Francesca Sanna, Me and My Fear, Flying Eye Books, September 2018, 40 pp., RRP $27.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781911171539
A schoolgirl moves to a new country with her parents, and soon finds her secret little friend—Fear— begins to grow and grow. Though it can sometimes keep her safe, now Fear stops her from making new friends at school and tells her nobody likes her. A bold and colourfully illustrated book, Me and My Fear personifies Fear as a small creature which physically grows on each page, until it discovers it is not alone.
My pre-schooler took this to class and it began a discussion on the different fears we all have. Moreover, as children prepare to begin school next year, it sparked a conversation about what school will be like and what the children’s concerns might be.
As the protagonist is also adjusting to a new country and language, this is a wonderful resource for families who may be newly migrated. It is very readable and could be adapted and explained to a CALD student or parent. For early childhood or early primary this is a visually splendid story of how we all have fears, and that we all have more in common than we think. Knowing that we are not alone can make life a lot easier.
Reviewed by Belinda Raposo
