You won’t want to miss Dr. Toughlove’s review of The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Everything, a tale with a Halloween twist! Enjoy!
Happy Halloween! Dr. Toughlove has fond memories of going door to door in her neighborhood as a young girl, and coming home with lots of candy, pennies, and in some rare cases, caramel apples. So, she thought October was the ideal time to review a children’s picture book entitled The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Everything, written and illustrated by Nadia Ahmed.
The protagonist, Finn, is a ghost who, for some inexplicable reason, is afraid of everything. The thought of going trick-or-treating with his family throws him into a panic. Finn thinks that “Humans are frightening. They make loud noises. Then run from house to house and shout trick-or-treat”(p. 3). Finn’s siblings try to encourage him to participate, to no avail. He simply can’t bring himself to break free of his fear until…………his siblings, who share their trick-or-treat goodies with him, forgot to save him some chocolate bats. Finn is despondent.
Dr. Toughlove doesn’t want to reveal the entire story, but she can share that Finn devised a systematic plan to overcome his fear of Halloween. Nadia Ahmed created a story that has Finn taking baby steps to achieve his goal. Using descriptive language and white and black illustrations dotted with bright colors, the reader is treated to a series of activities over the course of a year that help Finn overcome his unease.
The theme of overcoming anxiety is embedded in every word and illustration. Nadia Ahmed masterfully leads the reader down a path towards building inner strength and self-esteem. Finn ventures out into the world with more confidence as the story unfolds. Dr. Toughlove suggests that readers use this book as a springboard to talk about conquering any fears their listeners might have. By using Halloween as a backdrop, and discussing Finn’s systematic approach, the possibilities to problem solve how to overcome fears/discomforting situations are endless.
The Ghost Who Was Afraid of Everything, written and illustrated by Nadia Ahmed is suggested for readers aged 4-7 and can be found at your local library.