Barbara Throws a Wobbler

by Nadia Shireen

First she has a sock problem, and then there’s a strange pea . . . All of a sudden, her Wobbler is out of control! What can Barbara do on a day like today?

A hilarious story of one big bad mood – and how to make it go away. It’s a funny, sensitive and helpful way to understand and deal with tantrums for both parents and children.

Genres: Picture Books, Emotion, Childrens, Fiction, Mental Health, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Nadia was always destined for a career in illustration—as a child, she would doodle on her exercise books, while as a student she would doodle on her law degree notes. Then, when working as a journalist in London for pop music bible Smash Hits, she would doodle all the time on anything. The good people at Smash Hits didn’t fire her for doodling furry animals - instead they let her leave early to go to evening classes in illustration.

This was followed by a MA at the prestigious Anglia Ruskin University. Drawing and writing for a living is very much Nadia’s dream come true and we expect great things from this promising new author and illustrator.

source: http://www.carolinesheldon.co.uk/illu...

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genius. Completely won over by Barbara herself and the shocked look on her all playmates as she proceeds to 'blow'. Conversations with my 6-year-old had me in stitches so some informed bias may have crept in. Needless to say, a welcome and funny space to talk about feelings/moods.

[Nick Swarbrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comic and yet clear-sighted, this feels like a must-have for many Early Years classrooms. Barbara is a small cat with big eyes and a very expressive mouth. Her day has some problems, but at least it’s a nice day in the park - until things go wrong there too, and she throws a WOBBLER. How she learns about moods from her wobbler is the second part of the book - honest and well-paced, with a field guide to bad moods at the back, together with a timely reminder that bad things happen to everyone.
Barbara’s expressions are priceless; the wobbler isn’t something to be combatted so much as named and understood; the way her friends accept her is celebratory.
Loved it. Bought two copies and I know where they’re going.

[Dana Lovell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book, with lovely illustrations that shows how stress can grow and become overwhelming.
This would be a good book to use with children in PSHE. I can see this being used across a variety of year groups in order to spark a discussion.

[Ché Constable · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! The illustrations within this book are so mesmerising and the differentiation between the ‘wobblers’ size and colouring is so special and could really be explored with children. Overall a perfect book to help children identify and speak about emotions/feelings comfortably - cannot wait to use this in schools!

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

very emotional

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book is written and illustrated by Nadia Shireen. Barbara is a cute cat who is having a bad day, things just keep going wrong, she has problems with a sock, a pea, and cracked pavement. She ends up being in the middle of a massive wobbler! It's all very upsetting, and Barbara struggles to communicate with her friends, until Barbara realises she might be able to control the wobbler herself, and feel better.
This is an entertaining and very cute story, which introduces young children to dealing with unhappy, unsettling feelings, the main one being the wobbler, but the back of the book does also feature, the sulk, the tizzy, the seethe, the huff, and the grump too, with their own little illustrated characters and descriptions.
It shows that a day like this could happen to anyone, and that things can still all be ok in the end. Bold, bright cute illustrations that I think young children will love, as long as they don't find the big wobbler scary!

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

One that both parents and children will appreciate!

Barbara isn’t having a great day as little things not going right build up into a big wobbler. It’s particularly lovely at the end where other children are having similar wobblers in the playground as they’ve fallen off a swing, etc., and a little Who’s Who with the sulk, the grump, etc, line-up.

Explores coping with and understanding difficult emotions with sensitivity and humour. tackling your own emotions, how it may outwardly appear as well as the reality: everyone has a wobbler from time to time!

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Free Dictionary tells me that to throw a wobbler means "to suddenly become very upset or intensely angry and make a big display of it. Primarily heard in UK, Australia."

Lovely book about emotions and how to manage them. At one time or another, we have all thrown a wobbler. There's one really remarkable idea that the book explores: Sometimes, when you are in the middle of a negative emotion, you start to think that you will be feeling that emotion and no other emotions for the rest of your life—but that isn't true. I think there are lots of kids and adults who don't understand this and would really benefit from the information.

[Lottie Botterill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and the illustrations. It's a great book to maybe use in a PSHE lesson, talking to children about their emotions. I especially like the last page where it shows you different characters which children could use in a class to identify how they are feeling.

[Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Library Date ♡

[Emma M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara is in a bad mood (sock issues and a problem pea) and doesn't feel like playing. It all gets a bit much and she throws a wobbler - which was suddenly actually there, hovering above her head. She realises that she made the wobbler - and if she made it, she can also un-make it. It ends with the possibility that she might not have been the only person having a bad day.

This is aimed at younger readers, probably EYFS. The illustrations are brightly coloured, and the amorphous blob of a wobbler has an expressive face, to reflect Barbara's emotions. I think that most children will be able to relate to how Barbara is feeling during the story.

[Siobhan Mulholland-Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara is very familiar. In fact, there is a ‘Barbara’ in my home right now, my nearly 6 year-old daughter.

Barbara cannot regulate her mood and EVERYTHING is getting on her tiny nerves.

Barbara can’t hold it together. And that’s fine. Really.

Like many little people, Barbara doesn't really know what a wobbler is, why it’s looming or how to control it.

But thanks to Nadia Shireen, who has hilariously normalised a wobbler, we can now all help the ‘Barbara’s’ in our lives and classes SQUISH theirs and encourage a healthy understanding of emotions, feelings and acceptance.

Ideal for the year 1 and 2s who are still learning how to become emotionally and behaviourally ready to learn and sometimes rock-up with a stonking wobbler or other looming mood from Shireen’s useful guide.

Thankfully Nadia Shireen isn’t giving us a ‘fix’ for wobblers, she is giving children a way to manage them when they appear - poor Barbara looks like she has a few more lurking wobblers to deal with going forward, just like every little Barbara out there.

Fun, silly, relatable, made my kids laugh and we now say ‘wobbler’ rather than ‘cross’ because they are still finding it funny! Will definitely be holding on to this one.

[Nadia Raza]

One of my favourite ways to introduce abstract feelings to children is through a visual, monster-like character, and this book does that brilliantly. At the end of the book there are images of many different bad moods, and a brief description of how they may be characterised. I think this is a very useful tool for children who may need help identifying their emotions.

[Carly Marsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book which shows Barbara self regulating and pushing her wobbler away!
This picture book shows how events can pile up on top of one another and cause someone to throw a wobbler. I loved that the wobbler talked Barbara through steps to calm down, which eventually led her to being able to play with her friends.
A great book depicting emotions such as frustration, anger and rage.

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book about a cat who becomes progressively stressed, refuses comfort from friends, lets it out, and feels better. Includes a very British guide to meltdowns, but few actionable steps. Perhaps good for normalizing stress in kids?

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun, kid-friendly way to introduce gnarly emotions and their negative effects on the physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being of children, which are depicted as kittens, puppies, and bunnies. Vibrant illustrations of Barbara’s moods, especially the onset of the Wobbler, add to the effectiveness of the message. The glossary of emotions is hilarious!

[Ed Ellis-Cooper]

Useful book to use in PSHE to discuss emotions, a bad day, feeling upset/angry, how friends can help. Can be quite critical on how Barbra deals with emotions, what are the good things to do, what else could have happened? Can be used in different ways across all year groups.

[Children's Literature Centre at FSU · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara is having a bad day and develops a wobbler. A wobbler is a bad mood that was making Barbara not want to play or talk with her friends. A great book to help children deal with their feelings of frustration or anger.

[Emma Chan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great narrative book which could be useful for talking to young children about difficult emotions. Nice messaging - describes feelings of anger, frustration and being overwhelmed (a ‘wobbler’) in a way which doesn’t minimise them. Also explores ideas of emotional regulation.

[Jacaranda21 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh dear! Barbara isn’t having a good day with too many things not quite going to plan. And she’s not just a little upset about it - she throws a wobbler. A lovely picture book where Barbara learns from her wobbler how to come back from that ‘place’.
Lovely bright illustrations.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a precious little book.

A gift for my niece who I am sure will adore it.

A good life lesson for all about throwing a wobbler.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't wait to read this to my primary school groups!

Signed...
Quite Partial to a Seethe.

[Tompkins County Public Library Youth Services]

Excellent book about feelings. I loved the Bad Moods Guide in the back, that includes "The Sulk," "The Tizzy," "The Seethe," "The Huff," "The Grump," and "The Wobbler." Accurate!

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read aloud about dealing with a very bad day.

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQYGz...

[Afzan Rahman Wyllie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! My five year old likes the fact that a cat is on the cover. She likes ‘The Seethe’ because the eyes are funny, and she wants to make her own story out of it.

[Phoebe Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Themes
- being in control of your emotions
- normalising experiencing strong feelings

[Chelsea Bird]

I enjoyed this book, it was very honest about different emotions we may feel. A positive way to talk about and express negative emotions that we all experience as human beings.

[NinaH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and relatable

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Themes: temper tantrum