Gus Gets Mad is a guided reading book that explores how and why the character gets mad. The intended audience is early readers. I give this guided reading book a 5/5 because every child has experienced a moment where they have been mad. Since the reader has experienced what the character is going through, the reader can have an easier time understanding what is happening in the book. Additionally, ELL students tend to better understand books that they can relate to because they are able to use their past experiences to make connections with the book. The book also shows what the character is doing through a step by step procedure. The step by step procedure helps the reader determine what caused the character to become angry. For instance, if the reader sees a drastic change in the character’s behavior and mood, they can go to the last step and find what caused the character’s behavior to change. The step by step process helps ELL students understand why the character is upset because the steps makes the cause of the character’s feelings more straightforward. ( )

This is a great book to use for a guided reading. Gus Gets Mad is about a rhino named Gus who is playing in the sand. He is having fun digging until he runs out of water to fill the holes he made in the sand. This is what makes Gus mad. I think this is a great book for kids because it can teach them a lot about controlling their anger and emotions in a healthy, mature way. This book also has a text pattern that children will be able to follow with no problem. I give this book a 5/5 stars because I think it is a perfect book for kids to follow along in a guided reading. ( )