Children’s books about anger management can help kids understand their angry feelings and learn how to calm down. From books for toddlers about hitting to books for teens about controlling their anger, this list includes the best anger management books for kids.
Related: Books That Help Kids Understand Their Feelings
Anger Management Books for Children
Anger management skills are important to a child’s social-emotional health and development. We need to help our children understand their feelings and build skills for coping with emotions such as anger in safe ways.
Kid’s books about anger can help our children learn how to calm down and express emotions in healthy ways. It’s okay to feel angry, but it’s not okay to hurt anyone with actions or words.
Related: Social-Emotional Games for Kids
Calming and Self-Regulation Strategies for Kids
The primary way children learn basic calming and self-regulation skills is by watching and learning from the people that they spend time with.
When I get angry I do my best to show my daughter appropriate ways to manage it. This includes calm down techniques, apologizing when necessary, and talking about my feelings when appropriate.
I’m nowhere near perfect… I just do the best I can like every other parent out there.
I also like to use an arsenal of preventative measures such as reading anger management books and Children’s Books about Feelings.
Our family also likes to use calming and mindfulness practices the whole family can enjoy. We like to play social-emotional development games, practice yoga, and enjoy the meditative and calming effects of sensory bottles.
Related: Kids Books That Teach Important Life Lessons
Anger Books for Kids
You can also help children learn to manage anger by reading them books about anger.
There are books on the list below for kids of all ages; toddlers, preschoolers, elementary aged kids, and teens. By reading these stories kids can begin to understand how their emotions and actions are related and learn to manage both.
Children’s Books About Calming Down
1. Calm-Down Time (ages 1 – 3) by Elizabeth Verdick
The children in my home daycare loved this book and wanted to read it often. It shows other toddlers using simple tools to calm themselves down.
In this simple story children learn to use their calm-down place—a quiet space where they can cry, ask for a hug, sing to themselves, be rocked in a grown-up’s arms, talk about feelings, and breathe: “One, two, three . . . I’m calm as can be. I’m taking care of me.”
Social-Emotional Development Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers
2. Words Are Not for Hurting (ages 2 – 3) or Words Are Not for Hurting (ages 4 – 7) by Elizabeth Verdick
This is another favorite anger book for kids at my home daycare. It’s amazing to me how much the children actually liked these behavior books. I find them strange but they totally work!
This is a good book to help toddlers understand the power of words and how they can use positive words instead of negative ones…even to express negative emotions.
Books for Toddlers about Biting
3. Teeth Are Not for Biting (ages 2 – 3) by
Children’s Books About Kicking
4. Feet Are Not for Kicking 
(ages 2 – 3) by
Books for Toddlers about Hitting
5. Hands Are Not for Hitting (ages 2 – 4)
or Hands Are Not For Hitting (ages 4 – 7) by
Great for all caregivers of children to have on hand to help when kids start hitting. It’s never too soon for children to learn that violence is never okay, hands can do many good things, and everyone is capable of positive, loving actions.
Children’s Books About Hitting and Other Undesirable Behaviors
6. No Hitting!: A Lift-the-Flap Book (ages 2 – 5) by Karen Katz
The title of this book, “No Hitting” is a little misleading. Only the first page actually addresses hitting, while the rest of the book addresses other inappropriate behaviors that kids might do when they are mad.
A perfect choice to help steer the kids in my home daycare toward acceptable behaviors and away from the negative ones.
Books That Help Kids Manage Anger
7. I Was So Mad (ages 3 – 7) by
This book shows the Critter family saying no to everything Little Critter wants to do.
8. When I Feel Angry (ages 3 – 8) by Albert Whitman
As this little bunny experiences things that make her angry, she also learns ways to deal with her anger. Ways that won’t hurt others. A simple book that gives children great options for dealing with and managing their anger.
9. I’m Mad (ages 3 – 8) by
This book is a part of the dealing with feelings series that help children accept and acknowledge their emotions.
Another book in this series “I’m Furious,” can be found directly below.
I love that the stories give kids several ways to cope with feelings by utilizing the books’ “choose-your-own-ending” format.
10. I’m Furious (ages 3 – 8) by
Another book from the dealing with feelings series like the anger book directly above. In these books, the authors provide guidance and suggestions that help parents and children find solutions that work.
More Anger Management Books for Kids
11. The Very Frustrated Monster (ages 3 +) by
This book is a part of The WorryWoo Monsters Series of books about emotions for kids. Click through to find others in the series.
“Why me?” and “It’s not fair!” are favorite phrases used by Twitch, The Monster of Frustration. Though Twitch tries very hard to get everything right, he quickly gets upset when things don’t go his way.
12. 
Voices Are Not For Yelling (ages 4 – 7) by
As parents and teachers know, yelling comes naturally to children. This friendly, encouraging book, geared to preschool and primary children, introduces and reinforces where and when to use an “indoor voice” or an “outdoor voice.”
13. When Mouse Was Mad (ages 4 – 7)
by
A wonderful book for toddlers and preschoolers about dealing with angry feelings.
Mouse is mad, and he tries them all sorts of ways of dealing with his angry feelings but nothing works for him. Finally, he figures out his own way of dealing with his feelings and realizes he isn’t mad anymore.
14. When Miles Got Mad (ages 4 – 7) by
Like Miles in this story, expressing emotions in healthy ways is something that all toddlers need to learn. This fun book offers much-needed comfort to young children as they struggle to regulate their emotions.
More Anger Books For Kids
15. When Sophie Gets Angry-Really, Really Angry
(ages 4 – 8) by Molly Bang
This is a favorite in our house. When I used to run an in-home childcare this book was selected to read by the children in my care a lot.
One day Sophie gets really really angry! In the story, we see how she deals with her anger in a healthy way after an incident with her sister. A must read!
16. I Hate Everything! A Book about Feeling Angry (ages 4 – 8) by
Sam has a hard time when things don’t go his and cries, “I hate everything!” With the help of his aunt, Sam learns new ways to deal with his anger and feel better.
This book is a part of another series of books about emotions that uses brightly illustrated stories to help kids understand how their emotions and actions are related—and how they can learn to manage both.
At the end of each book, a two-page series of pictures invites kids to tell a story in their own words. Click through to find more books in the series.
17. I Am so Angry, I Could Scream: Helping Children Deal with Anger (ages 4 – 8) by
A story that introduces children to the idea that they can learn techniques for releasing anger in healthy ways. Young readers are shown how to keep an anger chart to identify the causes of their angry feelings and how to find positive ways to work through them.
More Books About Anger for Kids
18. Mad Isn’t Bad: A Child’s Book about Anger (ages 4 +) by
19. Angry Octopus: An Anger Management Story introducing active progressive muscular relaxation and deep breathing
(ages 4+) by Lori Lite (author) and Max Stasuyk (Illustrator)
An anger book that does a wonderful job of guiding children (and adults) through a progressive relaxation exercise as well as conveying that angry feelings can be managed.
Children can relate to the angry octopus in this story as the sea child shows him how to take a deep breath, calm down, and manage his anger. It is clear, and the illustrations are inviting and helpful.
20. Cool Down and Work Through Anger (ages 4 – 8) by Cheri J. Meiners M.Ed.
This book that shows kids that it’s normal to get angry. It begins with a few scenarios that might cause a kid to be angry; being left out of a playgroup, being treated with disrespect. Next, it talks about the physical feeling of being angry; hot face, tense muscles, fast heartbeat.
Finally, it discusses what you might want to do if you get angry but then explains that these are not always the best choices. Finally, it gives some very helpful advice on what to do if you are feeling angry.
More Anger Management Books for Kids
Related: Caring for the Earth: 12 Ways to Help Kids Get It
21. I’m Not Bad, I’m just Mad: A Workbook to Help Kids Control Their Anger (ages 6-12) by
22. Seeing Red: An Anger Management and Anti-Bullying Curriculum for Kids (ages 7+) by
Anger is a natural human emotion, but if it isn’t managed properly its effects can be devastating.
Seeing Red is a curriculum designed to help elementary and middle-school aged students better understand their anger so they can make healthy and successful choices and build strong relationships.
More Children’s Books About Anger
23. A Volcano in My Tummy: Helping Children to Handle Anger
(ages 7+) by
24. How to Take the Grrrr Out of Anger (ages 8 – 13) by Elizabeth Verdick
This book is written by the same author as the first four books listed for toddlers listed at the top of this post. It teaches kids how to recognize anger in themselves and others, and how to handle situations and emotions, and how to deal with the anger they feel.
Read this children’s book about anger to help kids learn that violence is not acceptable and that there are safer, more positive ways to resolve conflicts.
25. What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kid’s Guide to Overcoming Problems With Anger (ages 8+) by
Anger management skills are important to a child’s social-emotional health and development. It’s never too early for children to recognize the feeling of anger and learn to manage and express their anger appropriate ways.
We need to help our children understand their feelings and build skills for coping with emotions such as anger in safe ways. It’s important for children to understand that it is okay to feel angry, but it’s not okay to hurt anyone with actions or words.
There are books on this list for kids of all ages; toddlers, preschoolers, elementary aged kids, tweens, and teens. Read the simple stories and do the activities to help children manage their anger in healthy ways.
You may also like Social-Emotional Development Games for kids and the book lists below:
- Children’s Books about Feelings and Emotions
- Books That Teach Kids Important Life Lessons
- Books That Help Kids Develop Healthy Personal Boundaries
- 10 Books Every Parent of Young Children Should Read
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Anger is such a big emotion and sometimes it gets the better of all of us. What a great round up of resources. Thanks so much for sharing!
Yes it is a big emotion, especially for our little one’s experiencing it for the first time. Glad you like it 🙂
Great list, Nell! Thanks for putting them all in one place!
Anger is something that has been unintentionally taught and passed down in my family. I really want to put an end to that trend. Going to look into these books, thanks. My 18-month-old really needs the no biting one 😉
I have found that reading these books has really helped my daughter deal with her anger in appropriate ways, and they also help me help her. They are invaluable to us.
Hello Nell, I love the list! How can I buy them?
So glad you like the list Derya. Just click on the photo link of the book you would like to purchase. I will receive a small commission with no extra cost to you. Thank you for choosing to support this blog!