Scaredy Cat

An amusing and well written picture book that was much in demand according to one parent who tried it for me with her sensitive four-year-old. Scaredy Cat is a little kitten for whom the world is a terrifying place peopled with Giants (Auntie B), Crocodiles (shoes), Screaming Sucking Monsters (the vacuum cleaner) and many other terrigying creatures. How s/he (very useful this lack of specificity) learns to overcome his/her fears is a good yarn and it is one of those books from which children will take what they need. The confident child will enjoy the story and the visual tricks and can gain important empathy; less confident children will return to it again and again gaining vital strength and reassurance. Teachers could use this story to get children to write their own versions, from the perspective of Mama Meow, Auntie B or even the Dark Hairy Forest -- it works a treat!