Courageous Lucy: the girl who liked to worry by Paul Russell and Cara King

cover image EK Books, 2021. ISBN: 9781925820775. (Age: 6+)

Lucy is a child who worries constantly, and because she has such a vivid imagination she worries about the most incredible things such as one day her shadow turning into an enormous black hole and swallowing her up or that she might be the person who discovers Bigfoot on the day he stubs his toe. She didn't like going first because she worried that she would mess things up, but she didn't want to go last either in case she missed out.

But when her teacher Mrs Hunt starts auditions for the cast of the school musical, Lucy is either going to have to speak up or there will be no parts left. Does she have the courage?

Many of our students are like Lucy, full of worry and anxiety about getting things right, not messing up and being laughed at and it is becoming a huge concern as not only does it impact their mental health, it also reduces their willingness to take those risks that allow us to learn. Sometime, somewhere, somehow, someone has instilled in them that they are meant to be perfect first time and all the time, and thus their lack of faith in their own ability hampers their freedom to do something as simple as predicting what will happen in a story - an essential element of early reading. This is a situation that needs more than a "Don't worry" and so this book could be really useful in opening up discussions about fear of failure and all that's associated with that. Because Lucy's fears are so extreme and unlikely, readers will feel safer because it puts them at arm's length, but they will relate to missing out on something they really want because they didn't speak up. Providing students with strategies to cope if they do have to face their fears, or even a more general one when those uncalled for clouds start to loom in their heads are the ultimate goal but if sharing this so others understand that worry is natural and common, but it shouldn't be overwhelming may lead to less anxiety and thus the book has done its job.

Themes: Worry, Courage.

Barbara Braxton