Barbara Throws A Wobbler

Gabi's Review

Attention parents of toddlers, or grandparents looking after toddlers. There's nothing quite like spending time with those amusing miniature beings: they exude all the charm of a wind-up toy one moment, then coin flip to an alarming version of a red-alert psychotic meltdown.  In the light of the latter experience in particular, there's nothing like reading a story together, especially one designed to make you laugh your head off. Imagine a story that simultaneously shows the child how they can create and just as importantly, can control their moods. Nadia Shireen’s book shows you that Barbara the kitten learning self-possession can be easy, as well as way more fun than being in the grip of a bad mood.

Barbara is an exuberant kitten navigating the roller-coaster ride of emotional regulation. As Shireen deftly puts it: “Barbara was in a VERY bad mood. I am NOT! she said (but she was).” In the morning there was a sock problem, then there was a strange pea at lunchtime! When her ice-cream had the audacity to leap from its cone to the floor, Barbara is undone. In a spectacular short circuiting of her neural signals, Barbara has a crunchplosion that erupts into a WOBBLER! The thing is: the wobbler manifests as a real thing; it hovers over her like an angry cloud of jelly.

In a wonderfully rationalised journey of empowerment and self-realisation, Barbara learns how to make the Wobbler go away. Additionally, there is a highly entertaining guide at the back of the book on how to deal with bad moods. Emotional education around self-awareness and empowerment could be a red flag for preachy or prosaic writing but trust me: this book is an absolute delight for everyone, as all the best books are and should be.

Publisher's Review 

A board book edition of this bestselling laugh-out-loud picture book.

"Shireen's latest gem ought to come on prescription" - The Observer's Best Children's Books of 2021.

Barbara is having one of those days. She has a sock problem and there's a strange pea. Then, all of a sudden, Barbara's Wobbler is out of control!

But what happens when a bad mood like this comes along? Barbara has a lot to learn about the ways of wobblers in this laugh-out-loud story from Nadia Shireen.

A brilliantly funny and sensitive way to understand and deal with tantrums.

"These are the most brilliant, beautiful and silly picture-books out there at the moment. Little doorways of joy." - Caitlin Moran