Saturday
Ages 4 to 9A favorite recommendation for the relationship between mother and child.
Recommended by Happily Ever Elephants
Ages 3 to 7Mouse Was Mad
Ages 3 to 7About this age guidance
Kirkus: 3–7
The age tag follows Kirkus review. Other sources may suggest different ages. This is audience guidance, not an independent reading level.
Listed among picture books about anger. The parent says Mouse tries to hop, scream and stomp like the others, nothing seems right, and then he finds what to do with his big feelings.
Mouse is mad and every animal he meets has a better way to show it. He hops, stomps, screams and rolls, and each try ends in a mud puddle and a critique. Finally, filthy and furious, he goes still, and the others are impressed. He feels better, and the only thing left is a bath.
Recommended by What Do We Do All Day?
Choose your preferred shop and check the edition there.
What children see in the story
After every loud way of getting mad leaves him muddy, Mouse stops moving altogether, and standing still is what actually lets his anger go. Mouse copies the hopping, stomping and screaming the others are good at, finds none of it fits, and discovers his own way of being mad.
Why it’s on these shelves
- Handling big feelings
- Mouse tries hopping, stomping and screaming to get his mad out, and each one leaves him muddier. When he finally stands perfectly still, the anger loosens, and Mouse says he feels better.
- Knowing yourself
- Hare, Bear, Bobcat and Hedgehog each show Mouse how to be mad their way, and none of it works for him. Mouse keeps trying until he finds his own way, standing still, and feels better.
Why pick it up?
Mouse calms down by being still, feels better, and the animals admire his control.
A note for parents
The animals’ critiques are comic but a bit bossy; some parents may want to point out that Mouse does not need to be better at anger than the others. Edition note: Amazon and Goodreads were read on the 2012 Clarion paperback (the hardcover shows one copy left). Kirkus and the blog review the 2009 hardcover. The parent list names the other animals Rabbit and Bobcat; Kirkus and the review blog name Hare, Bear, Bobcat and Hedgehog. The record follows the review and the blog.
Where this recommendation comes from
What Do We Do All Day?
Listed among picture books about anger. The parent says Mouse tries to hop, scream and stomp like the others, nothing seems right, and then he finds what to do with his big feelings.
Read What Do We Do All Day?’s recommendationSources and review status
We have checked source descriptions and drafted the value mapping. We have not personally reviewed the full book. The value labels, situation assignments, and parent notes remain provisional.
Publisher or literacy resource · Original recommendation
Our explanation of the value fit is separate from the original reviewer’s judgment. Their inclusion here does not imply an endorsement of Stories for Growing.
Another good example
Browse more values
The Color Monster
Ages 4 to 8The story gives children a way to identify and sort mixed feelings.
Recommended by New Orleans Mom