feelings. Including the teacher in the anger was great too because it shows a model of a healthy way to deal with big feelings. I would love to have this book in my classroom and others like it.

I did not like this book. The metaphor is way too clumsy, the narrative is too long, and the book itself drags on. This is not going to keep a kids attention.

This book is really helpful for helping kids and grown ups alike to learn how to unpack the feelings behind their anger. It is useful both in the classroom setting and at home. It also shows that sometimes grown ups have difficulty controlling their anger, which is important to recognize.

What an amazing tool for schools and counselors!!

A book is an amazing tool to help children, and young adults, better understand their anger. This story delves into the emotion of anger and the other feelings that we all may be feeling underneath those angry feelings like hurt, embarrassment and feeling different. Even though the concept is rather complex the story is one ages 7 an older can easily understand and tells of a few friends at school being “backpack detectives”. The detectives search for the clues that give them an idea of what they truly are feeling under the anger they each feel. The backpack detectives uncover which “book” (represent each emotion) they are each individually feeling under their anger. I can see an accessory line, small backpacks with books labeled with various emotions that kids can see, hold and touch, being produced to further assist in helping children explain what they are feeling.

I wish this book was available even sooner- what a priceless tool!!


Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & IBPA

I love this book! So many of us, not just kids, struggle with anger, and I love that the author makes us look underneath the anger to see the other emotions that we need to deal with. I think the concept of carrying "books" in our "backpacks" is one that kids can relate to and understand. That terminology will easily translate into everyday conversations. I also love the illustrations - bright and colorful, with diverse characters! Highly recommend!

I love the style of the illustrations of this book. It reminds me of something that would be in a movie. I'm sure this attracts middle age readers.

This book is a great way for children to start learning about identifying feelings. Both in themselves and with other people. I love that they show facial/body expressions that people can give off when they have certain feelings.

I love how Ben notices that he has the same feelings as the teacher and I'm sure that made him feel better, knowing that he is not alone with his feelings.

The book even briefly touches on coping skills when feeling these intense emotions. It can never be too early for kids to start learning how to control their emotions.

I loved the representation of the child with a prosthetic leg. I can only imagine seeing someone like you in a book like that.

I think it was a great idea to add tips in the back of the book for adults. Even though we are older than children, that in no way means we know how to control our emotions either. This can be something that needs to be worked on throughout our lives.

4.5 Stars

Hello, Anger does a really great job of examining why someone might feel angry. I feel like so often anger is a vilified emotion, especially in children, when it’s usually a response to another emotion. I love that the characters were able to work through their anger and consider what might have been making them feel the way they were feeling. Confronting that can be hard for even adults and I think this book would be a useful tool to helping children find the words to explain their anger and what might be fueling it. I look forward to reading this with my child and using it as a helpful place to start conversations.

The illustrations were great and I love the diversity of the characters drawn. I also loved that the teacher set the example by apologizing and discussing her own anger.

I hadn’t read the other Magic Backpack book “What’s Inside Your Backpack?” so at first I thought it was a little cheesy, but still a good way to display what the characters are feeling. Overall enjoyed and think it would be a great book to read with kids, especially those struggling with their emotions.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this book, which I received in exchange for a review of my own opinion.

Anger is one of those tricky emotions. It can often feel overwhelming and an angry child therefore often responds in ways that are not helpful to them and those around them. Learning how to cope with anger at a young age is something that is important and it will make life better for many years.

This book is addressed to kids who are invited to become magic backpack detectives; they will learn to “unpack” this emotion. Anger is seen as a bright red book in the bag while other emotions, like embarrassment and hurt, have their own colorful titles.

Hello, Anger addresses the function that this emotion serves. Importantly, the feelings that may lie beneath angry feelings are acknowledged talked about. The teacher in the story models this behavior for her students. Kids are also shown ways to channel their feelings in a productive manner.

This book could be most useful in opening up a discussion with a child. It is best read and talked about with a trusted adult. Note that a helpful section for adults is included at the end of the title.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the National Center for Youth Issues for this title. All opinions are my own.

Hello, Anger is a great book to teach children how to process different emotions. It provides a nice rhyme to use when anger comes up, as other emotions may be right behind it. Great illustrations and lots of examples of how anger can manifest. I appreciated the inclusion of a character with a prosthetic leg!