Why Do I Feel Scared?

A First Look At Being Brave

Author: Pat Thomas
Illustrator: Lesley Harker

The world needs brave people, do you think you could be one?

An excellent first experience book which encourages children to develop the skills of courage and bravery in their everyday lives.

Learning to be courageous is an important and powerful step in overcoming fears and resolving moral issues.

This is not something that only hero’s do. Bravery and courage are special gifts we develop, they are choices we make in our hearts.

This insightful and practical book is written especially for preschool and younger school aged kids. The friendly descriptive pictures, show a range of common situations and childhood dilemmas.

A little girl is walking along carrying her skateboard. Two other girls whisper and snigger because they don’t know how to react to this new person. The boy that is standing with them decides to go over to the new girl and then introduces her to the other two girls. He takes charge of the unpleasant situation by being friendly and welcoming.

“Brave people always ask themselves what the right thing to do is and then that is what they do.”

Teaching children positive values gives them the confidence to be true to themselves. It empowers them to say no if they are uncomfortable with something, to tell the truth, to tell a trusted adult about problems and to protect more vulnerable people.

Importantly they learn that it’s okay to be different and not to copy their peers harmful or destructive behaviour so they can fit in or be seen as cool.

It’s good to realise that just because you are brave doesn’t mean you are not scared. A person shows courage when they act in a certain way.

Children are encouraged to explore their feelings. Why do I feel scared? Is it because the thing that seems scary is new, different or difficult? These fears are very real to them and as adults we often forget the courage it takes to do very small things.

Giving children praise helps them to have confidence to discover new experiences.

The beautifully illustrated faces and body language perfectly mirror emotions which children will immediately identify with. Little questions to help stimulate discussion are included at the bottom of some pages.

In an atmosphere of acceptance and respect children learn that it is safe to express their feelings which provides the opportunity for them to explore their fears, eventually out growing or overcoming them.

This gem of a book uses only positive language and has a section at the back to guide parents in its use. It also recommends both resources for parents and other children’s books to explore which reflect courage and bravery.

This children’s picture book is in the ‘First Look At’ series written by psychotherapist and counsellor Pat Thomas.