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Nina in That Makes Me Mad!: TOON Level 2
Nina has had enough!
What makes Nina mad? Lots of things--lots of little, everyday things, frustrations that all children will recognize. But Nina knows how to speak her mind and that makes her feel much better. In a series of humorous vignettes, Hilary Knight, the artist who brought the enormously successful Eloise to life, applies his magic to a text by veteran children's book writer Steven Kroll, and brings to life a spunky character who will show young readers how to articulate their feelings.
What makes Nina mad? Lots of things--lots of little, everyday things, frustrations that all children will recognize. But Nina knows how to speak her mind and that makes her feel much better. In a series of humorous vignettes, Hilary Knight, the artist who brought the enormously successful Eloise to life, applies his magic to a text by veteran children's book writer Steven Kroll, and brings to life a spunky character who will show young readers how to articulate their feelings.
36 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2011
About the author
Hilary Knight
142 books49 followersHilary Knight writes, "I attribute any abilities I possess to the fact that both my parents are artists and writers. My father, Clayton Knight, is well-known for his aviation paintings and books. My mother, Katharine Sturges, has done fashion drawings, fabric designs as well as many children's books" (The Horn Book, 1968).
Born in Hempstead, Long Island, New York, in 1926. Childhood spent on Long Island and in New York City. Attended Art Students League, New York, where he studied under Reginald Marsh.
The Navy interrupted his studies from 1944 to 1946, but Mr. Knight went on painting -- ships. His own career began when several of his humorous drawings were published in "House and Garden" and "Mademoiselle." His famous illustrations for Eloise by Kay Thompson came out in 1955 followed by several sequels. He has illustrated more than fifty books for children, six of which he wrote himself.
Born in Hempstead, Long Island, New York, in 1926. Childhood spent on Long Island and in New York City. Attended Art Students League, New York, where he studied under Reginald Marsh.
The Navy interrupted his studies from 1944 to 1946, but Mr. Knight went on painting -- ships. His own career began when several of his humorous drawings were published in "House and Garden" and "Mademoiselle." His famous illustrations for Eloise by Kay Thompson came out in 1955 followed by several sequels. He has illustrated more than fifty books for children, six of which he wrote himself.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 32 reviews
October 23, 2011
I think that this is a wonderful story for kids. It models for them ways to verbalize angry feelings. In this story, Nina does her best to do what her family asks but it does not always go the way it is supposed to go. She tries to get up and get dressed like her dad say to but has problems getting dressed and dad thinks she is messing around. She wants to play ball with a friend but they want to play on the swings so she compromises and plays on the swings but the friend does not play ball with her like they promised and she did play on the swings with them.
I really liked the comic book format and the suggestions in the back of the book for ways to use the book.
I really liked the comic book format and the suggestions in the back of the book for ways to use the book.
August 10, 2016
Grades K-2. RL 160. This was a really important book at our house. It was funny enough to be engaging. Simple enough for my son to read. And meaningful in that he is easily frustrated like Nina and it was a way for us to talk about what makes him mad and what he can do about it. LOVE.
May 26, 2017
great book for discussing the things that make kids mad.
June 7, 2017
A great one for families who are looking for ways to explore angry feelings with their preschoolers. The fun style and format make it super appealing.
December 18, 2016
That Makes Me Mad was a 1976 picture book written by Steven Kroll and illustrated by Hilary Knight. In 2002, the book was published again, this time with illustrations by Christine Davenier, who has illustrated the Dessert books by Hallie Durand and the Piper Reed series by Kimberly Willis Holt. Now the book has been revamped again, this time in comic format, as a toon book dedicated to the memory of Steven Kroll, who passed away in March. Though the story is now 35 years old, it is every bit as appealing now as I'm sure it was when it was first written.
Lots of things make Nina mad:
Getting in trouble for things she didn't do
Not being allowed to help
Not being able to find something
Being forced to go to bed
She feels better, though, when she has the chance to express her anger and figure out how to fix whatever is wrong.
The book is formatted so that the specific situation that makes Nina angry is always written out on the left-hand side of the page, and then illustrated through a short scenario on the right-hand side. Scenes take place everywhere - the living room, the bathroom, the park, the museum, even under the table - and each one explores a different type of frustration faced by children and adults alike. I was especially impressed by the universality of Nina's experiences. There were a number of situations mentioned in the book that I recognized as sources of my own anger at various times in my life that I had never articulated, or even considered trying to put into words.
I also really love the style of Knight's illustrations in this book. He's also the illustrator of Eloise, a favorite picture book from my childhood, and I noticed a lot of the same movement and personality in his drawings of Nina as appear in his drawings of Eloise. Having the opportunity to see the facial expressions Nina makes when she is angry throughout the book really enhances the overall reading experience, and adds a layer of humor to the text, which helps kids see the lighter side to the more difficult emotions associated with growing up.
Though the entire story is told in conversation bubbles, and the dialogue sounds very natural, the text really is quite simple and easy to read. The most difficult words I picked out were "minute," "wrong," "painting," and "dinosaur," and I also realized after reading the book a couple of times, that many words are actually repeated from scene to scene, reinforcing them for the new reader who is still learning to recognize words on sight. It's a credit to the talent of the author that I didn't really notice the text's simplicity until I went back and looked critically at the words he used. I think even the youngest readers can tell when quality has given way to simplicity, and it's wonderful when a book can maintain a high literary standard and still be easy enough for its audience to read independently.
I really like Toon Books, and I think this is one of the best. For read-alikes outside of the graphic format genre, try Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells, and when Sophie Gets Angry Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang.
Lots of things make Nina mad:
Getting in trouble for things she didn't do
Not being allowed to help
Not being able to find something
Being forced to go to bed
She feels better, though, when she has the chance to express her anger and figure out how to fix whatever is wrong.
The book is formatted so that the specific situation that makes Nina angry is always written out on the left-hand side of the page, and then illustrated through a short scenario on the right-hand side. Scenes take place everywhere - the living room, the bathroom, the park, the museum, even under the table - and each one explores a different type of frustration faced by children and adults alike. I was especially impressed by the universality of Nina's experiences. There were a number of situations mentioned in the book that I recognized as sources of my own anger at various times in my life that I had never articulated, or even considered trying to put into words.
I also really love the style of Knight's illustrations in this book. He's also the illustrator of Eloise, a favorite picture book from my childhood, and I noticed a lot of the same movement and personality in his drawings of Nina as appear in his drawings of Eloise. Having the opportunity to see the facial expressions Nina makes when she is angry throughout the book really enhances the overall reading experience, and adds a layer of humor to the text, which helps kids see the lighter side to the more difficult emotions associated with growing up.
Though the entire story is told in conversation bubbles, and the dialogue sounds very natural, the text really is quite simple and easy to read. The most difficult words I picked out were "minute," "wrong," "painting," and "dinosaur," and I also realized after reading the book a couple of times, that many words are actually repeated from scene to scene, reinforcing them for the new reader who is still learning to recognize words on sight. It's a credit to the talent of the author that I didn't really notice the text's simplicity until I went back and looked critically at the words he used. I think even the youngest readers can tell when quality has given way to simplicity, and it's wonderful when a book can maintain a high literary standard and still be easy enough for its audience to read independently.
I really like Toon Books, and I think this is one of the best. For read-alikes outside of the graphic format genre, try Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells, and when Sophie Gets Angry Really, Really Angry by Molly Bang.
February 27, 2017
Nina in That Makes Me Mad by Hilary Knight. Copyright 2011. Genre: Fiction
Kid Lit: Graphic Novel #1
Nina in That Makes Me Mad is a book about a girl named Nina who explains on why she gets mad at things. In the book she says she gets mad when she does something nice and no one cares, etc. etc.
I think this is a cute book for kids to read. I definitely can relate to this book. Out of everything that Nina said that made her mad, I could agree with. Growing up, I got mad about a lot of things that Nina mention, but now that I’m older, I see why my parents didn’t let me do some of those things. I think kids should read this because I know that when I was growing up, I thought I was the only one who couldn’t do those things, but in reality a lot of kids couldn’t do it either.
I’m not a huge graphic novel reading person, however, I did enjoy this book and would definitely recommend this book to others. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and would give it 4 out of 5 stars.
June 8, 2012
My only criticism of this book is a personal one. I would have liked the book for a 6 year old in a house that, by the parent's choice, doesn't have a TV. Showing a child lazing around watching TV (and sitting too close to the screen) in one sequence made the book less than a perfect match for her. I only mention it because TV watching doesn't need encouraging in our youth. Nina could just as easiliy have been reading a book or building with blocks or anything in that sequence.
Otherwise the book is great.
Anger managment for kids and a great story that 6/7 year olds can (and will want to) read themselves.
Otherwise the book is great.
Anger managment for kids and a great story that 6/7 year olds can (and will want to) read themselves.
December 16, 2011
There are many things that make young Nina angry, and this comic book illustrates thirteen of these reasons. Included on the list are not being allowed to help, doing something nice but not being noticed for it, being unable to find something. The cartoon panels show Nina's growing frustration in every instance, and then the final panels highlight the advantages of allowing Nina or another child to explain why he/she is mad, and then looking for ways to resolve the anger. It's cool that this book contains an explanation of how to read the comic book aloud with kids.
Read
March 4, 2019My daughter loved this book. She could relate to nearly every single situation Nina was in. She actually emulated Nina after. For example, she began talking about her anger rather than throwing tantrums. I really liked this book and the lessons it taught my child. It demonstrates the power of using words rather than throwing fits when upset.
There's more to our review at the Reading Tub.
There's more to our review at the Reading Tub.
January 2, 2012
"When I ______ that makes me mad!" is the refrain spoken by a little girl on each page spread. Honest and touching-- It would be nice for parents to read with a child. I absolutely love the Toon Books and the "How to Read Comics with Kids" section at the back of these books. I noticed in the copyright that the text and illustrations were originally from 1976. This book is still amazingly fresh and makes me like it even more that it is from when I was a child.
January 17, 2012
This is unusual, in that it is basically a graphic novel adaptation of an earlier picture book by the late Steven Kroll. As such, I think it works very well, and the definitions of what make Nina mad fit "little kid logic" very nicely. For a young child, it could help him or her to realize that getting upset is a natural part of life. The only weakness is that a couple of the scenarios are more about communication than about getting mad. Still, it's a lot of fun.
April 11, 2012
Nina has the floor: a book filled with examples of all the things parents do that make her "mad". Kids already know all this; probably parents will get more out of it while reading aloud since it does a good job of showing us how frustrating and unfair we can be. Perhaps children will enjoy being able to empathize with Nina's troubles and make some good text-to-self connections. level 2 TOON book.
June 13, 2012
Everything seems to make Nina mad in this toon book by Hilary Knight. Nina gets upset when her parents and friends don’t listen to her, when she gets blamed for things she doesn’t do, when she doesn’t get to help her parents, and when she has to wait to show off her newest artwork.
This is a good book to teach younger children about patience, how they will not always get their way, and how to handle all these emotions.
This is a good book to teach younger children about patience, how they will not always get their way, and how to handle all these emotions.
November 12, 2013
Based on a Steven Kroll book written in 2002, each two page spread shows Nina getting mad and telling the things that make her mad. Some are trivial and others she has just cause but by the book's end Mother has helped her to understand that it is ok to feel anger but there are better ways to deal with it. A lovely book illustrated by the esteemed Hilary Knight. Signing such a well-known illustrator certainly is a feather in Tooon Book's hat!
August 25, 2014
Steven Kroll understands how preschoolers' minds work. Nina voices all of the things that make her mad, from "When you don't know what I like..." to "When I need to stay up late and you say it's bedtime." That is stated in a full-page picture on the left-side page, while more detail is given on the right side page. But in the end Nina admits "I feel better when I can tell you that I'm mad!" This is a great book for discussing feelings of anger with young children.
September 30, 2011
Very cute, but I think I'll appreciate it more when the boy is a bit older. Now when he gets mad, I have no idea why.
October 11, 2011
Great pattern book in graphic novel format. Love the concept and the patterned story. A unique addition to the Toon Books.
December 21, 2011
I will use this book to help teach main idea and detail. The main idea is on the left page (something that makes Nina mad) and the details (the whole story) are on the right page.
January 2, 2012
Malcolm says, "I like being mad."
February 10, 2012
Reminds me of Alexander's terrible horrible day..
March 31, 2012
Nina, a middle child, gets mad when her family members don't listen to her or acknowledge her accomplishments. A great addition to the Toon Books series.
March 31, 2012
The Toon Books are a great addition to the early reader category.
August 19, 2021
03/02/2015
Note: I received a hardcover copy from the publisher about 7 months after I first read & reviewed the book.
Note: I received a hardcover copy from the publisher about 7 months after I first read & reviewed the book.
July 8, 2013
it was a good thing that nina can speak her mind because then if she couldn't the anger would be kept bottled up inside.
April 20, 2015
This book was incredibly illustrated and well written and the only reason I gave it 3 stars is because the things that were happening to Nina were making me angry too.
January 21, 2016
What makes the little girl Nina mad?
November 29, 2016
I really liked this, but it seems like adults would benefit from reading it more than kids since it normalizes child anger and gives adults some ideas of why their kids might be acting out.
February 7, 2017
I loved this book.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 32 reviews