I was unable to download and read this book before it expired, so I'm unable to give an honest review of it.

This creative picture book follows a girl and her secret friend, Fear. Readers will watch the girl as she tries to adjust to living in a new country but Fear holds her back, keeping her from trying new things. I recommend this picture book for all elementary classrooms/libraries to help students with anxiety understand that fear is normal and they are not alone.

I think every child will relate to this story. And with so many immigrant kids, I am sure they will appreciate hearing this story the most. Where were books like this way back in the day? Anyway, the illustrations were nice and bold with just enough detail. I like all the little "fears" the new girl sees each of her classmates have so she's no longer alone and afraid. Nice story.

When I saw this book, it attracted me right away. Having a grandchild with severe anxiety, I though this book would be a good one. It is a beautifully illustrated book about being the new child in school and the community, and overcoming your fears. This book focuses on a girl who moved to a new country, but it fits for any child who has moved to a new school. I loved the depiction of the girl's fear and how it increased in size as her fear increased. This is a book that would be beneficial to any child with the fear of fitting in to a new group or place. The ending is wonderful where she realizes that the other children all have different fears and they begin to play together. My only confusion with this book is what age level will understand the message. Obviously the message of being kind, welcoming and playing together is geared to anyone, but even though my grandson could tell me the message that everyone is afraid of something, he is too young to internalize that yet. This would be a good book to keep on my bookshelf to read him again when he is older and more able to utilize and understand the anxiety message. The publisher, Flying Eye Books, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions are my own.

When a girl moves to a new country where she goes to a new school and doesn’t speak the native language, her normal amount of fear starts growing out of control and keeps her from doing things she’d like to do like explore her new neighborhood and play with other students at recess. When another student befriends her and they start playing, a dog barks at them and the boy hides behind something – his fear! The girl quickly realizes that everyone has secret fears. As she continues to play and try new things at school, her fear begins to grow smaller and smaller.

Though normally an abstract concept, fear becomes a concrete creature giving kids a tangible look at how a small amount of fear can be good and keep you from dangerous situations while large, growing fears can hold you back from the fun of everyday things.

This book perfectly followed the book on Mr. Rogers I just finished. He was very focused on children and the fears they face. This book speaks perfectly to children dealing with fear.

The artwork was cute and gentle. It perfectly echoed the message of the prose. I loved the ending, with the pictures of everyone, the adults, children, animals, with their own little fear.

This book not only shows fear and what it can do, it also shows compassion and what that can do to the fear of others. Sweet book that would be useful for children who are experiencing a big move, changing schools or who are just generally fearful.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 brave stars!

My thanks to NetGalley and Nobrow Flying Eye Books for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Every child has experienced fear—whether in small ways or in large, even debilitating, ways. But many kids struggle to put that emotion into words—especially when it is connected to other emotions, such as anger or isolation. Me and My Fear gives children language to put voice to their emotions, to understand how fear is impacting their whole life, and to empathize with other children. With beautiful illustrations and a visible—but not scary—picture of fear, children of all ages could be helped by this book.

I received an advance copy of this title from the publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

This book provides a great vessel for adults to talk with children about fear. Fear tends to be a abstract and difficult concept to describe. This book gives it character and makes it an approachable topic.

When a girl starts school in a new country, Fear accompanies her. Fear follows her wherever she goes and grows bigger in new situations. Sometimes Fear gets too big and keeps the girl from participating in life. This artistic story delivers a therapeutic lesson in coping with fear. The gorgeous illustrations help reinforce a meaningful message for all readers.

A young girl has a secret fear that travels with her to a new country and threatens to take over her life. Then one day she meets a boy and realizes he has his own secret fear. Simple and appealing, without being condescending or trite. Highly recommended for anyone who works with TCKs (Third Culture Kids), anyone who is in a schools receiving immigrant or refugee students, or really anyone who works with kids! I plan to get this for all of the international schools I work with.

Must read for every new kid or any kid at all, really. We all have fears, and this book illustrates that with a beautiful story. Will definitely buy for the library.

A beautifully illustrated book about childhood fear and anxiety. Learning that everyone has some sort of fear, and that you can accept and overcome it is an important message for young children. As a mother to a son with social anxiety this book will be useful when he begins school in the fall.

Thank you Netgalley and Nobrow for an advanced copy of this book.

The art is lovely; the concept is fine, but I think this book about Fear might be confusing to kids. The idea that our friend Fear keeps us safe, the illustrations of Fear as (for the most part) a nurturing, almost womanly-bodied creature, make it somewhat hard to ever quite think of Fear as something that gets in your way and can be irrational. Even when Fear is depicted as not wanting the protagonist to go to school, it never quite looks antagonistic or bossy or crippling. As someone with panic disorder, I know just how bossy and crippling Fear can be, and here it's never depicted as worse than say, Casper the Friendly Ghost with slight indigestion. Books on fears and how they can hold us back and how everyone has them are always needed, but I won't be purchasing it for my library because it just doesn't feel clear enough.

I love social skill books. This was not my favorite though. It is just okay for me. It is an important topic. This just didn’t hit the mark for me.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. The author presents the concept of fear as a physical being which will be more accessible for kids to understand their own fears.

A young girl is in a new place and her natural fear she always carried with her begin to grow so large it prohibits her from doing things she used to enjoy. One day when another child approaches her to color and draw, her fear begins to diminish as she connects with the other kids in her class.

Will work well as a one-to-one read, but will likely be a strong read aloud to elementary school students.

Another beautiful book from Francesca Sanna! I love the illustrations, and the depiction of fear is very relatable. I think this book can be a comfort for many children who worry about being in a new place, making friends, etc.

This book is a companion to the award-winning picture book, "The Journey." A young immigrant girl finds herself in a brand new country after she and her family flee from their war-torn homeland. She is trying hard to adjust to her new environment but is overwhelmed with fear because she is unfamiliar with the language and culture that surrounds her.

Her friend Fear grows bigger and bigger as he tries to isolate and protect her from taking risks and fitting into her new surroundings. She wants so badly to go outside and discover her neighbourhood but Fear blocks the door and won't let her leave. When she has to go to school Fear doesn't want her to go. Fear, although he thinks he is keeping her safe, is really holding her back from moving forward into her new life. Fear keeps growing and growing bigger and stronger always takes charge and trying to stop her progress.

The emotional little girl gets more lonely every day and she worries it's because no one likes her. Is there any way that she can break free from Fear and begin making her own decisions as to what she wants or does not want to do. Can she transform her apprehensions into positive actions? Luckily she is able to rise up, shake off her worries and anxieties and take control. Finally her fragmented emotions are conquered and she stesp out all on her own.... a brave step that totally changes her life for good and forever.

The illustrations are such an integral part of the storytelling and are full of emotion and detail. They are whimsical in nature and I love the colour pallet. This book is written with heart and gives hope to those trapped by their fears. This book would be an excellent resource in a classroom and/or elementary school library. I highly recommend it.

Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna is a great exploration of anxiety from a young girl's perspective, and should be a staple on every library shelf and every elementary classroom. The narrator talks about how she's always had fear with her, but after moving to a new country, her fear has grown enormous. Her fear prevents her from doing the things she'd like to do, like playing with the people in her school, and it keeps her up at night. One day, a boy in her class reaches out, and soon the narrator realizes he too has a fear with him. This book is such a good exploration of anxiety, and I think will go a long way to help childrens and the adults in their lives have a conversation about anxiety. The illustrations are adorable- fear is presented as a fluffy, cloud like creature. I am so happy a book like this exists, and I will be recommending it to everyone.

I love the illustrations, bright and colorful, but not in an overwhelming way. This was a wonderful exploration of the way fear can interfere with daily life, if we allow our fears to go unchecked.

Excellent book for introducing the emotion of fear to children. I would recommend it to all parents and educators, specially those with children who have developed fears and immigrants. Read it with them and have a conversation about fear. While one book will not eliminate the fear, it can help them to start to look for the cause of it, and in time, to overcome it. (Adults can benefit from reading it too.)