Friday, October 12, 2012

Perfect Picture Book Friday: Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears



Title: Little Mouse’s Emily Gravett’s Big Book of Fears

Author: Emily Gravett

Illustrator: Emily Gravett

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; September 9, 2008

Suitable for: 4 and up

Themes/Topics: Fears, Phobias, self-help for children

Opening: I’m scared of creepy crawlies (especially spiders!)

Book Summary: Little mouse documents all of her fears in a journal but in the end, she realizes that everyone has fears, even big people.

Links to resources:
Visit the author’s website for games and activities
Discussion: Have your child(ren) describe their fears and then write them down. Then have them look up the correct term for their fear using Little Mouse’s list or this List of Phobias
List of Phobias: here.
Phobia Collage: fun activity here. I think this activity can be tweaked and adjusted for any age group.
Analyzing illustrations: This activity is geared for older children.

Why I like this book:
Aside from the awesome and detailed illustrations with mouse-chewed pages, :D I love that the book begins with: Everyone is afraid of something. Living with fear can make even the bravest person feel small. Emily assures children that everyone fears something and that fears can be defeated. The text is very simple, easy for children to understand and relate to as little mouse describes her fears. It is a great book to learn about different kinds of phobias. At the top of the page, the correct term of each of little mouse’s phobias are displayed. The illustrations provide an opportunity to talk about specific fears that a child might have. I love that little mouse’s fears are validated in that she is not told to be brave or to even overcome her fears. But in the end, she learns that everyone is afraid of something, even the lady in the kitchen who is afraid of her.

1 comment:

Sarah Maynard said...

Kids (and adults at times) can definitely feel mouse like when it comes to our fears. This sounds like a book I should add to my home library. Thanks!