There's a Big, Beautiful World Out There!

This children's picture book was written on September 12, 2001.  The book highlights many common fears among children, ranging from stage fright to bugs.  However, as the book progresses, it is pointed out that, yes, there is a lot to be scared of; but even more importantly, there is a lot to discovered about ourselves by doing things we fear.  The little girl in the illustrations discovers that what she thought she was afraid of turned out to not be too scary after all. 

As an emerging teacher, I ofter wonder how to explain tragedy.  How did teachers on 9/11 and in the following days explain what had happened?  This book would be a great tool in showing students that there are scary things in the world, and that bad things happen, but if we are too afraid, we will miss out on life and everything that is good.

A potential lesson for this book would be having the students write down something they are scared of and then working in small groups to come up with strategies to overcome their fears.  A teacher could also use this book for middle school students when introducing a lesson on great tragedies in history and the lessons that were learned from them (i.e. empathy, compassion, tolerance, etc.).  It is important not to minimize historical events, but to learn from them and avoid re-occurrences in the future.   

There's a Big, Beautiful World Out There! ISBN 0-670-03580-7. Nancy Carlson. 2002. Children's Choice Award. Age 4-8. Contemporary Fiction; Post 9/11.