Book guide: Why is the mother angry?
Do you usually get angry?
And why do different people get angry about different things?
Why is the mother angry? is an emotional novel that explores anger in a fun and unexpected way. An imaginative picture book that puts into words and evokes thoughts about emotions.
Questions about anger
Hamsa doesn't want anyone to yell at him. How do you think it feels when someone yells at you? Have you yelled at someone? What happened then?
Alvdis thinks that the mother might be angry because Kim has been nagging about sweets. Have you ever been nagging? What happened then? Did someone pick on you? How does it feel?
Alvdis got angry when Hamsa took the heels she wanted. Have you witnessed someone take something you wanted? How did it feel? What happened then? What can you do when someone wants the same thing as you?
Once, Alvdi's uncle beat her. Then she told an adult, although he said she was not allowed to say anything. What do you think about it? What can you do if someone hurts you or scares you?
When Alvdis hit her toe, she screamed so loudly that it was heard all over the preschool. Have you ever screamed that loud?
Scream together!
Try shouting together as loud as you can. Think about when it can be good to be able to shout and use your voice so that it is heard a lot.
Alvdis says she wants to fight sometimes. What can one do if one feels that way?
Hit the pillow!
Bring out a large sofa cushion or similar. Let all the children hit the pillow as hard as they want. Talk about how it feels in your body when you are that angry. Think together about what you can do instead of attacking each other.
About being angry
Being angry is an emotion that, just like any other emotion, is important to feel. There is a tendency to try to deflect anger because it is perceived as frightening. But anger that can be expressed in a way that does not affect others is rather good to be able to feel clearly. Anger is also an important signal for us that something feels wrong. But sometimes anger is aroused when it is actually other emotions we need to feel - such as fear or sadness. Exploring emotions is therefore important for everyone so that the right emotions can emerge and so that our signaling system sends the right signals and helps us feel good. There is a tendency to think that anger is an emotion that is more okay for boys and men to feel, than for girls and women, while the opposite is true for the emotion sadness. In this book, gender norms are challenged by letting a mother be angry.
About skin color
Our society consists of a diversity of people with different skin colors. The pictures in the children's bookshelf do not reflect this, instead there is a large predominance of children and adults with white skin color. This means that not all children can reflect themselves in children's books. This affects both the view of oneself and of others, regardless of which category you belong to; if you find it easy or hard to find mirroring. In order to create an inclusive society where everyone feels equal, it is important to give more children more opportunities to find natural reflection.
