School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-In this companion to When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry... (Scholastic, 1999), Harris's wisdom and sense of humor regarding early childhood behavior complement Bang's depictions of a little boy's strong emotions. Vivid colors, scanned and digitally manipulated paper cutouts and photographs, and fonts of varied sizes portray the tension between a preoccupied mother and her bored youngster. Leo rolls tomatoes in the house until they burst, drops string beans into the fish bowl, and squeezes toothpaste all over the toilet, collecting maternal "no's" as he goes. Ultimately pushed off the page by a fiery, life-size negation, the boy enters his bedroom, declares it a no-rule zone, and takes out his frustration by coloring a frowning mommy on his wall. The confrontation builds as she ignores his dictate, and Leo utters the fateful phrase. The tiny boy in the next spread is a picture of remorse and regret. The denouement offers a realistic and loving dialogue that should be required reading in parenting and anger-management classes. Mom takes a deep breath, eventually gets a grip, and together they talk about when it is and isn't acceptable to verbalize this four-letter word. Children will delight in the realism of the collage elements (cloud-covered sheets, shaggy stuffed animals, exploding broccoli spears) and relate to the intensity of the scenes in which Leo struggles with his rage and lack of power. It may dawn on parents that sometimes playing is better than getting another thing done.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Starred Review. Harris (Mail Harry to the Moon!, Reviews, Apr. 28) and Bang (When Sophie Gets Angry--Really, Really Angry) are so simpatico that it's almost surprising that no one thought of bringing them together sooner. Their hero is sulking after some serial misbehaving--evoked via vibrant collages of photos and cut paper--when Mommy's disciplining finally pushes him to an act of provocative communication. Bang portrays Leo as almost demonic, his flushed face ballooning above his tiny body as the titular words blast out of his mouth. Instantly mortified--his too-large head suddenly makes him seem awkward and vulnerable--he now has a new problem: Could the words he spoke in anger negate Mommy's love for him? Harris is not (and never has been) interested in portraying Stepford families. When Leo weakly points out that, after all, Mommy expressed a hatred of broccoli at dinner the night before, she loses it. BROCCOLI?--Bang punctuates the already expressive typography with photos of the vegetable--I am NOT broccoli! You are NOT broccoli! But this breach is not, of course, irreparable, and the way Mommy brings it off is so humane, sensible and, yes, replicable, that booksellers might actually want to consider filing copies of this book in the parenting section. Ages 3-6. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
