Angus the Angry Gremlin | Children's Anger & Emotional Regulation Book

Helping children understand anger, not simply stop showing it.

Angus the Angry Gremlin by Mark Scarborough is a child-friendly book designed to help children explore anger, recognise how it feels in their body and develop a better understanding of what can trigger it.

Through Angus and engaging activities, children are introduced to their own anger triggers, different patterns of thinking and tools they can use when anger starts to build.

The book uses a non-confrontational approach and incorporates affective education, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) concepts and comic-strip conversations, making potentially difficult conversations about anger more approachable for children.

Rather than treating anger as something a child simply needs to "get rid of", the book provides a structured way to explore the experience and build greater awareness around it.

Why we chose it

• Helps children explore what anger feels like in their own body
• Encourages recognition of individual triggers rather than assuming anger looks the same for everyone
• Introduces practical tools children can use when they're feeling angry
• Explores thinking patterns that can contribute to anger
• Child-friendly and non-confrontational approach
• Includes activities to make learning more interactive
• Incorporates CBT concepts, affective education and comic-strip conversations

What children can explore

Through the book, children can learn more about:

• How anger can feel in their body
• Their own triggers for anger
• Thoughts associated with feeling angry
• Ways of recognising anger as it builds
• Tools they can try when they need support to calm and regulate

Who is it for?

Angus the Angry Gremlin is designed for children and may be useful for families looking for a practical resource to support conversations about anger and emotional regulation.

It may also be useful in educational or therapeutic settings where adults are supporting children to understand and communicate their emotions.

Product details

• Title: Angus the Angry Gremlin
• Author: Mark Scarborough
• Format: Softcover
• Child-friendly activities
• Incorporates affective education
• Incorporates CBT concepts
• Uses comic-strip conversations

A little ND-affirming note

Anger isn't automatically bad behaviour.

Sometimes anger is communicating overwhelm, frustration, fear, unfairness, unmet needs or simply that things have become too much.

Resources like this can help create space to explore what's happening underneath the anger, while building tools a child can draw on when they need them.

About the author

Mark Scarborough was a clinical psychologist and author whose work focused on making psychological concepts practical and accessible for children, families and adults.

Mark held a Master of Clinical Psychology from the Australian National University and was a member of the Australian Psychological Society, the APS Clinical College and the International Association of Applied Psychology.

He created a range of approachable resources exploring anger, anxiety, emotional wellbeing and everyday psychological skills, including Angus the Angry Gremlin, Wart the Worry Ghost, It's Just Burnt Toast, The Masters of Misery and Shining Brightly.

Keeping Mark's resources accessible

Mark Scarborough wanted his resources to remain affordable and accessible to the people and families who could benefit from them. We're honoured to continue stocking his work and have intentionally kept our markup on these books low in keeping with that legacy.