Book Review: “How to Handle My Emotions – Fear”

Most, if not all, children experience fear. “While fear can help us protect ourselves from harm, left unmanaged, it can lead to impairment of our willingness and ability to interact with others and avoidance of certain experiences that can enhance our development.” (verywellmind.com)

“How to Handle My Emotions – Fear” is a book designed for young children to learn how to successfully manage their fears. This 55-page book is authored by Segolene de Nouel, Galle Tertrais, and Violene Mouliere, and is one of a four-book series published by Ignatius Press. 

Each author brings unique and special experiences for this book and its content. Segolene de Nouel has a background in education, including her experience of opening a school for children in France. Gaelle Tertrais is a mother of five boys and has been an author for many years. And Violaine Mouliere is the mother of four and has a strong interest in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

The book includes three short stories about young Elliot and Charlotte as they discover Christian virtues for overcoming fear. The stories are quite practical, engaging and written in language children can easily understand. The title for each story indicates the general nature for a particular fear the two characters experience. For example, the first story is titled, “The New Teacher” and it is about the fear Charlotte experiences as she learns she will have a new teacher to work with in school.

The authors have included color-coded sidebar comments within each story so that the reader can gain understanding for how Elliot and Charlotte are reacting to fear and the choices they make to overcome it. 

The color-coding model is provided in the “Pathway Through Emotions” section at the back of the book. This model describes the three main steps for working through emotions. The steps are: “I own my emotion,” “I stop to think,” and “I act.”

There also is a section that defines and explains the key Christian virtues (kindness, honesty and strength) that can be applied to overcome fear. Lastly, there is a “Parents Corner” section with tips for helping the child reader understand what fear is about, how to express their fear and how to work through it.

While I enjoyed reading this book and believe it has great potential for helping young children learn how to overcome fear, I wish the authors had presented a more “detailed” introduction section at the front of the book to help guide the parent/guardian as he/she tries to encourage and support the learning effort of the reader.

John H. Dolezal is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.