When You're Scared

by Andrée Poulin, Joffre Véronique (Illustrator)

Overview

It’s a bright and beautiful day at the lake where a boy and his mother are camping. The boy is just a little scared of jumping into the water. At the same time, not too far away, a hungry bear cub is a little scared of diving deep into a dumpster, where tasty snacks await.



Later, when the boy encounters a distraught mama bear sniffing around the dumpster, he’s very scared. But so is her bear cub, who is trapped inside! Bold, graphic artwork moves the narrative along in this mostly-wordless book full of sound effects and simple variations on a single phrase full of so many meanings (“He was scared”). Parallel stories of the mother and son, and mama and cub, come together when the campers, despite being scared, help rescue the cub from the dumpster.



This simple, moving story invites readers to observe expressions, body language, and details hidden in the illustrations to follow the narrative. It’s a sweet summer read that normalizes fear and encourages acting with courage and compassion—even when you’re scared.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771473651
Publisher:	Owlkids Books
Publication date:	03/15/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.25(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Andrée Poulin has written over 30 picture books, many of which have won or been nominated for prizes. As a journalist, she was passionate about telling true stories. Now an author, she delights in inventing them. She has published picture books, early readers, and middle grade fiction, as well as two YA novels. She lives in Gatineau, Quebec.

Véronique Joffre is a French illustrator based in London. She studied illustration and graduated from École Estienne in Paris and École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg.

Editorial Reviews

12/24/2018

Poulin parallels the experiences of a shaggy-haired child with that of a bear cub in this touching story. The boy is “a little scared” to leap from a branch into a body of water; meanwhile, the cub prepares to jump into a food-filled dumpster, feeling the same way. Both the cub and boy become “very scared”—the boy, off to throw out his campsite’s garbage, encounters the cub’s mother, and the cub can’t get out of the bin. Poulin’s collage-style art has a crisp, retro look: the campers’ truck sports long rainbow stripes, the family owns an old-school wireless radio. The boy and his mother find an innovative solution to the cub’s predicament, and final spreads show the two roasting marshmallows while the cub and mother bear are together in the safety of the darkness: “They’re no longer scared.” Ages 3–7. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"This picture book...makes the great outdoors a little less scary."

The Globe and Mail

A most enjoyable read. The details…will delight little ones who like to anticipate what might happen next.

Sal’s Fiction Addiction

03/01/2019

PreS-Gr 1—An outdoors jaunt in the vein of Blueberries for Sal. A boy and his mother are car camping in the woods. Once their tent is set up, the two enjoy nature. The boy is scared to jump into the lake. Meanwhile, a bear cub is afraid to jump into a campground dumpster to rummage for food. They both make the leap. When the boy takes trash to the dumpster, the anxious mama bear is there to help her cub who is stuck in the dumpster. The campers devise a plan to stick a log into the dumpster for the cub to crawl out. The plan works. The premise throughout the book is that both sets of mother and child push past their fear and succeed at the task at hand. The artistry of Joffre's cut and painted paper collage illustrations gives the book some distinction. Textures, bright colors, details, and creative attention to perspective provide readers something interesting to see with every turn of the page. The prose, while very spare, can read as an unnecessary addition. VERDICT Relevant issues, such as emotional resilience, good stewardship, and challenging oneself, together with the thoughtful illustrations, make this a worthy purchase for libraries.—Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

School Library Journal

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