If you’ve been following us for a while you’ll know that we are big fans of picture books which take on big emotions and break them down in a way which makes it easy for children to digest. Me And My Fear by Francesca Sanna is one of the best we’ve seen.
The book is about a little girl who has moved to a new country and is starting a new school. She has always lived with fear, who is depicted as a little ghost-like creature who goes everywhere with her – but the prospect of this new school causes her fear to grow so large that it takes up more space than she does. It fills her whole house and stops her from leaving her home. This super-sized fear doesn’t want her to go to school and doesn’t want her to make new friends. As a result the girl is lonely and her experience at her new school is a miserable one.
But then one day a little boy talks to her and together they paint pictures. Fear shrinks a little which means at break time it is easier for them to go out and play. A barking dog just outside of the playground scares the boy and the little girl suddenly realises that he has a fear too. Could it be possible that everyone in her class has a secret fear too?
The simple text and beautiful illustrations mean that Ivy finds this one really fascinating. She thinks Fear is really cute and likes to stroke his face whilst we’re reading the book.
From a parental point of view there are plenty of reasons to add this to your child’s collection – especially if they are due to start school or are going through a big change. The visual representation of fear makes it so easy to explain and I love that it shows how everyone has vulnerabilities, no matter how tough or together they appear on the outside.
When reading it I like to focus on the little boy’s character as I think he teaches a great lesson. Be the child who extends a hand to the new kid and always be accepting of others. His one small act changes the little girl’s perception of school and those around her and makes her finally feel comfortable in her new surroundings. Be the kind one <3
Buy from Bookshop.org and support independent bookshops: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/155/9781911171539
Buy from Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2Nz1JxR
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