“I get angry,” says a little girl, looking fiercely in the mirror. Sometimes she gets angry when someone is mean and tries to take her toy away, when it feels unfair that there’s not enough time to go swimming, when she’s tired and just wants to go home, or when the kids at school leave her out, hurting her feelings.
When she’s angry, she tries to remember to use her words — even though that doesn’t always work. Sometimes she can’t find the right words, or the words don’t come out the way she intends. But sometimes words do help, and when her anger melts away a new feeling can blossom.
Sandra Feder’s cleverly constructed text presents different situations in which a child might feel angry, creating a nuanced look at anger and its many underlying emotions. Rahele Jomepour Bell’s illustrations show a loveable, angry little girl, brimming with personality, who learns how to express herself as she moves through her feelings.
Key Text Features
dialogue
explanation
illustrations
vignettes
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7
With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2
Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.4
Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.7
Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events.
SANDRA V. FEDER is the author of the highly acclaimed books in the Emotions and Me series, including Angry Me and Peaceful Me, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell (Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year), and Shy Me and Lonely Me (the latter forthcoming in 2026), illustrated by Ashley Barron. Sandra’s other books include Bitter and Sweet, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker (a PJ Library selection), and The Moon Inside, illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. She lives in California.
RAHELE JOMEPOUR BELL is an Iranian-born illustrator and educator whose vivid, textured work explores cultural identity, migration and the richness of everyday life. She is a professor at the Kansas City Art Institute, teaching in the Illustration program. Her award-winning illustrations have appeared in Our Favorite Day of the Year by A. E. Ali and To Change a Planet by Christina Soontornvat, among others. Rahele has been a winner in the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition. She lives in Kansas.