Robie Harris tackles hot-button topics for preschoolers in ways that show them they can get through anything--topics such as the death of a pet (Goodbye Mousie) and the arrival of a new sibling (Mail Harry to the Moon!). This book speaks to those times when little ones are scared, yet her young hero also finds a way to work through the fear independently.
What might upset a young one? Well, loud noises particularly. "Lions roar," and sometimes "daddies yell" and "mommies holler," too. The child models how he or she chases away "the scary." Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka (A Ball for Daisy) shows the youngster sitting right down, shutting his or her eyes, going within, and coming back out when "the quiet is back." The child can return to the world and see its beauty: "A flower blooms. An ant crawls by." Harris reminds readers that the scary can and usually will pass.
Raschka’s broad, bold and blurred watercolor brushstrokes evoke the power of fear as it invades a young child's world. As the child shakes off the anxiety, vibrant patterns of red, blue, brown and green add a playfulness to the illustrations. The images jump off the page, like the child's energy, victorious over his or her worries. The effectiveness of the author and artist's teamwork comes through in the spare page layout, the simple, declarative sentences, and bold uncomplicated watercolors that keep the focus on the child's transformation. Harris and Raschka speak to young ones simply and directly. The message is: it will be okay. --Mollie Welsh Kruger, graduate faculty, Bank Street College of Education