When Hazel was young, she had many fears including the dark. We have spent quite a bit of time dealing with her anxieties. Today I'm sharing a wonderful book that helps kids who are afraid of the dark. It reminds me a bit of the Halloween book, The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. Today's book is not Halloween or even fall specific. It is Barnaby Is Not Afraid of Anything by Gilles Bizouerne and illustrated by Beatrice Rodriquez.
From the Publisher:
A sweet, playful story of animal friendship that will help young readers overcome their fear of the dark and of the unknown. Warm, vibrant illustrations and a great read-aloud story make this picture book perfect for parents teaching their kids to be brave.One evening, Barnaby and his two friends are out for a moonlight stroll in the woods where they live. Although it’s peaceful at first, they begin to worry: What was that large shadow? Are those dinosaur tracks on the ground? Is it a witch? Or could it just be another friendly animal on a walk?
By confronting their fears and learning to be brave and explore, Barnaby and his friends set a great example for young children who are scared of the dark or whose imaginations run wild. Kids will relate to Barnaby and friends and, through their adventures, learn that they don’t have to be afraid of anything!
From Me:
This book is so sweet. The three animal friends are on a nighttime walk and come across some strange footprints that lead to a little hut. They decide to follow them one by one. First Barnaby goes and sees a shadow that looks like a face with a long scary nose. He runs back to his friends to tell them what he saw. Now one of my favorite things when reading aloud is making the sounds and this book has wonderful ones for walking to and from the hut. Next Constance goes and sees the big nose shadow as well as long skinny finger shadow. She quickly runs back (as fast as a turtle can run). They look for Claire (who is a mole and young). Claire buried herself and fell asleep. They wake her and she decides to go even though they told her she was too young and small to go. When she doesn't come back, the friends get worried and decide they have to go looking for her. They find Claire talking to a friendly heron named Gideon. They learn their imaginations made the shadows seem scary and had them seeing things that were not really there. Who hasn't that happened to at some point in time? I love this simple message.
This book is the perfect bedtime story. It is a fun one to read together and has the sounds and voices an adult could easily add to make the story come alive. I also love the message, because let's face it every child gets scared of shadows at some point in their lives. It is definitely a wonderful book you should check out!
