And My Mean Old Mother Will Be Sorry, Blackboard Bear

I read this story as a child, and I purchased it when I had my own child. I remember a number of times not understanding my mother and father and not knowing how to verbalize my frustrations. This book made me feel better about those strong feelings. I think too much emphasis is put on not expressing negative emotions, but the reality is that it should be perfectly fine for a kid to be angry with a parent. I think this book's message on how to work through the anger is important because often kids don't understand parental motivation. This is not a terrible message about mothers... This is a message about children learning to understand how to appreciate their parents and all the good things they provide, even if -- from time to time -- they are angry with their parents for decisions they make in order to protect them and teach them right and wrong.