ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
PRESCHOOL
Best, Cari

I'm Brave! I'm Strong! I'm Five!

32 pp. | Holiday/Ferguson | October, 2019 | Trade ISBN 978-0-8234-4362-8 $18.99
(2) PS Illustrated by Boris Kulikov. In this intrepid bedtime story, an independent young girl confronts and overcomes her fear of the dark by reminding herself, "I'm brave! I'm strong! I'm five!" It's time for bed, but Sasha isn't tired: she uses her flashlight to make a star, a car with one headlight, and a lighthouse that blinks on and off; she bounces on her bed "like a girl kangaroo that doesn't want to sleep." Looking out her window, she sees the moon and its "giant eye staring down at me." She's about to call Mama and Papa, but then resolves, "I can do this myself," because "I'm brave! I'm strong! I'm five!" This mantra (along with the light of her flashlight) helps Sasha face a series of challenges--a shadow with six arms, a loud crash, a scary face. "I didn't call Mama. I didn't call Papa. I did everything myself. Hooray!" Cinematic and bold, Kulikov's crosshatched illustrations effectively use lighting to create and then dispel Sasha's fearful imaginings. In a nearly dark bedroom, the shadows do create a spooky six-armed monster and a scary ghostly face. But then, under the warm glow of the flashlight, the eerie and shadowy are revealed as ordinary: a costume, the girl's reflection in a mirror. Equal parts sincere and entertaining, this is a story that affirms and empowers children as they face their own bedtime fears.
Reviewer: Emmie Stuart | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

RELATED 

PRESCHOOL

The Farmer and the Circus
by Frazee, Marla
PRESCHOOL

Bird House
by Gómez, Blanca
PRESCHOOL

The Crow and the Peacock
by Fernihough, Jo
PRESCHOOL

Something's Wrong!
by John, Jory
PRESCHOOL

Grandpa Across the Ocean
by Yum, Hyewon
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?