Fear Not!: How to Face Your Fear and Anxiety Head-On (Capable Kiddos)

A great little rhyming story that introduces what to do and what not to do in order to manage fears. The illustrations are good and the discussion pages at the end are a great added resource.

With anxiety on the rise I was looking for guidance for my children and Fear Not! delivered. The author shares a practical yet compassionate message with 3 easy steps to overcome anxiety and fear. I love that both the words and illustrations capture my children’s (5 and 7) attention and interest, as well as mine! The fun flowing rhythm makes for entertaining and educational reading, and the beautiful illustrations reinforce the important messages. I also really appreciate the great conversation starters at the back of the book to help parents to continue the discussion with their children. This is a must-have resource for parents, teachers, school librarians, counselors, and child therapists etc.

Fear Not! Is such an important read. With beautiful illustrations and empowering rhymes, it conveys what didn’t work for the character in the book in regards to managing his fears and worries, then provides his step-by-step plan of what did. It is extremely relatable for all. There are so many encouraging lines such as “The more that I practiced, the better I got at using my tools, telling fear: I’ll fear NOT!” At the end of the book there are great conversation starters and discussion questions about fears and worries. Such a fantastic book to equip children, educators and parents with effective coping skills. This book will definitely be on my resource shelf as I counsel young children and youth.

As an author and parent to a child with an anxiety disorder, I appreciated the warmth, rhythm, and use of clinical tools in a non clinical way to support anxious children to shift mindsets.

Fear Not! is the sequel to The Not-so-Friendly Friend. Written in 1st person point-of-view and rhyming text, the author identifies how fear and anxiety feel in our mind and body. Everyone experiences these feelings, but I feel that children who experience anxiety and fear acutely will greatly benefit from reading this book. The author identifies what will not work and what will work with actionable steps that can be implemented right away. The book concludes with a note to parents and professionals on how to use the book and includes a list of Discussion Questions to help start a conversation with a child. The perfect resource for helping children cope with anxiety and fear.

There are special picture books out there that help children learn to navigate the world. FEAR NOT: HOW TO FACE YOUR FEAR AND ANXIETY HEAD-ON, the second book in the Capable Kiddos series by Furnival and Dwyer, does just that. There’s a lovely marriage between the illustrations and the rhyming text that peacefully guides readers through tools to handle and overcome fears and anxieties. The story follows the young main character through his journey overcoming fears. The back matter includes conversation starters and discussion questions all written by the author, Christina Furnival, a licensed mental health therapist. Looking forward to the next book in the Capable Kiddos series!