Ever had trouble controlling your temper?

Sam is tired of waiting his turn. One day in the playground he gets so mad and impatient that he attracts a Temper, who jumps into the fray and frightens all the other children away.

At first Sam and the boisterous Temper are best friends as they pull pranks and everything goes their way. But soon Sam’s Temper starts to make life difficult for him at home and at school. He terrorises Sam’s family and classmates and when Sam tries to explain the Temper is to blame he is told he must learn to control it.

Sangeeta Bhadra’s clever story boasts a wonderful variety of storytelling techniques as she creates the childish joys and conflicts of Sam’s world.

I love Marion Arbona’s pencil work portrayal of the Temper as a grinning Cheshire Cat-style character. There is a fantastic texture to her backgrounds and the palette used is striking – the Temper as an extension of Sam is denoted by the matching red, black and white colour scheme.

A beautiful ‘early emotions’ book that helps children understand their feelings and reminds us all not to let our bad moods get the best of us. So next time you feel a tantrum coming on, tame your temper like Sam does in the dramatic final spreads – get a tight grip on it, count to 10, say the alphabet backwards…Unless you want to be responsible for a new pet.

Sam’s Pet Temper, by Sangeeta  Bhadra and Marion Arbona, published by Kids Can Press, will be available in the UK next year.