Sometimes When I’’m Mad

Help young children recognize difficult feelings and learn anger management techniques.

Award-winning author and psychologist Dr. Deborah Serani and illustrator Kyra Teis team up again for a companion to Sometimes When I’m Sad that tackles the difficult feeling of anger.

Anger is often an overwhelming emotion for children. Using gentle and straightforward language, Sometimes When I’m Mad describes a child’s experience with anger and the many ways it can surface, along with ways children can use anger management techniques. For example:
● When anger leads to stomachaches or other discomfort, asking for a hug can help
● When an angry child yells or stomps, making things right with others can bring some relief
● When big feelings create confusion or distress, talking with an adult can provide comfort

A special section for adults offers more information on how anger is expressed by children of varying ages and discusses how to help children manage and express their anger in healthy ways. Especially useful for counselors, social workers, teachers, parents, and any other adults caring for children who struggle with anger.

Sometimes When collection
With quiet, sensitive illustrations, the Sometimes When collection helps young children work through big feelings, such as sadness and anger. The stories are accessible to children and grounded in research from an author with over thirty years of experience as a clinical psychologist. A special section at the back of each book provides more information and activities to help young children work through their feelings.

Deborah Serani, Psy.D., is an award-winning author and psychologist in practice for thirty years. She is also a professor at Adelphi University, and her writing on the subjects of depression and trauma has been published in academic journals. Dr. Serani is a go-to expert for psychological issues. Her interviews can be found in Newsday, Psychology Today, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, the Associated Press, and affiliate radio programs at CBS and NPR, among others. She is also a TEDx speaker and has worked as a technical advisor for the NBC television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She lives in New York City.

Kyra Teis is a children’s book author-illustrator, a graphic novelist, and an avid sewer of costumes and clothing. She works in a cozy studio in central New York, which is crammed full of books and fabrics from all over the world. When she’s not making art, you can find her and her husband cheering wildly at their two daughters’ soccer games and musical theater productions.