Rage Has A Hold On Sammy by Angela Wiggins

I also thought there might be more about what was actually on the pamphlet Sammy was given to help him but wanting to learn what it contained might just be the stimulus to get children to talk to the counselor in the hope they can have their own copy to start to help themselves over come such traumatic circumstances and find ways to control their aggressive behaviour. However, if it encourages parents to ask for such support for their child it will definitely be helpful. I was actually disappointed that the school in the story hadn't automatically helped Sammy by giving him opportunities to talk with the school counselor - or learning mentor as we had in my school. I could imagine using this to help show a child that their grief and situation isn't something that happens only to them and to prompt them to talk about themselves, their feelings and develop strategies to help them. It has clear illustrations to make it easier for children to relate to and would make a good stimulus for discussions with anyone having similar difficulties. It helps demonstrate that hurting others and being angry may actually be symptoms of struggling to cope with grief and loss and makes suggestions that could help them. This is a child friendly book about the very difficult subject of how grief can affect behaviour and attitudes, told through the story of Sammy and his family.

Rage Has A Hold On Sammy by Angela Wiggins