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CM . . .
. Volume XXII Number 10. . . .November 6, 2015
excerpt:
Thus begins the endearing The Little Book of Big Fears, written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo. While basically an alphabet book (the child characters are introduced alphabetically), there are only 16 of them. 10 letters are intentionally left out (they spell �GUTSY� and �BRAVE�, explained at the end of the book), with the thought that they will help children face their own fears.
With such a wide range of fears depicted in a light-hearted way, young readers can laugh and perhaps even realize that they are not alone in being afraid of something. Overall, The Little Book of Big Fears is enjoyable and can generate conversation easily about fears big and small since virtually everyone (big and small) has something that they are afraid of. Highly Recommended. Karyn Miehl, a mother of two and a secondary school English teacher, lives in Kingsville, ON.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca. Copyright � the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.
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- November 6, 2015. |
While presenting childhood fears, this book isn�t scary in the least. Each fear is presented with a bit of silliness (ex. the �legumes� depicted as running around on the table, and the raccoons wearing tied-on masks, like bandits) so that kids will not be scared while reading it. In reading this book with my five-year old, she enjoyed the illustrations and in pointing out fears that she has (or has overcome) that appear in the book. Additional common fears shown in this book are: birds, monsters under the bed, the basement, snakes, the dark, dogs, getting an inoculation shot, and people (for kids who are shy).