Book Review: Usborne Lift-The-Flap Very First Questions and Answers - Why Do I (Sometimes) Feel Angry?

 Book Overview

Title: Lift-the-Flap: Why Do I (Sometimes) Feel Angry?

Publisher: Usborne Books

Recommended Age: Toddlers and young children

Book Type: Interactive Lift-the-Flap Board Book

Theme: Emotions, anger, feelings, and emotional regulation

First Impressions

The book immediately feels approachable for young children.

Rather than simply telling children that anger is “bad,” it helps them understand that everyone feels angry sometimes.

The lift-the-flap format also makes the subject much more engaging for toddlers. Little hands can open the flaps and discover what is happening on each page.

What Is the Book About?

The book explores everyday situations that can make children feel angry or frustrated.

For example, young children may feel upset when:

• Someone takes their toy
• They don’t get what they want
• Something doesn’t go the way they expected
• They have to stop playing
• They feel tired or frustrated

The book helps children recognize these emotions and understand that feeling angry is a normal part of growing up.

Why I Like This Book for Toddlers

It Makes Talking About Feelings Easier

Sometimes simply asking a toddler, “Why are you angry?” doesn’t get very far.

A book gives parents something concrete to point to.

We can look at a character together and say:

“Do you think she feels angry?”

or

“Have you ever felt like that?”

These simple conversations can help toddlers begin to put words to their own emotions.

The Lift-the-Flap Format Keeps Toddlers Interested

Toddlers love discovering what’s underneath a flap.

Instead of sitting through a long explanation, they get to participate in the story.

The interactive format can help with:

• Attention
• Observation
• Fine motor skills
• Vocabulary
• Understanding emotions

It turns an emotional-learning lesson into something that feels like play.

It Helps Children Understand That Anger Is Normal

One of my favorite ideas in this type of book is that children aren’t made to feel guilty for experiencing anger.

Anger is a normal emotion.

The important thing is learning what to do with that feeling.

This gives parents an opportunity to explain the difference between having an emotion and how we behave when we’re experiencing it.

Simple Ways to Talk About Anger

After reading the book, you can extend the conversation with your toddler.

Try simple phrases such as:

“It’s okay to feel angry.”

“You can tell me you’re upset.”

“Let’s take a little break.”

“What happened?”

Keeping the language simple is especially helpful for younger toddlers who are still developing their vocabulary.

What I Love as a Parent

Easy to Read Together

The book doesn’t require a long reading session.

You can read a few pages during bedtime, quiet time, or whenever your toddler is interested.

Encourages Emotional Vocabulary

Toddlers are learning how to communicate what they want and need.

Words such as:

• Angry
• Frustrated
• Upset
• Sad
• Calm
• Happy

can give them more ways to describe what they’re experiencing.

Great Conversation Starter

The book can lead to conversations about situations your child experiences every day.

For example:

“Remember when we had to leave the playground and you were upset?”

This helps connect the story to real life.

What Skills Does This Book Support?

Reading an emotions book together can support:

• Emotional vocabulary
• Communication
• Listening skills
• Self-awareness
• Social-emotional learning
• Fine motor skills
• Parent-child conversations

Of course, a book can’t teach emotional regulation on its own. Toddlers still need patient guidance and lots of practice.

But it can give parents a great starting point.

Is This Book Good for a 1-Year-Old?

For younger toddlers, the book may work best as a picture and interaction book rather than something they fully understand.

At around one year old, your child may mostly enjoy:

• Opening the flaps
• Looking at the illustrations
• Hearing your voice
• Pointing at pictures

As they get older and develop more language, the emotional concepts become easier to discuss.

That’s one reason I like books like this—they can grow with your child.

Any Downsides?

The biggest challenge with lift-the-flap books is the flaps themselves.

Toddlers can be enthusiastic little readers, and enthusiastic sometimes means “Let’s see how fast I can pull this flap off.” 😂

Supervision and showing little ones how to turn the pages gently can help the book last longer.

Also, parents shouldn’t expect the book to magically stop tantrums. Emotional development takes time, repetition, and plenty of real-life practice.

How I Would Use This Book at Home

I wouldn’t wait until my toddler is already having a meltdown to introduce the book.

Instead, I’d read it during calm moments.

For example:

Morning: Read a few pages together.

After playtime: Talk about how it feels when it’s time to stop.

Before bedtime: Talk about one feeling from the day.

When a child is already extremely upset, it can be difficult for them to process new information. Practicing these ideas when they’re calm can make the concepts more familiar.

Is It Worth Buying?

Yes, especially if you’re building a toddler library around emotional development.

It’s a particularly useful choice for parents who want to start conversations about anger and frustration without making the topic complicated.

The interactive format makes it accessible to young children, while the emotional theme gives parents plenty of opportunities to connect the book with everyday situations.

Final Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5

What We Like

✔ Interactive lift-the-flap format

✔ Helps introduce emotional vocabulary

✔ Toddler-friendly illustrations

✔ Encourages conversations about feelings

✔ Easy to read together

✔ Useful for repeated reading

✔ Suitable for growing toddlers