Category: Children Publisher: Burroughs Manor Press
ISBN-10: 1775035719
Type: Fiction
Pages: 32
Copyright: August 2017
ISBN-13: 9781775035718
Join Jeremy on his hilarious adventure to Tame his Dragons and Hush his Hyenas.
The Adventures in Behaviour Series
"Jeremy is a kid that seems to wear trouble as a t-shirt and carries an uncontrollable rage inside, that is until he discovers how to tame his dragons and hush hyenas. On this particular day everything goes wrong and Jeremy's anger escapes erupting into wild hyenas and fire burping dragons causing mayhem in the classroom! Follow the adventure as Jeremy goes on a wild journey of disaster but learns to control the beasts; managing them one step at a time. This hilarious tale filled with colourful illustrations is perfect for the young-reader learning to deal with dragons of their own.”
Available in Hard copy and Paperback.
Excerpt
Jeremy was the kind of kid who wore trouble like a t-shirt. Bad news stuck to him like bubble gum to boots. If he had a cat he would call it calamity.
Professional Reviews
The Adventures in Behaviour Series
“These three books by Kerry Orchard give children the images, words, and confidence to relate to and talk about their own experiences. After reading "How Danny Found his Brave", my son, Rowan (age 6), said the following day, "I already had my brave to scooter to Thomas and Rudy's house on my own yesterday!"
"As a teacher and parent, sometimes we don't always know how to approach a subject with our children or students and these characters are a wonderful gateway into discussions around mental health and a child's self-awareness. Kerry Orchard's use of alliteration throughout is rhythmically soothing and great for “juicy” word discussions. The colourful, comical Illustrations by Roberto Gonzalez bring these concepts to life. These books will be meaningful teaching tools for your school library and classrooms this year and a great addition to your cozy bedtime time story rituals at home.”
Heather T – Calgary, Alberta Teacher
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Reviews for "How to Tame Dragons and Hush Hyenas"
Reviewed by Laura H.
10/25/2022
The author has taken a fun and light-hearted approach to helping children control their anger.
The creatures the illustrator created draws the reader to the profound message they portray.
Learning to control our anger is one of the most important life lessons a child should learn.
This book should be part of any anger-management curriculum for children.
A must have aid for teachers, parents, counselors, clergy to have readily available.
Reviewed by Jessica Adair
2/26/2018
I really liked the proposed concept of the book to tame the beasts of rage and anger. The first thing that struck me was the great use of vocabulary and alliteration. Though, depending on the age group being targeted for these books, some children might get frustrated with the more complicated words. I found the images of the hyenas a little more on the creepy side than the silly side, however. I know I struggled with more than just anger issues growing up, and these images would honestly have haunted me a bit when I was younger.
That being said, I really like the set of steps given to help Jeremy deal with the frustration and anger, though it takes a moment to identify the techniques for dealing with the hyenas as 'deep breathing'. It seems more like he's just focusing on his breathing while running. The rest are good too, a stress ball or simply expending pent up energy. I also like the idea of the school having a break room for such incidents: a place for kids to go and calm down and a wall identifying zones for emotions and if you should rest/go/slow/stop.
I do think, however, that depending on the age of the child and their respective comprehension skill, the book might be most effective if read along or out loud with the child so they can get help if at any point they are confused with the words or techniques. I think it would also help them initiate discussion after reading the book together.
Overall I like the book, and I would definitely recommend it to teachers and counselors to use as an aid.
**This book was provided free of charge by Author's Den/Burroughs Manor Press in exchange for an honest review**
Reviewed by Amy Campbell
1/25/2018
How to Tame Dragons and Hush Hyenas is a good book for a children to read. Especially, for those who need to find a way to control their emotions and anger. I know a special little boy who would benefit by reading this and I plan to give him a copy. Such a great lesson to learn.
I give How to Tame Dragons and Hush Hyenas 5 stars and highly recommend it for all children to read.
I received this book from the author. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Reviewed by Nathan Albright
11/28/2017
[Note: This book was provided free of charge by Author's Den/Burroughs Manor Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
Although I have no children (yet) of my own, from time to time I review children's books and have often found the books to be very enjoyable [1]. This book is a rare case where a book is of more personal relevance to me, especially because the publisher of these books focuses on books relating to mental health issues for children. Given that I was diagnosed with PTSD as a small child myself, mental health issues as they relate to children is a cause I feel particularly passionate about, and it was nice to know that this was an interest of the publisher's and the author's after having requested the book. As this is one of three books by the author that I see available so far, I expect to read my way through the other two as soon as I am able to do so. This is not a book that should be challenging to most readers, although its vivid vocabulary and striking visuals should make it a favorite for children who may not fully understand the point it is making.
That said, this is a book whose content has a definite purpose. The story is one of an elementary school child who is having a very bad day. His bad day manifests itself in two breakdowns that are described with immensely vivid descriptions. His first meltdown causes a half a dozen hyenas to rampage in the classroom, after which he is able to calm down, and the second meltdown leads to nine fiery dragons causing havoc everywhere. The wise reader, of course, will know that young Jeremy of the uncontrollable volcanic rage is responsible for the damage caused by the hyenas and dragons, but children who are learning how to control their anger will likely appreciate the personification of that anger as a wild beast and not themselves. Even the little details of the book, like the four zones shown on a chalkboard in the classroom, provide worthwhile food for thought for those reading the book, encouraging readers to monitor their own emotional state and to take action accordingly, depending on whether they are feeling sad or angry, or various other emotions.
Ultimately, this book has a clear goal in mind in encouraging children to take responsibility for controlling their emotions. Developing empathy and having some useful tactics to managing irritation and frustration are certainly worthwhile and beneficial, and this book manages to instruct while also entertaining. This is educational literature that definitely goes down easily. Some children wear trouble like a t-shirt, it seems, and this is a book that is written for such children. It is all the more remarkable for its restraint in not blaming the uncontrollable rage on outside factors or allowing for a victim mentality--perhaps a victim of genes or environment--but rather encouraging the reader to take responsibility for their own anger and to learn impulse control as a part of growth and maturity. This sort of approach is a winning one, and is done in such a way that it serves morally and educationally worthwhile ends while also being written and illustrated in such a winsome and enjoyable way as to entertain the very people who are being educated by it. This book certainly has a lot to offer as a model for an educational approach that understands that teaching personal responsibility need not seem boring or off-putting.
Winner of two 2020 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards in the Ebooks Category:
Best Illustrations: 2nd Place
Picture Books Ages 6 and Older: Honorable Mention
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