Brave as can be: a book of courage
by Jo Witek; illustrated by Christine Roussey
In this nice follow up to In My Heart: a book of feelings, a young girl tells us about all of the things that can make her afraid. All those fears seem like a huge monster at first, then as you grow up the fears start to shrink. A good choice if you need to talk about fear with a young child. Ages 2 – 4.
I Am Yoga
by Susan Verde; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Lovely. Just lovely. The lyrical text encourages children to use movement and breath to help them cope with the busy world and their busy minds. “I tell my wiggling body: be still. I tell my thinking mind be quiet. I tell my racing breath be slow.” Good messages for children and adults alike! Lots of yoga poses are depicted in Reynolds’ beautiful illustrations, and are defined clearly and simply in the author’s note. All ages.
Max the Brave
by Ed Vere
Max is one brave little kitten. He is ready to take on the world. He is not just cuddly and cute, he is brave, and he is ready to chase mice. There is just one problem, Max doesn’t know what a mouse looks like. There is a nice twist to the traditional cat and mouse story, and Max’s realization that you don’t have to be brave all the time is refreshing. Ages 3 – 7.