Interview with Lisa Cloherty, Author of Terrance The Hothead
Terrance The Hothead, A Book to Help Children Manage Big Feelings
Terrance The Hothead written by Lisa Cloherty and illustrated by Alex Lopez is a story about big feelings and emotional regulation. Terrance the Hothead has big feelings and feels overwhelmed with big emotions each time a problem arises. He starts with a simmer, steam, and then explodes! How can he regulate his emotions better so he can begin to develop friendships with others? Terrance learns some key strategies from Coach Ice and Lady Grey throughout the book to help keep him more regulated. This picture book helps give children the language to talk about big feelings and how to cope with them.
I love the illustrations in the book and how the main character navigates his feelings throughout the story. I also love the language of simmer, steam, and boil. Giving children some concrete ways of talking about their emotions help them learn to talk and regulate their big feelings. Listen to our podcast above to learn more about emotional regulation!
Terrance The Hothead also helps children understand abstract language (such as idioms) and humor. In the back of the book (e.g. “back matter”), there is an introduction, key terms (such as emotional identification, perspective-taking, emotional regulation), questions, emotions practice, and a worksheet. Also included are social-emotional milestones from 18 months to 7 years old, which can be helpful for parents, educators, and therapists.
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Lisa Cloherty
Lisa is an author of children’s books and a pediatric speech-language pathologist. Her debut picture book, Katie Spector the Art Collector was released in September 2021 with Charming Books Press. Terrance the Hothead is being released on March 7th by ASHA Press.
Lisa attended the University of Maryland and later pursued her Masters of Science at Northeastern University. She has worked as a pediatric speech-language pathologist for over a decade. In addition to her work in her private practice, Gift of Gab, Lisa is an adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University. She loves watching her students of all ages learn, grow and build their confidence.
To learn more about Lisa, visit her website here.
