Peace, Bugs, and Understanding

April 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-For readers familiar with Anh's Anger (Plum Blossom, 2009) by the same author, this story will sound familiar, only this time an older sister named Lily is upset that her younger sibling, Ruby, "ruins everything and she gets all the attention." The father hands Lily her great-grandfather Lahn's journal wherein he has recounted fleeing in anger to a frog pond when forced to share his secret hideout with a younger sibling. When he gets to the pond, a frog-representing the boy's anger-crawls all over him as Lahn says things like, "There must be something I can do to get you off my back." As pond-side events unfold, the frog grows quieter while Lahn's anger lessens, his breathing deepens, and his thoughts begin to dwell on his sister's well-being, achieving "Metta," which is a wish for others to be strong, happy, safe, and peaceful. As Lily closes the journal, she reconsiders her anger toward her sister and transmits a silent Metta-message to Ruby who is napping. The work concludes with questions to guide discussion and thought, such as "Why do you think Anger said to Lahn, 'I think you're going to have to take care of me for awhile?'" The watercolor illustrations, done in gray and white for Lahn's journal, are full color for Lily's modern day world. While both of Silver's titles deal with helping a child work through angry feelings, this one has a more complex story with a more overt message about how slowing down one's breathing and thinking of beautiful, natural objects can change one's perspective on what's important in life. VERDICT A solid addition for collections in need of picture books on anger management, sibling rivalry, and self-control.-Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID

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