A review by tashrow
The Day Leo Said I Hate You! by Molly Bang, Robie H. Harris
5.0
Pair the storytelling skill of Harris with the illustrations of Bang and you really can't go wrong! Leo is not having a good day. Each thing he does, his mother seems to be right there telling him, NO! Finally, Leo has had enough and storms off to his room. When he gets there, he draws a mean picture of his mother on his bedroom wall. His mother comes in and tells him NO! Leo is so very very angry that he shouts with all of his might I HATE YOU! at his mother. Though he doesn't mean it all at, he now has to deal with the fact he has said something so awful to his mother.
Anger is such an important thing for children to understand: their own anger, how their words and actions effect others, and appropriate ways to express their feelings. Harris captures the inner turmoil of an angry child perfectly without extra drama added in. The writing is clear, concise and very emotional. The writing that follows Leo's outburst is warm, calming and filled with an understanding for what just happened. It is the ideal contrast to the heat and speed of what happens, allowing readers to ride that emotional rollercoaster with Leo.
Bang's illustrations capture the mood of the text as it moves from frenetic emotion to calm. Colors move from oranges through to deep purple and reds and resolve with bright yellows and deep blues. Beautifully done in her collage style, Bang captures a mother and son who could be of almost any ethnicity.
Highly recommended, this picture book should be paired with Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt and When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang for a real emotional set of stories! Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Anger is such an important thing for children to understand: their own anger, how their words and actions effect others, and appropriate ways to express their feelings. Harris captures the inner turmoil of an angry child perfectly without extra drama added in. The writing is clear, concise and very emotional. The writing that follows Leo's outburst is warm, calming and filled with an understanding for what just happened. It is the ideal contrast to the heat and speed of what happens, allowing readers to ride that emotional rollercoaster with Leo.
Bang's illustrations capture the mood of the text as it moves from frenetic emotion to calm. Colors move from oranges through to deep purple and reds and resolve with bright yellows and deep blues. Beautifully done in her collage style, Bang captures a mother and son who could be of almost any ethnicity.
Highly recommended, this picture book should be paired with Mean Soup by Betsy Everitt and When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang for a real emotional set of stories! Appropriate for ages 3-6.