Review - Fergal and the Bad Temper

Fergal and the Bad Temper
by Robert Starling
Date: 2017
Publisher: Imprint
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

A young dragon must learn to control his anger in Robert Starling's Fergal and the Bad Temper, a funny picture book for fiery kids everywhere!

Fergal the dragon does not like being told what to do. It’s not fair! And when things aren’t fair, Fergal loses his temper and snorts angry fire.

He feels sorry afterward, but Fergal just can’t control his outburts!

After one really fiery day, his family and friends offer him some advice to calm down. Can this dragon learn to cool it before a temper tantrum hits?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

There are plenty of books out there about emotions and how to deal with them, but I've found that the picture books that work the best for this subject are those with a touch of humour or absurdity. Fergal and the Bad Temper is one of those, in which a little dragon has trouble regulating his anger... to the point that nobody wants to hang out with him because he keeps incinerating his surroundings!

I really like how the story offers Fergal lots of alternatives to breathing fire as a way to get his anger out. His mom suggests counting to ten. His friends have their own ways of dealing with anger, and Fergal gives some of them a try. Everyone--including Fergal--is much happier when things aren't bursting into flames. And Fergal comes to realize that his fire has some pretty nifty uses... when he's calm enough.

The illustrations are pretty cute. Fergal is a little orange dragon, but when he's angry, he starts to get red from the snout down. His world is populated by various woodland creatures (his family appears to be the only one comprised of dragons), but they act in pretty human ways: the bear runs a bakery, the moose is a soccer coach, and the ice-cream vendor appears to be a wolf.

This is one of the stronger picture books about emotions that I've read. Like Sangeeta Bhadra's Sam's Pet Temper, it uses a somewhat silly premise to get its more serious message across. I think Fergal and the Bad Temper is a bit easier to understand, however, especially for the target audience.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.5 out of 5