My Mouth Is a Volcano: A Picture Book About Interrupting

A kid's book can only be perfect when its creators can aptly budget for the time and staff that a perfectionist level of detail requires. A lot of classics that seemed beyond perfect at the time are different in a new era, much less a few eras later. A story like The Lion King, which seems immortal in the canon of kids entertainment, with a reboot and everything, is not ideal as a kids' book for my 3yo son. I read The Lion King to him because it is a masterpiece, but I read it fast in hopes he doesn't ask me about death yet, or have nightmares about vicious animals killing each other (the night I read him two shark books back-to-back he woke up screaming). I read this Volcano Mouth story more slowly, because it teaches a more fundamental lesson that comes across more clearly and is more useful to me as a dad of a rude little dude who I think could be sweet more often. Disney shows present morality as a dicotimy, whereby always leaving the door open for glorification of villainy. So, books with lessons about social skills have become of extreme importance to me. This Volcano book features an art style that is less polished than other books out now that utilise the "naive hand" art style (sort of, making it like a kid's drawing style). The more eye-popping and award-winning hand-made art styles in books like "The Color Monster," "Daniel's Good Day," and "Little Taco Truck" still have to meet the writing halfway or the art will be left doing all the heavy lifting. Sometimes you get a book beutiful enough to make you overlook the story being a mess. The story in this Volcano book is not a mess at all. If the writing in a kid's book doesn't pack the right learning punch, then my son will have to request it specifically before I would naturally pick that book myself. Books like "Max and the Tag-Along Moon," or "I Just Want To Say Goodnight" are incredible works both visually and in the very charming and somewhat nuanced writing, but the stories don't really teach anything in their stories themselves. They rely on lessons that are more visual by featuring diverse ethnicities without a moral message being clear in the story itself. "My Mouth Is A Volcano," is about being considerate of others. This single detail is why I will read this to my son as many nights as possible. The roughness of the art has plenty of charm, with the sing-song repetition of the little phrase the kid says to preempt each outburst. That rhythmic design is the quality that makes the book most fun to read. My only qualm there is that the rhythmic quality somewhat steals attention from the message and is a little confusing if taken too literally. Will my son experience this in his life in a way that he will recognize from this book? I could picture this being nice for grandparents to read to grandkids. It is light in tone and physical weight, but it has big pictures and large fonts in high contrast. I am very analytical about my take on kids' books, because I myself am a writer trying to break through to this genre. This book meets any reasonable expectations for a kid's book written in 2006, but you never know if a book like this will stick around or go largely overlooked. I vote it sticks around, so I give it four stars.

I read this to my 6 year old to help reinforce his own personal awareness with topics that he struggles with or to help prevent a struggle due to his ADHD. Being aware of what we need to work on is the first step to making changes and hopefully by doing this we can prevent our children from future frustrations and disappointments within themselves. It is easier to mold them into respectful, responsible children at a younger age than it will be to break bad habits later on in life. With that said this book is one of many that we read as our "self help" kinda books. Every night I choose 1 book to add to the mix of his own book choices, depending on what I am trying to make him aware of and teach him coping skills in regards to things he struggled with that day or week. I hope this list is helpful. I know I always LOVE finding someone’s review that lists more great books on these kind of topics as I am always looking for more resources! This is a list of a few of my personal favorites age range about 4-8 Helping kids about making good choices: • That Rule Doesn't Apply to Me! (Responsible Me!) • But It's Not My Fault! (Responsible Me!) • What Were You Thinking? Learning to Control Your Impulses (Executive Function) • My Mouth Is a Volcano! (talking over/interrupting people) • What If Everybody Did That? (environmental awareness) • LarryBoy and the Foolish Fig from Faraway (making good choices when friends aren’t) • The Berenstain Bears Show Some Respect (talking nice to others) • The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Chores • Squirmy Wormy: How I Learned to Help Myself (more autism focused) • God, I Need to Talk to You about…. Series (very short and to the point! from child’s point of view) Lying, Bad Manners, Whining, Laziness, Sharing, Stealing, My Bad Temper, Paying Attention, Hurting Others, Disrespect, Greed, vandalism, bad words, being a bad sport, video games, bullying, cheating, homework, healthy eating. Helping kids handle their anger: • Mad Isn't Bad: A Child's Book about Anger (Elf-Help Books for Kids) • I Just Don't Like the Sound of No! My Story About Accepting No for an Answer and Disagreeing the Right Way! (Best Me I Can Be) (WE LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!) • Angry Octopus: An Anger Management Story Helping Kids keep themselves safe: In all reality we aren’t always around to keep our kids safe, but we can give them the tools they need to handle themselves if a situation arises. • A Little Book About Safety (teaches kids exactly what to do in case they get lost) (WE LOVE THIS BOOK!! Perfect for 3-5yr olds, special needs children, ALL CHILDREN) Please read these books before reading them to your child ensure they are age/maturity level appropriate. I chose just a few pages here or there when my son was 4 as a preventative measure. • An Exceptional Children's Guide to Touch: Teaching Social and Physical Boundaries to Kids (Good book to help discuss a difficult topic! I have passed this book around to many friends! Awareness is key to Prevention) • I Said No! A kid-to-kid guide to keeping your private parts private • My Body Belongs to Me Helping kids Learn about God and teaching good Morals to live by (VeggieTales) • Every Day with God: 365 Daily Devos for Boys • Growing Day by Day: 365 Daily Devos for Boys Helping Kids learn responsibility with money: • Junior's Adventures: the Boxed Set • The Berenstain Bears' Dollars and Sense • Financial Peace Junior Parent books: I have read over 30 books and these are the ones I liked • Raising Boys With ADHD: Secrets for Parenting Healthy, Happy Sons (LOVE this book, great resources. I have been using it for 3 years now. It is categorized by age and the challenges that come with that age) • Parenting Children with ADHD: 10 Lessons That Medicine Cannot Teach (APA Lifetools) • Smart Money Smart Kids: Raising the Next Generation to Win with Money • Driven to distraction • The strong willed child • Parenting isn’t for cowards (I just started reading but seem good so far)

As a parent of a talkative 5-year-old, "My Mouth Is A Volcano" by Julia Cook has been a wonderful addition to our family's reading collection. This book addresses the all-too-common issue of interrupting in a way that is humorous, insightful, and deeply relatable to children. The metaphor of a 'mouth volcano' erupting with words captures the essence of what it feels like for children when they have something urgent to say. This visual analogy not only resonated with my daughter but also made her giggle, ensuring the message was delivered in an engaging manner. While the topic could easily become preachy, the author approaches it with empathy and understanding. The characters are lovable and flawed, just like real kids, making it easy for young readers to see themselves in the story. One aspect I particularly appreciate is the inclusion of practical strategies for kids to "hold their eruptions." It turns a fun story into a valuable lesson on self-control and social skills, giving children the tools they need to navigate social situations more respectfully. "My Mouth Is A Volcano" is not just a book but a teaching tool. It’s a story we revisit often, especially when the little 'volcanoes' in our house start to rumble. If you're looking to impart the art of thoughtful communication to your child, this book is a must-read. A perfect blend of humor, heart, and life lessons—highly recommended!

Great

Love this book to read to my students. The kids love it and repeat it all the time. Remind each other to NOT BE A VOLCANO MOUTH!! This book does its job!! Highly recommend 👌

I bought this and for my classroom of older students who were very disrespectful and started reading it putting in their names as I was reading they began to giggle and then realized how serious their actions were affecting the whole class big game changer

All as expected. Very nice book

Enjoyed this book with my daughters. It gives useful insights and simple language to help remind kids not to 'erupt'.

My boys (aged 2 and 4) and me love it! Mama, not so much ... But I really appreciate how it frames teaching kids empathy and a little bit of manners (don't "erupt" when others are talking) I'm not sure about the quality of the binding/paper. But then again, the books we love don't survive long here, anyway.

Excellent book for helping children control impulses, the quality of the actual book is a little disappointing.

I was a bit worried after another reviewer said that the boy is punished in a way she never would punish her child. The boy is sent to his room for repeatedly interrupting his family while they were talking. I agree that sending him to his room was a bit harsh for interrupting, but the book points out some important things, like how the main character feels when he is interrupted. It also encourages him to view things from other people’s point of view. He isn’t the only one with these feelings, and while he can’t do anything about his classmates interrupting, he learns a way to control his own words. I find this a useful book to help teach manners and start conversations on empathy.

Es para niños mayores. Mi hijo tiene 3 años, así que ni se la he leído, la he devuelto. Probablemente perfecta para 5-6 años. Realmente me pareció que se le sacaría muy poco juego, pero si tienes un hijo que interrumpe mucho las conversaciones puede ser una buena herramienta.

L'ho regalato a mia sorella che fa l'insegnante alle elementari. Era da tempo che voleva leggere libri di questa autrice in quanto, secondo il suo parere, oltre ad essere ben fatti, non se ne trovano di questo tipo in Italia. Prima di darglielo, l'ho letto. Effettivamente ha ragione. Semplice, diretto ed efficace. Ricordo che è scritto in inglese e che si legge anche insieme ai piccoli "da educare".