Are You Mad at Me?

Are You Made at Me?
Age Range
4+
Release Date
September 05, 2023
ISBN
978-0593615669
Buy This Book
      
A very nervous ostrich pushes past her anxiety in this funny, endearing picture book by the author/illustrator of Bodies Are Cool (co-written with her sister).

When Opal the ostrich is anxious, her neck feels as wobbly as a spaghetti noodle. Her family lovingly calls this “The Noodles,” and tries their best to help. But it’s not easy to calm down when you’re a worrier like Opal—especially when you’re worrying about somebody else’s opinion of you.

Now it’s the day of her family’s annual party, and Opal is in charge of picking up the triple-layer-double-custard-beet-and-berry tart from the bakery—a big responsibility! What if she does something wrong? What if somebody gets mad at her? Opal is having a serious case of the Noodles.

This light-hearted take on social anxiety is just the right amount silly and sweet—perfect for young children and anyone else who has ever gotten The Noodles.

Editor review

1 review
Anxiety and Animals
Overall rating
 
4.3
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Opal the ostrich suffers from anxiety and it presents itself in the form of a noodle neck. Her neck will wiggle and it becomes difficult to hold her head up. This year, it’s her turn to pick up the holiday tart from the bakery which is a very important and intimidating task. The whole way to the bakery, Opal sees friends but can’t help but feel like everyone is mad at her. This makes the task even more difficult but she keeps encouraging herself to keep going. She doesn’t want to let her anxiety get the best of her.

The illustrations are bold with dark lines and simplistic in detail. With how prominent anxiety is in children these days, this is a great tool to teach children how to work through those hard moments. While it may feel like the world is watching, our minds tend to get carried away in an anxious state and this isn’t the case. I love how the author uses animals to help hold a child’s interest. Another fun addition is a chameleon that’s hiding throughout the book and children can enjoy going back and spotting him.


Final Verdict: Anxiety is a sensitive topic with children but this book brings humor to it and helps children see that they can overcome it. While we see how scary anxiety can be, they can learn from Opal’s strength.
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