Fly Boy is a powerful picture book that provides teachers, parents and children with a story from which to explore how anger can impact on the opportunities to engage with and fully experience the joy and possibilities of life.

Fly Boy’s anger at home and school is shown through simple but vibrant illustrations. He is depicted as being weighed down by two, huge red wings. Exploring the way the wings are shown in each illustration is a fabulous starting point for discussing anger –  how it consumes, burns, weighs down and takes over a person’s very being. Fly Boy is jealous of Thomas, who also has wings – but blue, swirling wings that allow him to fly and to embrace life.

What this book does is present quite a complex set of ideas about how anger can limit us but also does not reach for the easy solution – a hug won’t instantly get rid of deep-seated hurt and pain, but it can help. A person can be supported by others but the story makes it clear that it is Fly Boy who has to understand his own anger, sadness and jealousy before being able to fly.

This is an accessible and beautiful picture book that will support children to begin to understand their feelings of anger and how it might impact on their view of the world.