Book Review of Tam Tam Gets Mad
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The Children’s Book Review
Tam Tam Gets Mad
Written by Charles Anderson
Illustrated by Bela Arga
Ages 6-8 | 30 Pages
Publisher: Epicycle Media, Inc | ISBN-13: 978-1667845661
What to Expect: Feelings and Friendship
Tam Tam starts his morning by falling out of bed after a scary dream. Instead of acknowledging his fear, Tam Tam resorts to anger to cover up his feelings. He first aims his anger at his mother and then his best friend, Mellie. It isn’t until Tam Tam’s teacher intervenes and facilitates a conversation between Mellie and Tam Tam that he learns it is okay to have big feelings.
Charles Anderson has created a realistic story relatable for younger school-aged children. Readers can see themselves in Tam Tam and relate to how he feels and even perhaps how he acts. Anderson teaches his readers that it is good to be self-reflective about feelings and that friends are an important resource for understanding themselves and validating feelings.
In addition to the meaningful content, readers will be delighted by Bela Arga’s sweet illustrations. Arga does a great job of displaying the immense feelings of the characters by using easy-to-understand facial cues, a bonus for nonreaders or emergent readers.
Tam Tam Gets Mad is a wonderfully enjoyable book about how young children relate to their world. Filled with real-life examples of feelings and emotions, readers will find themselves empathizing with Tam Tam and Mellie. This story would make a great read-aloud in a classroom or home setting—anytime big feelings are involved.
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About the Author
Charles Anderson lives and works in the East Bay of San Francisco. A California native, he started writing stories at an early age. They were often filled with adventure and humor. Charles entered college to become an accountant but changed course halfway through – opting to pursue his first passion: theatre arts. While his life/career paths led in different directions, he continued to tell stories—sometimes as a songwriter, other times as a playwright, and later in film. When he isn’t working on his next book/song/play/screenplay, Anderson is a freelance photographer, videographer, and, most recently, substitute teacher in his wife’s school district.
For more information, visit https://tamtamsworld.com/.
About the Illustrator
Bela Arga lives in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, where he attended the Indonesia Institute of The Arts of Yogyakarta. He has loved drawing most of his life and has been illustrating books since 2019. Bela’s specialty is now illustrating children’s books, which he does as a full-time freelancer.
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