One tantrum to go, please

With Finn Throws a Fit, I cannot really say how many pieces of this book I did not like. No, I can: the entire book. There is the throwing of a temper tantrum without reason. There is the rudeness of Finn. There are the passive aggressive parents. David Elliott created a book about a child that I cannot find anything that I liked. Well, except at the end, Finn does say please. But that just teaches a child “throw a fit” and you will get what you want later.

I had high hopes for the illustrations. Timothy Basil Ering can create some terribly funny pieces of work. He also is pretty darn funny himself. My autographed copy of The Tale of Despereaux has a mistake with my name (he put a G instead of a J) and found a way to show there are no mistakes, just opportunities to create something different. But here, we have a bald child, odd faced parents, melted colors and some abstract images that lean towards the bizarre.

I guess, Finn and I will not be friends. Yet, I am sure someone will relate to Finn’s cranky day. We all have them. We have all wanted to throw a tantrum. I guess what I was hoping that instead of making a mess, “causing a storm” and being rude, I was hoping for a more constructive outlet. Perhaps talking about it. Coloring. Drawing. Taking a nap. Or if he had to kick things, a place where it is appropriate to kick.