Ice Cube Award by Midge Noble with Interview

Balboa Press (September 7, 2011) 48 pages


I was honored to have the chance recently to read Ice Cube Award: Learning To Be Cool Under Pressure by Midge Noble. I really wish this book was in every single classroom out there! Anger with children just seems to be getting worse these days. I feel like there's so much out there pulling parent's attention away from their children and they just have to grow up too quickly. I think it comes with anger. (Just my little 2 cents)! I benefited from it, though, and I'm 30! :) My little Grasshopper already has some struggles with anger(as does most 3 year olds...I think), so I have no doubt he will benefit from it one day.
If you know of a child struggling with anger, I highly recommend Ice Cube Award.

I'm extremely grateful to Midge for allowing me to do an interview with her! I think her answers are all the convincing you will need to know just how special a book Ice Cube Award is.

-Would you tell us a little bit about Ice Cube Award?

Ice Cube Award is a book for children that focuses on anger management and bullying. In the story, Dani (a female character) has trouble being told no, losing, being teased and when things don't go her way. She lives in Ice Town, and when she gets angry, she gets hot and melts things. She has melted her classroom walls, her sister's crib, the pew at church, the store floor, and when she eventually melts the statue of the mayor, the town has had enough and is ready to ask her family to move. Dani has to learn how to stay cool under pressure, control her thoughts, and manage her feelings.

-I understand a special young man inspired the story. Can you tell us about him and his inspiration?

I worked with a young boy who had a huge anger problem. His rages could be quite explosive and he destroyed my office on more than one occasion. We had worked for a while together and one day I asked him to draw a picture of himself feeling happy and without all the rages he was used to having. He brought me a picture of himself with a goofy grin and a necklace around his neck. When I asked about his drawing, he said that the picture was of himself being happy and that the necklace was an ice cube that kept him cool. The story of the Ice Cube Award popped into my head. I continued to work with him and he began to make progress toward controlling his rages and using specific skills to manage his feelings. Tragically, about two months after that session, he died in a house fire, but I truly believe that he had earned his Ice Cube Award and I dedicated the book to his memory and inspiration.

-Was Ice Cube Award a family project?(Was your daughter the illustrator?) If so, what was that like?

Thank you for asking about the illustrations. Actually, my cousin, Candy Noble Wallace is the illustrator. She lives in Virginia and also illustrated my first book, Sheba: Home Is Where Your Heart Is that focuses on abuse, neglect, trust, and finding your forever home. It has been an honor to work with her on these projects.

-Do you have plans to publish anymore children's books?

I am in the process of writing the sequel to Sheba: Home Is Where Your Heart Is. It is titled, SHEBA, The Tail-wagging Adventure Continues! I feel that the books I write come to me because the stories have purpose and want to be told.

-Can you leave us with some tips to help children deal with their anger?

Know that you are in control of what you think, say, and do.
You are in charge of your feelings, and can stop anger anytime you want to.
Take deep breaths to calm yourself down.
Tell your brain to calm down.
Remind yourself that just because mean things are said about you, that doesn't make it true.


Midge, thank you so much for the lovely interview!!

If you would like to see more about Midge and her books, just go to Midge's Website
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About the author:


Midge Noble is a licensed professional counselor in the state of North Carolina. She received a Master of Arts Degree in Counselor Education and Research from Appalachian State University and has worked in the counseling field since 1985. She has worked as a school counselor, a counselor for terminally ill children and their families, a mental health counselor, and now is serving children and their families in private practice. Noble works extensively with children who have been abused, neglected, bullied, or are the bullies. This is her second children’s book.