Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
For a child named Simon, if his v-slanted eyebrows aren¿t an indication that he¿s angry, the wild beasts he rides on sure are: ¿The third time he got very angry, it was because his mother had told him no. Suddenly his alligator transformed into a terrifying lion!¿ When he¿s forced to eat all of his soup, his anger is a glowering rhinoceros, and a ¿frightening¿ red dragon earns him the title ¿Simon the Terrible¿ as other children flee. Soon, though, Simon feels alone. Belgian author-illustrator De Haes¿s creatures are about as menacing as pint-size Simon himself (despite their bared teeth, it¿s not hard to picture them rolling over for belly rubs). De Haes conveys emotion through contrasting red and blue tones and brings the story to a gentle close as Simon¿s anger transforms again, this time into ¿pretty butterflies.¿ Back matter offers tips for parents on handling anger. Ages 4¿8. (Apr.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-When Simon is sent to his room for drawing on the wall, he bangs on his door in frustration. Much to his surprise, an angry ram shows up to help him thrash on the door more effectively. Page by page, Simon's anger grows from angry ram, to a disgruntled rhino, and finally to a vicious dragon. Though it's effective to see Simon's anger slowly build like this throughout the book, the ending feels a little rushed. After some breathing and meditation, his dragon explodes into butterflies, and the children want to play with him again. It would have been nice to have Simon slowly and realistically de-escalate, coming up with a few strategies for what he can do differently when he gets frustrated again. Luckily, there's a terrific guide at the end of the book that includes some great activities to do and questions to ask children, as well as a section for adults on modeling appropriate behavior. Illustrations are adorable and lighthearted, often taking up the full page, making them ideal for sharing situations. The facial expressions of each character reacting to Simon's angry monsters will easily lend itself to a great discussion about anger and people's responses to it. VERDICT A warm and up-to-date book on emotions for most picture book and SEL collections.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Young Simon is thrilled to discover that his tantrums create a series of raging, scary beasts in this Belgian import.Simon understandably loves the feeling that it "was great, it was marvelous, it was magical" to have, for instance, an alligator to chase playmates away after he loses a game, a rhino to menace his mom for ordering him to finish his soup, and a charging ram to knock his dad down after being sent to his room. These feelings undergo a change at last after he realizes that no one wants to interact with him anymore. Worse yet, the fiery dragon that appears for no particular reason won't go awayuntil he turns it into butterflies by just sitting quietly and calming down. The book's instructive mission should be clear enough from the context and subtitle, but to drive it home there's a hefty appendix with advice for caregivers. Views of Simon dishing out physical abuse to his parents, even if by proxy, skate close to the edge of the comfort zone, but De Haes gives the beasts comical as well as choleric looks that should allow readers to maintain a certain distance. Some dark-skinned members of Simon's peer group add diversity to the otherwise all-white cast.The anger-management shelves are well-stocked, but this makes a serviceable addition, with value added for caregivers seeking advice. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
