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The Red Beast emotional regulation strategies, understand anger, emotion recognition

The Red Beast

(9781839972751)

Written by K.i. Al-Ghani

Illustrated by Haitham Al-Ghani

Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Theme/topic: Emotion recognition and Emotional regulation

This powerful story helps children understand and manage anger through the metaphor of a ‘red beast’ that awakens when feelings become overwhelming. The book offers a safe and engaging way for students to explore what anger looks and feels like in the body (AC9HPFP03 – Foundation Year, Health and Physical Education), using clear language to describe both the emotional and physical signs of big feelings.

As the main character learns how to calm the red beast, readers are introduced to strategies for emotional regulation (AC9HP2P03 – Years 1 and 2, Health and Physical Education). The narrative also opens up conversations about how certain behaviours and language can cause hurt and harm to others (AC9HPFP02, AC9HP2P02 – Foundation to Year 2, Health and Physical Education). Through reflection and discussion, children are encouraged to build empathy and make respectful choices in how they express emotions.

The Red Beast is an essential resource for supporting social-emotional learning in early years classrooms, offering practical tools to help children recognise, name, and regulate big emotions in themselves and others.

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Curriculum Alignment:

  • These AC codes are suggested purely based on the book’s content and are provided for reference only.

AC9HP2P02 9.0 (Health and Physical Education Year 1,Year 2): Identify and explore skills and strategies to develop respectful relationships

• identifying characters in texts who demonstrate respect and cooperation to develop respectful relationships
• identifying characters in texts who demonstrate respect for different types of families and carers, including those of different cultures, abilities or compositions
• demonstrating appropriate language (including verbal, non-verbal, body language and gestures) when encouraging and including others in physical activities, when completing movement tasks or practising for performance
• discussing strategies we can use to show respect to First Nations Australians and acknowledge difference using appropriate language
• describing behaviours that may cause hurt or harm to others, or cause them to feel disrespected, including verbal and physical forms of bullying

AC9HP2P03 9.0 (Health and Physical Education Year 1,Year 2): Identify how different situations influence emotional responses

• recognising own emotions and demonstrating ways to manage how they express their emotions in different situations
• exploring self-regulation strategies to manage emotional responses
• identifying situations that may trigger strong emotional responses in themselves and others, and recognising the impact the responses can have on others
• identifying how someone might feel, think and act during an emergency through role-play and imaginative play
• predicting how a person or character might be feeling based on the words they use, their facial expressions and body language
• recognising how self and others are feeling in a range of situations

AC9HPFP02 9.0 (Health and Physical Education Foundation): Practise personal and social skills to interact respectfully with others

• explaining their reasons and actions in response to challenging situations in shared play experiences
• identifying characters in texts who have been excluded from a group, exploring why they have been excluded and discussing how other characters could have been more inclusive
• cooperating, collaborating and negotiating with others when participating in physical activities to achieve agreed outcomes
• identifying behaviours that may be disrespectful and cause hurt or harm to others during play

AC9HPFP03 9.0 (Health and Physical Education Foundation): Express and describe emotions they experience

• identifying and describing the emotions of people who are happy, sad, excited, tired, angry, scared or confused
• learning and using appropriate language and actions to communicate their feelings in different situations
• recalling and sharing emotional responses to different situations and representing these in a variety of ways
• reading and viewing stories about adventures, and talking about how characters feel and react when taking risks or responding to emergencies
• talking about connections between feelings, body reactions and body language
• expressing a variety of emotions, thoughts and views in a range of situations

The Red Beast by K.I. Al-Ghani is a powerful picture book that helps children recognise and regulate big emotions through an accessible and memorable metaphor. Centred on a child’s experience with anger, it provides rich opportunities to support emotional development and respectful relationships in the classroom.

Health and Physical Education

  • AC9HPFP02 & AC9HP2P02: This book directly supports students to identify behaviours that cause hurt or harm to others and reflect on how their actions affect relationships. When Rufus becomes overwhelmed by the Red Beast, he lashes out—hitting a friend and shouting hurtful words like “I hate you. I’m gonna get you.” Teachers can use these moments to discuss what respectful relationships look like, how language and actions can impact others, and what it means to repair relationships. The story ends with Rufus calming down and apologising, demonstrating how making amends can restore connection.
  • AC9HPFP03: Through vivid language and imagery, The Red Beast helps students describe what it feels like to be angry and recognise how emotions affect the body. The growing mouth, shrinking ears, and blurry eyes paint a clear picture of what happens during an emotional outburst. This encourages students to understand the physical signs of anger and begin identifying their own emotional responses. It opens the door for rich conversations about how the body reacts during big feelings.
  • AC9HP2P03: As Rufus learns to calm his Red Beast, students are introduced to strategies for managing strong emotions. Techniques like breathing while counting, drinking water, and popping bubble wrap are not only age-appropriate but also easy for students to practise themselves. This supports learning around emotional regulation strategies, helping children build a toolbox for managing anger safely. Teachers can extend the learning by helping students identify which strategies work for them and when they might use them during the day.

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