Hello, friends! Our book today is Little Dinos Don’t Hit, written by Michael Dahl and illustrated by Adam Record, one of a four-part series of board books to help little ones control their tempers.

Little dinos have lots of energy! But sometimes, that energy can be angry or upset. And when it is, it’s important to remember not to use that energy to hit others. Instead, try to channel it into helping. Little sister is crying because she knocked down her block tower? Don’t hit, help instead – rebuild the tower together! Little brother upset about his broken bicycle? Don’t hit, help! You two can figure out how to fix it, and then you can go for a ride! The most important thing to remember is that little dinos should not use their energy to hit – not when they can be such excellent helpers.

Sweet and, well, helpful. The author-illustrator pair’s Little Dinos series aims to help younger readers with explosive emotional reactions (other titles deal with yelling, biting, and pushing), which is something that all little bookworms and their caregivers have to deal with at some point. The barebones text and brightly colored illustrations of this story get the message across well: hands are much better put to use helping than hitting. I wish there had been a little more suggestion or instruction on how to calm gut reactions that might cause kids to lash out, such as taking a deep breath or counting to five, but the simplicity of the book works to its advantage in other ways, notably that it is easy enough for early readers to pick up and memorize. The characters are extremely cute, and JJ loved them. This would be a great way to introduce a little anger management for the youngest bookworms, and we recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!