Review: Sam's Pet Temper by Sangeeta Bhadra

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Sam is so frustrated waiting his turn at the playground that a Temper shows up. Within seconds, the beastly, wild thing clears the place, and Sam happily plays alone with his new pet. But his Temper follows him everywhere, causing more and more trouble, until Sam realizes he needs to put a stop to it. How is the question ? Kids will laugh at the relatable situations, while parents and teachers will enjoy the chance to talk about pet Tempers and ways to tame them.

MY TAKE:
Losing your temper isn't a good thing, so it's important that kids learn how to control their temper before it makes them do mean, bratty things.

In Sam's Pet Temper, Sam is a young boy who suddenly finds himself with a pet Temper after a day at a playground. At first, having a Temper is fun, but before long, Sam realizes that maybe it isn't such a good thing after all.

As far as lessons go, this book gives a good one as it's able to show the effects of having a temper, as well as how to control one's temper. I think the text is a little too long for toddlers, though, so maybe it's more suited to kids at least 5 years of age.

The illustrations are done with pencil, gouache and Photoshop. The illustration style didn't really work for me as I felt it was a little dark and the lips of some of the characters drawn in the first illustrations scared me a little bit. I did like the way the media worked with the illustration, though. It felt like it suited it, somehow.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the e-ARC. Publication date of Sam's Pet Temper is on September 1, 2014.

THE GOOD:

1. Kids will learn a valuable lesson.
2. It can help teach kids how to control their temper.
3. It can help teach kids about losing one's temper.

THE BAD:

1. The length of the text means it's more suited for relatively older kids. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

The Temper had stopped struggling. It was sitting at Sam's feet, frowning at him. Sam let out a laugh. He had done it! He had actually controlled his Temper. 

READ IT IF:

1. Your kid is showing signs of a quick temper.
2. You want to teach your child what to do when he feels angry.
3. You want to teach your child about the effects of a nasty temper. 

RATING:


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