?Lily was at a picnic with her father and her little sister, Ruby, but it wasn’t much fun.” So opens the final story in Gail Silver’s celebrated Anh’s Anger trilogy. Ruby was spoiling Lily’s time, making it impossible for her to play her game, and she was mad. But when Lily pushed her sister out of the way, her father comforted Ruby. Lily was confused. Luckily, her father had brought something else on their picnic, a journal his own grandfather had written when he was a boy, in which he wrote about the first time he met his Anger. As Lily and her father turned the sepia pages of the old notebook, they read about Metta, the ancient meditation practice during which you wish happiness, health, safety, and loving kindness for yourself and those people toward whom you are having difficult feelings. With original watercolors by award-winning illustrator Youme Nguyen Ly, Peas, Love, and Understanding helps children acknowledge anger, understand the cause of their anger, and ultimately feel safe expressing themselves and accepting accountability for their actions when appropriate. By learning these skills, children can grow comfortable with them and carry them into adulthood with ease and confidence.
