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5 Brave Books on Conquering Your Fears
As a kid, and let’s face it, sometimes as an adult as well, the world can be a scary place. Whether it’s staring down from scary heights, starting at a new school, uncovering what lurks in the dark, or being trapped in small spaces, the world is full of moments that test your mettle.
That’s why this crop of books about conquering your fears is a must-read for any trepidatious youngster (and parent!). These books can help make the most fearful child feel recognized, reassured, and hopefully a little braver to face what’s in the dark, whatever that may be. Or at least know that they’re not alone in hiding under the covers. Here are five great picks with characters who have faced their fears and not run the other way. (Well, maybe there’s a little running!)
Louise Trapeze is Totally 100% Fearless (almost!), by Micol Ostow, illustrated by Brigette Barrager
It’s Birthday Eve, and Louise Trapeze is about to turn 7-years-old, which means that she is old enough to fly on the high trapeze! Sounds great, right? Well, it turns out Louise has one teensy little problem…she’s afraid of heights! Ostow takes Louise up, up, up, swinging by her toes on the death-defying adventure of a lifetime in the first book of this adorable and addictive series. Louise learns to push herself to new heights and that even grown-ups are afraid too (secret’s out!). The book ends with Louise one step closer to being 100% fearless.
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School of Fear, by Gitty Daneshvari
Ever worry that you are the only one who is terrified? Well not at the School of Fear, where everyone has a phobia to confront. Students Madeleine (spiders), Theo (dying), Lulu (confined spaces), and Garrison (deep water) are enrolled for the summer where they are forced to confront their fears, or else… The book is divided into chapters that are each named after a different phobia, which might make readers feel better about their more traditional fears (For instance, did you know that optophobia is the fear of opening one’s eyes, and geliophobia is the fear of laughing? Well now you do! Ha! Boo!) Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind, as the chapter headings also state, is: “Everyone is afraid of something.”
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The Dark, by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen
Lemony Snicket (with the help of wonderfully spooky illustrations from Jon Klassen) explores one of the most common kid fears—the dark—in a unique and empowering way. Laszlo, like many young children, is scared of the dark. How the dark comes out of the basement to confront Laszlo, and becomes another character in the book, brings a fresh take to an old fear.
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Ramona the Brave, by Beverly Cleary
Ramona, Ramona, Ramona! In the third book in this classic series, the ever-precocious and inadvertent troublemaker Ramona Quimby is about to enter first grade. She goes from her lovely kindergarten teacher, Miss Binney, to the scarier Mrs. Griggs, the first grade teacher who Ramona is convinced hates her. Ramona is feeling a little less brave these days. But despite a scary dog and a classroom nemesis, Ramona is ultimately able to triumph and remain our favorite “spunky gal.”
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Wemberly Worried, by Kevin Henkes
For your worried youngster, Wemberly takes worrying to a whole new neurotic level. To the dismay of her family, she worries about “Big things, little things, and things in between.” And once school is about to start, she has a whole new even longer list of worries, which a lot of kids can probably relate to come September (“What if the teacher is mean? What if no one else brings a doll?”) But like most worries, these fears turn out to be unfounded, and Wemberly soon discovers that the best way to get through the panic is to just show up anyway, with a little help from a new friend.
How have books helped your little ones conquer their fears?