Terrance the Hothead: New Picture Book From ASHA Press Helps Kids Recognize and Manage Big Feelings

(Rockville, MD) A new picture book from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and from children’s author and speech-language pathologist Lisa Cloherty addresses one of the more challenging aspects of social–emotional development for all children—but particularly for those with speech, language, and social communication disorders: managing big feelings.

Terrance the Hothead is a witty, innovative addition to the children’s literature space, filled with teapot jokes and puns young readers will adore. Terrance the teapot, the book’s main character, is always blowing his lid over small problems. This gets in the way of Terrance’s friendships, schoolwork, and extracurricular activities.

“As a practicing speech-language pathologist, I aimed to create a story that first and foremost is loved by readers, but that also could help them relate to their peers and create meaningful friendships. This is something many of the children I’ve worked with throughout my career have struggled with,” said Cloherty. “Big feelings can be scary and disruptive—and helping little ones learn how to navigate their complex emotions while giving them the respect and space they need is so important. I hope this book will be embraced as a tool for teaching social–emotional concepts that are critical to children’s social and school success, including emotional identification and regulation, abstract language, perspective taking, and friendship building.”

Simmer, Steam, or Boil?

Throughout the story, Terrance’s teacher, speech-language pathologist, and other characters ask Terrance to identify whether he is at “a simmer, a steam, or a boil” as he faces challenging social situations—such as not batting first at “tea-ball,” disagreeing with a friend about which board game to play, and being the subject of unwelcome teapot jokes. Terrance’s journey to name his feelings and use strategies to cool down will help readers learn to express how they feel, understand how others feel, keep calm, and build friendships.

Bonus Features

In addition to telling a fun, original story, the beautifully illustrated book includes supplemental materials such as key terms, emotions practice, a parent/educator worksheet, social and emotional milestones, and educational prompts. It’s a must-have for speech-language pathologists, parents, caregivers, and educators to teach kids about how to handle emotions when things don’t go their way.

The book, a product of ASHA’s publishing arm—ASHA Press—is intended for children ages 4–7 years (grades pre-K to 2). It can be purchased from ASHA’s website or through Amazon.

About the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
ASHA is the national professional, scientific, and credentialing association for 223,000 members and affiliates who are audiologists; speech-language pathologists; speech, language, and hearing scientists; audiology and speech-language pathology support personnel; and students. Audiologists specialize in preventing and assessing hearing and balance disorders as well as providing audiologic treatment, including hearing aids. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) identify, assess, and treat speech, language, and swallowing disorders.