Sharing fear with a friend creates confidence

Parents with young children often use engaging stories to help with childhood issues. Reading a story at bedtime is often an activity that parents use to help children sleep. Storms and monsters sometimes rank high on the list of a young child's fears. Steven Schuback is an Australian author who stepped into the realm of writing stories for preschoolers when his own children entered preschool. His books are fun read aloud stories that appeal to young children with large, brightly colored illustrations and easy to read text. His stories teach confidence, encourage friendship, and teach other life lessons.

"Nothing to be Scared of Little Monster" is an engaging story about facing a fear of storms and monsters. Young Teddy is alone in his room during a storm and discovers that the little monster that is hiding in the corner is also afraid of the storm. They join forces and conquer their fear of the lightening and loud noises. Young children will easily relate to the concept that this creative story presents with its theme that friends can get through anything if they share the experience.

Young children often enjoy discussing a story after reading. This is a great time to share feelings about the story plot and how the characters resolved an issue. "Nothing to be Scared of Little Monster" is a good example of a bedtime book that can spark a discussion about a child's fears. Questions can be posed as to why the child is afraid of a storm or the fact that a monster might be hiding in the room at night. Schuback's use of large print for the "Boom, Crash" might encourage a child to want to dramatize the story and their fear.

Bookstores and libraries offer a wealth of titles for preschool reading that can help with life issues. Parents are encouraged to look for engaging books that can help with life issues in a young child's experiences.

My experience as a preschool teacher influences me in the choices of books that I choose to review and write about. Children's books are my passion and I write reviews of books to help with parenting issues. I feel that engaging stories are the best way to start discussions with young children when there is a need to address a life experience. Young children easily relate to characters in a story that are like them. I was introduced to Schuback's books when he discovered my reviews on another site. He embodies the characteristics of a writer that has a passion for helping young children.