Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Little Mouse's Big Book of Fears
Picture Book
For ages 5 and up
Simon and Schuster, 2008 ISBN: 978-1416959304
If you have a secret fear, then it is important that you should know something; you are not alone. Perhaps spiders make you tremble, or water terrifies you. Perhaps heights make you feel woozy, or you can’t bear the thought of going into open spaces. Whatever you fear is, fear not, for there is someone out there who is worse off than you are.
Meet Little Mouse. Little Mouse is afraid of all kinds of things, and being a mouse who does not want to be beaten down by her fears, she is going to face them. She is going to face what frightens her by using this Big Book of Fears. On every page - each of which features a phobia - she is going to write down her thoughts, create a collage, or draw a picture. The hope is that this process will help Little Mouse deal with what frightens her.
As you turn the pages of Little Mouse’s book, you will see that there are many things that frighten her. She is terrified of spiders, and she gets “edgy near sharp knives.” One can see why when one sees the newspaper article that she has taped to the “fear of knives” page. The article is all about three blind mice who have their tails cut off with…yes you go it, a carving knife!
As you peruse this book you will see that Little Mouse has every reason to be afraid of so much. When you are a small mouse, a lot of things can happen to you. It is easy to see why she might be frightened of water when you consider that a mouse could get washed down a sink or flushed in a toilet. It is understandable why Little Mouse is afraid of birds when you realize that owls like to snack on mice. Is there anything in this world that gives this poor little shivery rodent some pleasure?
Without a doubt this wonderful multimedia picture book is going to delight readers who struggle with their own fears. With mouse’s help (the power of laughter is unequaled in dispelling fear) readers will find their fears fading away. The author not only creates wonderfully entertaining artwork, but she also incorporates several lift-the-flap items into her story. Just as she did in her book Meerkat Mail, Emily Gravett takes her readers on a splendid journey that pulls the reader into someone else’s world.
