LEAVE ME ALONE!

After a beloved game goes awry, a young girl learns how to deal with her anger.

While playing secret agents with her brother, Charlie, little Pia noisily trips, inadvertently alerting Mom and Dad to the kids’ special mission. “Try again!” encourages Dad. “We’ll pretend we didn’t see.” But frustrated Pia doesn’t want to; exploding with sadness, rage, “and a lot of other feelings she couldn’t quite name,” she stomps her feet, kicks, and shrieks. As in the family’s first outing, That’s My Truck! (2025), Mom assumes the lead, firmly taking Pia upstairs to her room. Instead of giving Pia the timeout that readers may be expecting, this calm, knowledgeable mother realizes that her child is a DPK (a “deeply feeling kid”) and offers loving support. This second series entry, also steeped in Kennedy’s child-rearing philosophy—as espoused on her website—exhibits the same issues as the first. Much of the narrative involves Mom serving as a quiet, steady presence as Pia works through her emotions—it’s a useful model for parents whose kids have frequent outbursts, but little ones are unlikely to find it all that compelling. Stone’s uncluttered illustrations feel a bit static, reflecting the action of the text but adding little else. Adults may wish that Pia and Charlie’s father played a more active role. Characters are illustrated with varying shades of brown or tan skin.

Potentially useful but didactic insights on coping with childhood tantrums.