Book Review Tuesday - When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry

When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry... By Molly Bang

Grade Level K-2

When Sophie Gets Angry - Really, Really Angry is a brilliant book that demonstrates the deep emotions that our students have. The illustrations in this book are fantastic. The use of color allows even non-readers to feel the emotion deep in their hearts. Sophie is a very relatable character, even as an adult I can relate to the anger she feels. 

Synopsis: 

Sophie is busy playing when her sister cuts in and tries to take her stuffed animal. "My turn" her sister says, "NO! "she shouts! When her sister grabs the toy, she falls down and feels very angry. She starts to throw a tantrum with kicking and screaming. She feels like a volcano ready to explode. Then she runs to a calm place outside in the trees overlooking water. She starts to notice things around her outside. She is calmed by the "wide world" and returns home to her mom and sister. She is calm and everything is okay. 

How to use this book:

- Validate feelings, allow students to connect to the deep emotions in the story

- Use it to talk about how to calm yourself down

- Teach empathy, how is Sophie feeling in this book?

Or my favorite.., introducing "Take a Break."

You can download my full lesson plan here.

Intro to "Take a Break"

I ask students to brainstorm a place where they feel calm. I use the example that it helps me to calm down when I sit under a blanket on my couch. We think of a lot of ideas together, maybe even making a chart with all of the ideas. I have seen students say their bed, outside on the playground, reading a book in a comfy chair, etc. 

After we have an exhaustive list of ideas. I give students time to draw a picture of that place. I invite them to draw as many details as they can about that place.  Once they have completed their drawings, I explain that we can't always go to those places to help us calm down, but we can think of the pictures in our mind.  I take the pictures that they have drawn and make a class book. I call the book "Our Calm Place" and put it next to the Take a Break spot.  I let students use it as a tool to help them calm down, they can find their own or look at other classmates calm spaces. 

I always put this picture of Sophie, looking so calm in her Beech tree, on the front cover. It is a useful visual reminder of finding a calm place in their mind.