Adapted from the original poem in the wonderful first poetry anthology A Great Big Cuddle that Michael Rosen says, in his Note to Grown- ups, was inspired by watching his youngest child getting angry, this captures perfectly the all-consuming feeling of being at the epicentre of a toddler tantrum. Robert Starling’s glorious illustrations and the bold design perfectly compliment the brilliant rhymes. I have never seen a fiercer or more grumpy kitten! It is all about the eyes which glare furiously from the front cover and on the opening red endpapers. Hugely expressive eyes and body language also characterise the other animals that bear the brunt of kitten’s fury. The scared spider is a particular delight. White space and bold colour are used to great effect throughout and just as kitten is busy painting the sky read and filling the page… its all over and a tired little kitten snuggles his faithful little friend and goes to sleep and the final pale blue endpapers show sleeping eyes! This will reassure toddlers overwhelmed by their feelings that it does not last for ever and they are loved and safe. Very young children will really be able to engage with this valuable message and will enjoy the rhythmic and imaginative language and be entranced by the bold images. This is a perfect pairing of author and illustrator and I am already looking forward to I Am Hungry!
The first in a funny new series from former Children's Laureate Michael Rosen and rising star Robert Starling. This kitten may look cute and cuddly, but better beware: they're angry. Really angry. Angry, angry, angry! And this isn't any old "angry". This is a jump-up-and-down, roll-on-the-ground kind of angry. This is a spider-scaring, tiger-scaring kind of angry. This is a burst-balloon-ing, SQUASH-THE-MOON-ING kind of angry...
As surreal as things may get, this is also the kind of angry that parents of toddlers will recognize - a bad mood which comes out of nowhere, escalates wildly, then disappears as suddenly as it arrived. Based on the popular poem from A Great Big Cuddle, I Am Angry combines Michael Rosen's brilliant rhymes and anarchic imagination, Robert Starling's perfect knack for character and a reassuring message: anger may feel overpowering, but it doesn't last for ever.