I think it's safe to say that we all have said things that we regret. This wonderful book illustrates how quickly our words can take on a life of their own and how important it is to think before we speak. I love, love, LOVE how empathetic the storytelling is. We, the readers, are shown that it's okay to get angry, but we have to be careful about our actions as an extension of that anger. Words can't be unsaid and most of us do not actually wish to hurt those that we love. The story is well paced, visually engaging, and offers great alternative ways of dealing with emotions like frustration. A fantastic socio-emotional book for any classroom and a great tool for parents of tiny tots. I can't wait to purchase my own copy when it is published! 5 stars!

If you come from a large family, this story will make you laugh out loud and unleash the sibling drama you’ve kept inside for too many years. Your children’s ears will perk up as you later describe what their older relatives used to say when they were little and how it made you feel. Or maybe, like me, you were the one with a temper and a sharp tongue. In which case, you will recognize the inner arguments that encouraged your behaviour, like “she started it,” “she deserves it,” or “this is all her fault.” But this isn’t the type of book that wants you to feel guilty forever and ever about things said in anger. Coming from a large family, you’ll know how impossibility and harmfulness of doing so. Instead, Fighting Words by Leonarda Carranza processes the arrival of a big argument by turning it into an amusing family adventure.

When his sister damages his insect book, some hurtful words escape Ali’s mouth, becoming animated. At first, it satisfies his anger to see his sister get hurt by what he said, but when his words go too far, the whole family works together to stop them in their tracks.

I love that Abuelita has an equally sharp tongue, but she knows how and when to use it, defending those she loves. Laughter has long been the best medicine for mean, angry feelings and there are many things that made me chuckle in this book. Ali’s inner dialogue is probably the funniest aspect, but there are lots of other details. When his angry words escape, they trample the roses and try to punch a bee, letting out aggression and adding humour at the same time. The body language and facial expressions of Erika Medina’s characters accentuate and amplify the hilarity of being angry. In this way, Fighting Words encourages readers to take anger less seriously and to process it without an overemphasis on feelings like guilt and shame, which increase social alienation if not resolved.

Thank you Annick press for the advanced reading copy.

I wanted to like this more, but it’s just…a little over-done? Like, a bit TOO on the nose.

Ali and Ama, siblings, get in a fight, and Ali shouts “I hate you!” And those are fighting words. Literally. Those words gain life and proceed to cause chaos. While trying to catch the words, Ali learns that words can get away from you fast, and hurt more than you meant them to.

I do like how the words “I hate you” are given shape. They’re not just bumping around, they’re little creatures, with TEETH. And there’s good page coverage, with no whitespace, and only two spreads are sparse background and text-heavy.

Overall, I found this one just kind of average. A library pick, not a home purchase.

Advanced reader copy provided by publisher.

Not a favorite for me. I thought the story was too complicated for little ones to understand even with lots of explanation. I love bilingual books but this one was a disappointment. I wish there had been more focus on the apology from the start and then if the child didn't accept the apology it would be acceptable to manage their anger. I don't blame him for being angry, he used his words and he wasn't heard and then the situation escalated. Too much blame seemed to be placed on the injured party.

Fighting words is a book about a little boy named Ali, who gets very upset with his cousin Ama. After she rips his favourite book he angrily yells at her and sets his fighting words loose.

I really liked the illustrations in this book and the colour palette that was used!

This is a fun book to teach children. To be careful about what they say in anger. My children are extremely literal, so this might not be the best choice for them but I do think they would like the pictures.

A great story children can relate to about controlling their words and anger. The illustrations are genius and support the story making it even more relatable for children.

This is a sweet story about a young boy who faces the reality of what hurtful words can do and how they impact others. I loved the visuals for students to see how hurtful words can affect others around them, even if it was not meant to hurt them. This is an excellent addition to any classroom to discuss this topic with students!

<i>Fighting Words</i> by Leonarda Carranza and illustrated by Erika Medina is one of those children’s books that I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, I think the message and overall goal of the book is worthwhile and turning the words into tangible things is a really cool take. On the other hand, this is not a book I would give to emerging readers and I think the ensuing events after the words are made tangible kind of lost the plot a bit.

The artwork is decent and I actually really loved all of the movement portrayals. I don’t think it’s quite colorful enough, but it’s not a huge sticking point.

Ultimately, this is a decent book to read to your kiddos and have continued conversations about anger afterward. It’s not the sort of book that any young emerging reader would be able to read, though, so keep that in mind!

Wow, what a powerful book. One that all children (& adults!) need to read. This book validates anger as an important emotion to express and understand. Ali loves his insect book. His cousin Ama takes the book & both kids fight over it. Before you know it, RIP. And on Ali's favorite page! Ali is angry, however, that anger takes on a life of its own & shows the impact that hateful, hurtful words can have. They jump on top of Ama's head. They rip his Abuelita's special cushions. They even jump on a dog & pull his tail. It's not until Ali comes up with a plan to capture them & then apologizes do his words stop & disappear. I've noticed a few reviews on Goodreads note their disagreement with how the book ends, or how the book portrays the anger. And to that, I would encourage them to re-read the book. Children need to see what can happen when anger takes over, the consequences of those words. The book says "Then, he took a couple of deep breaths and..." This is the perfect conversation starter to learning that it's okay to be angry & that sometimes we may do or say things we don't mean because we allow that anger to take over. But by encouraging deep breaths (take these with the kids in the moment during the book) & then apologizing & working together to fix what has been broken. It's our job as the adults to use a book like this as a starter for social emotional learning. This is one I cannot wait to purchase personally for my own children & also for our children's literacy nonprofit organization to donate.

An important book about the damage that can be caused by words!
I think it might be a little too abstract and honestly a little to scary for a younger audience, but it's great for 6+. The characters were all very angry looking through the book, and I know the book is about anger, but I don't think young children will do well with it.

This book provides an important visual for kids to see the effects of saying something and not being able to take it back. It would be a great SEL book for an elementary classroom.

This picture book offers a teaching moment about the damage harsh words can do. The story personifies the words as a little monster made of alphabet shapes, and as the main character sees his words ripping up things and hurting people, he realizes that he has to capture them and stop them. The story's extended metaphor might be a bit much for the youngest and most literal-minded kids, and I would have liked to see the abuela share a more direct teaching message as well, but this is a creative and culturally diverse take on the familiar topic of controlling your tongue.

This is a phenomenal book to show the power of angry words. I think this would be a wonderful book to use with kids of all ages to teacher social-emotional learning and feelings.

The graphics and stories did a great job of depicting a typical situation in which students might get angry and what they would say. However, it then took a turn and showed in a real and fantasy way how words can hurt others. It will help kids to think before they act. Its ok to be angry but its not ok to use mean words and this story showed that. Even if we don't mean to say the words, they have real consequences. The illustrations were colorful, the language was appropriate and the message was perfect.

I think kids will really like this story and learn from the message.

#FightingWords #NetGalley

First off, I love the message of this book. Unkind words hurt and repairs need to be made to resolve the hurt. I love that the words are illustrated as monsters that wreck havoc on everything around Ali. Children should be able to understand this concept.

Now, I know it is stated at the top of each page in the ARC "ART NOT FINAL". The artwork at face value is good but everyone's facial expressions are scary and angry throughout the book. Even the last drawing of Abuelita, she doesn't look particularly happy.

The words being mean to the dog might be a bit much for sensitive children. I know my daughter (when she was little) rejected any book that showed meanness to animals.

I know this is a children's book and needs to be short but it would be nice to see the resolution of Ali fixing Abuelita's flowers, bushes, pillows and Ala repairing the torn page in the book for the moral to come full circle.

It might also be helpful to have a page of coping skills (i.e. breathing exercises, physical activity, drawing) for children BEFORE words take over and cause damage. Impulse control is a hard thing for kids to learn but there are things we can do to help them before it reaches this level.

"Fighting Words" is a children's picture book written by Leonardo Carranza and illustrated by Erika Medina.

Ali and Ama are cousins who are playing at Abuelita's house. Ama rips Ali's book, and he loses his temper. Angry words come spewing out of him and come to life as monsters. The angry words hurt Ama's feelings, damage the bushes at Abuelita's, and go crashing down the road.

Ali has to go catch the fighting words, which are out of control, and apologize. Great pictures! It is amusing and a good lesson for all.

Thank you to Netgalley, Annick Press Ltd., and author Leonarda Carranza for providing this E-book ARC so that I could give you my honest review.

This book was a lot of fun. Kids are arguing and one of them says terrible words that he knows he shouldn't. What can he do now to make the situation better?
His abuelita helps little Ali chase down his words so they don't get to do their damage. In the end, he learns how important it can be not to put those words out there.
The pictures were adorable. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this cute picture book

As a mom, I was drawn to this book as a teaching moment for my kiddos, and I think it delivers. I like how it visually shows children how their words hurt someone, and can continue to hurt them after the fact. The only thing I wish was a little different is a little more guidance from the grandma on how to resolve the problem, or explaining to the boy why things are happening the way they are. I think that would help make the moral of the story more clear.