• Reading age: 3 to 18

“Dealing with Feelings” picture books deal with difficult emotions in comic and comforting ways. The books provide tools to stop anger and anxiety from escalating out of control. The books are written for children in kindergarten through grade 3 to be enjoyed with parents, teachers, and other caregivers. The plot of each book involves a parent and a mischievous “monster” (an external projection of the child character’s emotions) who happily hinders and then helps the child - with their anger in Grappling with the Grumblies and their anxiety in Juggling the Jitters. GRAPPLING WITH THE GRUMBLIES Turn angry battles into joyful play Synopsis: “Grump!” said the Grumblie, and the Grumblie grew. When Jessie went to bed, everything was great. But when Jessie woke up, everything was GRUMPY! That’s when the Grumblie appeared and all the trouble started! You try getting ready for school with a great big Grumblie in your way and getting bigger and Bigger! With every angry word and action, the Grumblie grows until there is no room left for Jessie. Finally, with Mom’s help, Jessie wiggles and giggles those Grumblies away.

Deborah Fannie Miller's profile page

Deborah Fannie Miller is a poet, singer, actor and children’s book author who lives in Calgary, Alberta. Miller’s poetry has been showcased on CBC Radio, The Women’s Television Network, and Vision TV. She has been widely published in literary journals throughout Canada and is in two anthologies: Tributes in Verse and Writing the Terrain: Travelling through Alberta with the Poets. She has had three collections of poetry published. Her first, I Will Burn Candles, was published by Bayeux Arts in 1995, as was her second, Grandmother’s Radio, in 2002, co-authored by Susanne Heinz. Vision TV produced Two Worlds Apart? a frequently repeated short film about Grandmother’s Radio. Her third collection, Landing at Night, came out in 2008, and her first children’s book, Grappling with the Grumblies, came out in April 2009. In March 2011, Grappling with the Grumblies won “The Steffie Young Readers Choice Award.” Juggling the Jitters comes out in the fall of 2013. Miller is a trained actor and singer with a BFA in Drama from Scripps College in California. She has done post graduate work at the Goodman Theatre School in Chicago, and is a graduate of both the Opera and Music Theatre Programs at the Banff School of Fine Arts.