I Am So Brave! really does help children overcome fear

I Am So Brave! is helpful in teaching children that some situations they may find scary can be overcome.  Initially I thought the book was too simplistic for even our two and a half year old.  Because of that the book stayed in my office for two weeks.  It wasn’t until a big thunderstorm came to the house that I realized just how helpful I Am So Brave! could be in action.

Our four and a half year old was scared of the thunder.  The sky was black, big thunder and the occasional lightning strike could be seen.  He had never read the book but I needed something new to distract him from the storm.

We all read the book once and every page, except for the last three were instances that he could identify with.  The first two pages had a little boy who was scared of dogs until he met one.  We have two dogs who he loves so that immediately identified with him.

The second two pages had a little boy who used to be scared of the pool, but now he loves swimming in the deep end.

The next situations dealt with fear of the dark and loud noises, both of which were relevant to the big thunderstorm happening above us.

All this time our youngest was on my lap, enjoying the book while I explained why the little boy wasn’t scared any more of the situations.  The book ends with the little boy saying “I am So Brave!” and our oldest kept repeating that all afternoon.  We read the book for about 30 minutes straight that afternoon.

He still likes to read the book, even when there’s not bad weather around.  As parents we’ve referenced the book in real life situations by reminding him about the little boy in the book who was afraid, but then wasn’t.  It’s helped us somewhat navigate the swimming pool and a couple other situations during our errands.

I Am So Brave! is the fourth book by Stephen Krensky and Sara Gillingham in their empowerment series.  The art has a similar vibe to Gillingham’s Snuggle the Baby Book, timeless retro.   The book is aimed at ages 1-3, has bright, big illustrations and one short, simple sentence on each page. It also has a low price point of only $6.69.  Young children will identify with the book much more than you might think that they would.