25+ Children’s Books About Anger, Tantrums and Feeling Frustrated

Long time followers know that I love using picture books as a prompt for initiating important discussions about issues that are important to kids, like managing overwhelming emotions! And this list of 25 awesome children’s books about anger and feeling frustrated presents plenty of opportunities for talking with children about anger, tantrums and feeling frustrated, with many of them featuring helpful calm down strategies and coping skills as well.

The list includes picture books to use with toddlers, preschool and kindergarten age children, with many still relevant to kids in the first years of formal schooling, say up to third grade.

Each would make a fabulous addition to your classroom or home bookshelf.

25 Picture Books About Anger & Frustration

As with all of the lists in our Best Books for Kids collection, each title in our books about anger list links to an Amazon and/or Book Depository page (these are affiliate links) where you can find reviews and age recommendations for those you might not be personally familiar with.

Today, I’m a Monster by Agnes Green A small boy climbs out of bed with a sore head, feeling like a monster and then proceeds to act just like a monster! An important reminder that being cranky and making bad choices doesn’t make you a bad person, that we all have bad days, and that we are still loveable just the way we are. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Maya Was Grumpy by Courtney Pippin-Mathur A sweet book for initiating conversations about being grumpy and how our feelings affect our actions and the way we carry ourselves. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban A great resource for talking with children about some of the different forms an anger response (or tantrum) can take and ways of calming down when angry. A sweet story that is sure to capture the imagination of younger readers. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Allie All Along by Sarah Lynne Ruel Allie is in a rage, throwing a tantrum, and having a fit! Her emotions have built up and up until they burst! Is there a sweet little girl hiding somewhere under all the angry layers? And can her big brother find a way to make things right again? Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Crankenstein by Samantha Berger We all have our monster moments! He may look like any ordinary boy, but when faced with a rainy day, a melting popsicle, or an early bedtime this little boy transforms into a mumbling, grumbling Crankenstein! Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

My Big Shouting Day by Rebecca Patterson A story lots of toddlers and preschoolers will relate too! Bella is having one of those days – her biscuit is broken, she has a hurting foot and ballet is too itchy for words. All she can do is shout! (Previously published as My No No No Day). Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? by Jane Yolen Romp and stomp! Roar and slam! The dinosaurs are back, and like everyone, they sometimes get angry. But how will these young dinosaurs learn to handle their anger and frustration? Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

RELATED: Explore even more emotions with little ones. Click through to see 15 Toddler Books About Feelings.

Angry Cookie by Laura Dockrill A very grumpy cookie shares the story of his bad day and learns a lesson about the importance of friends who listen and that sometimes things aren’t as bad as they first appear. Love the fun, conversational style with the story shared through speech bubbles. A great read aloud for Pre and K. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Nina In That Makes Me Mad by Hilary Knight A great resource for helping preschoolers learn to verbalise their feelings. Through a wonderful comic strip format we meet Nina and hear about many of the things that make her mad (that other children are sure to relate to). She feels better though when she has the chance to talk about her anger. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Grumpy Duck by Joyce Dunbar Duck is grumpy. The pond is dry and, even worse, there’s a grey cloud following her around. Can any of Duck’s friends cheer her up or will the cloud just keep getting bigger and bigger? Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Grumpy Monkey by Suzanne Lang A very funny story about a grumpy monkey (who doesn’t actually think he’s grumpy) and his friends’ attempts to cheer him up. Great for communicating that sometimes we just feel grumpy and that’s okay, that feelings pass and that giving people space to feel their feelings can be a good thing. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Anh’s Anger by Gail Silver A young boy gets mad when his grandfather insists he stop playing as it’s time for dinner. His grandfather sends Anh to his room to “sit with” his anger. Anh’s anger personifies as a hairy red monster and together Anh and his anger learn to release his angry feelings through movement and breathing. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Ravi’s Roar by Tom Percival A clever story about temper tantrums, dealing with emotions and learning to express and understand your feelings. Ravi is the smallest in his family, which is fine most of the time but one day he becomes very frustrated about being small…and unleashes the tiger within! Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

When Miles Got Mad by Sam Kurtzman-Counter Miles is mad but when he looks in a mirror he doesn’t see himself, instead a red, furry monster stares back at him. Together they find a way for Miles to express his anger and calm himself. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard Bird wakes up one morning feeling out of sorts-too grumpy to eat, too grumpy to play, and even too grumpy to fly. “Looks like I’m walking today,” he grumbles. Fortunately, exercise and good company help Bird overcome his bad mood. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

What Are You So Grumpy About? by Tom Lichtenheld A super fun expose on all of the things that can make kids grumpy that is great for engaging children to write their very own grumpy list! The illustrations are hilarious and the awesome end papers feature super fun suggestions for shaking off a grumpy mood. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Rodney Loses It by Michael Gerard Bauer A very clever and funny story about Rodney, a rabbit, when he loses his favourite pen. The portrayal of the different degrees of emotion that build up in Rodney as he realises his loss, and searches for the missing pen, makes for great discussion. Available: The Book Depository

Even Superheroes Have Bad Days by Shelly Becker “When Superheroes don’t get their way, when they’re sad, when they’re mad, when they’ve had a bad day… they COULD super-tantrum, they COULD but they DON’T…because REAL Superheroes just WOULDN’T—they WON’T!” A fun story sharing the many ways superheroes (and ordinary children, too) can resist the super-temptation to cause a scene when they’re sad, angry, frustrated, lonely, or afraid. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

The Angry Dragon by Michael Gordon George has a pet dragon called Joe who always gets angry when things don’t go his way. Can George help Joe find helpful ways to calm down? Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang Sophie gets mad, really mad, with her brother and then runs off alone for time and space to calm down, returning home shortly after to her family. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst Alexander knew it was going to be a terrible day when he woke up with gum in his hair! His best friend deserted him, there was no dessert in his lunch bag, he fell in the mud and had lima beans for dinner! This classic story is great for initiating discussions about feeling frustrated. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

While many of the following books on our kids books about anger list include elements of storytelling, they take a more informative approach to helping children learn to manage anger, and introduce a wide range of helpful calm down strategies.

When I’m Feeling Angry by Trace Moroney Feeling angry can make you feel like you’re going to explode! All of the books in this series help children to better understand big feelings (in this case, anger), their causes, the way their body and mind feels and reacts, and helpful suggestions for responding to each. Available:  The Book Depository

I’m Feeling Mad by Natalie Shaw A wonderful book for the toddler fan of Daniel Tiger. Teaches young children a simple technique for working through moments of anger. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

When I Am Angry by Michael Gordon Help kids understand anger in this important book! It helps kids learn how to identify anger, how to deal with it, and understand it is a healthy emotion everyone feels sometimes. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

I Hate Everything! A Book About Feeling Angry by Sue Graves Sam is having a bad day and nothing is going right. Dad is too busy to play with him, he doesn’t like his lunch and he doesn’t enjoy Archie’s party. Can Aunt Jen help him to stop feeling so angry? Intersperses elements of a simple, fictional story with suggestions for activities and ideas to talk about. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Dealing With Feeling Angry by Isabel Thomas A helpful tool for discussing what anger feels like, safe ways to let anger out, and how to calm down when you are feeling angry. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Tiger Has a Tantrum by Sue Graves It’s not nice to throw a tantrum, not even if you’re a tiger! An engaging story to help children learn about managing anger in a healthy way. Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Explore more feelings and emotions with kids of all ages with our list of 101 Books That Build Friendship, Communication and Social Skills.

Pin for later: