Fergal is Fuming

Fergal is a little dragon who just can’t keep his temper in check. As a little dragon this has serious consequences because he breathes fire as his temper is let loose which makes Fergal somewhat destructive!

This is a perfect picture book for individual readers and classes alike because the reasons for Fergal losing his temper are all ones children will recognise and therefore have some affinity with. All schools need a copy of this book particularly ones with Nurseries in them but this could be used right up into Year 6 as it is a really simple illustration of how losing one’s temper can impact on everybody around you.

There are several instances of Fergal losing his temper at first and I think it would be fair to say his animal family and friends cut him some slack. It is the next bit, when his friends finally have enough, that would be useful for schools.  His mum explains why they’ve had enough and she gives Fergal a different strategy to try. We then relive the instances but this time with Fergal’s new approach. He also goes on to explore his animal friend’s ways of controlling their temper which, again, would be a really useful tool for discussion.

The illustrations are fab as they have a simple quality about them with sketchy backgrounds to highlight the animal characters. Fergal’s shape is perfect to make lots of different Fergal expressions in class-his little eyes say it all and make this book a delightful, thought provoking read. I will be using this one in my first assembly of the year.