Tag coping with your fears

I Could Be Eaten By a Shark

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I Could Be Eaten By a Shark
Marcela Ferreira and Mark Chambers
Oxford Children’s Books

One day when on the beach with his grandfather, Louie sees a shark, albeit only a small one, and refuses to go back in the water. So instead his grandpa takes him to a variety of other watery places – the lake and swimming pools but they too cause the boy to see sharks. As do even paddling pools and bubble baths, indeed anywhere where there’s water. How can this problem be sorted out?

Grandpa (‘who is very wise)’ takes Louie to the library to learn about sharks. Having discovered that shark attacks are rare and been surprised to read of a shark that’s smaller than a human hand, Louie remains cautious, refusing to go right up close to relevant book. Moreover he sees potential sharks lurking in places everywhere, even the loo.

Now, rather than telling his grandson not to worry, Grandpa says something else, for he knows how Louie feels as he too was terrified of a large creature and convinced it would eat him. Maybe through ‘time – and hard work’ Louie, like his Grandpa, could learnt to live with his fear and keep it under his control. That way he wouldn’t miss out on the wealth of opportunities life has to offer …

Cleverly interweaving basic shark facts into the narrative, Marcela Ferreira offers a story that demonstrates how one’s fears can be embraced and made manageable: in tandem with Mark Chambers’ witty scenes full of amusing details, this is a book that offers reassurance and lots of discussion possibilities, especially for anxious little ones.

Cheeky Worries

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Cheeky Worries
Patrick Davey and Anna Smith, illustrated by Anne Wilson
Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Finn is just like other boys, fun loving and adventurous; he has worries, just like other boys but he doesn’t know this as the story starts.

His worries come upon him one day as he sits on the top deck of a bus right at the front, pretending to be the driver:suddenly a frightening thought pops into his head: suppose Mummy gets off without me. His heart beats faster and he gets butterflies in his tummy. Holding onto his mummy’s hand helps him forget his scary thought and all is well.

That night another scary thought arrives in his mind. So scared does Finn feel about the possibility of a monster lurking beneath his bed that he doesn’t want to snuggle down inside.

The following day he gets a scary thought about falling from the slide and off he gets.

Sitting dejectedly alone on a bench, he hears a whooshing sound and right beside him is an owl. Now this owl knows lots about scary thoughts and their effects as she’s seen many other people who have been similarly troubled. She calls the thoughts ‘cheeky worries’ on account of the way they creep uninvited into a person’s mind and by distorting the truth, prevent them doing what they want. Moreover the owl has several strategies Finn can use to dispel his worries before they get the better of him.

Having shared her wisdom, the owl gives Finn one of her ‘magic’ feathers. Then in answer to the boy’s question regarding the number of feathers the owl has missing, she bids him farewell with a parting, ‘Because, Finn, my brave little friend, everybody – however big or small – has cheeky worries’. Finn then starts noticing other people with strategically placed feathers.

With Anne Wilson’s bright, empathetic illustrations, this engaging, hugely reassuring story for young children was written by an NHS psychiatrist (Patrick Davey) and a clinical psychologist working in the NHS (Anna Smith). The book discusses anxiety in a child-friendly manner, giving young children the tools needed to deal with their fears.

One to add to classroom resources and family bookshelves.

The Feeling Good Club: Smash Your Worries, Bella / Diary of an Accidental Witch: Ghostly Getaway

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These are two Little Tiger books both written in diary form: thanks to the publisher for sending them for review

The Feeling Good Club: Smash Your Worries Bella!
Kelly McKain, illustrated by Jenny Latham

This is the first of a new series, told through the journal of Bella, a Y5 pupil at Cavendish Juniors. As the book opens she’s feeling particularly down as her best friend Rohisha has just moved and to make matters worse, Bella has a Big Worry: she has to give a talk to her class in a few days. Her parents are trying their best to make her feel better but with no success: how is she going to make it through the next six weeks to the summer holidays when Rosh is coming to stay? Their Zoom calls make her feel worse still; her friend only talks about her new situation leaving Bella no opportunity to get a word in edgeways.

However, after a disastrous presentation to her class, during what’s supposed to be Feeling Good Week, Bella begins to bond with two empathetic classmates, Shazmin and Archie and little by little Bella’s confidence grows and she thinks she might even give that talk another go. Then comes a special Feeling Good session from Kris, a parent who is a mindfulness teacher. This is especially useful in helping Bella feel differently about how she reacts to situations and provides some activities to help cope with worries. After all this Bella, Archie and Shazim decide to form the Feeling Good Club.

Now things are definitely looking up but can Bella find the confidence to let Rohisha know how she feels on those Zoom calls and most important can she finally send those worries packing once and for all?

Kelly McKain’s writing shows clearly how well she understands children and their emotions; Bella’s voice is one teachers and parents will recognise, so real does she sound. Equally readers around Bella’s age will understand exactly how she feels as she faces and comes to terms with the challenges presented in this story. It’s one that celebrates everybody’s uniqueness and the power of friendship. The book ends with some mindfulness activities for children. I look forward to hearing more of Bella and her friends.

Diary of an Accidental Witch: Ghostly Getaway
Perdita & Honor Cargill, illustrated by Katie Saunders

Living in Little Spellshire with her weather scientist dad, Bea Black, through whose third diary we share her latest experiences and thoughts, is just into her second term at witch school. She’s mega-excited about the residential school trip and when it’s announced that their destination is Cadabra Castle in the middle of nowhere, Bea is a tad worried about the possibility that it might be haunted. When they arrive there’s a scramble for rooms and Bea, Amara and Winnie end up in a slightly spooky room with a ginormous four-poster bed big enough for three.

The time table they’re given looks very interesting with challenges, quizzes and picnics one of which is followed by a scavenger hunt. Can they succeed in keeping their magic a secret especially when there’s a group of ‘ordinaries’ out hiking who have a special interest in the possibility of a ruined castle. Another challenge is the team building of a shelter – who will win that?

In the final challenge Bea is paired up with Blair – somebody she doesn’t get on with at all – and that in itself is a challenge. However, Bea’s biggest challenge of all is to stop her Dad from finishing his book about Little Spellshire’s micro climate thus preventing the two of them from moving away from the area and the school she loves so much.

This is another winning witchy tale from team Cargill and Saunders. It’s fuelled by cake – a lot of it, friendship, the need for teamwork and the possibility of a ghost: will they actually discover one? You’ll need to get a copy of the book to find out.