I really loved this book! It follows a young girl with selective mutism who struggles with talking outside the house. As she practices more and more, she finally finds the confidence to speak to a friend at the park. This was such a lovely representation of anxiety and I enjoyed the message of perseverance. I also really appreciated the guide at the end of the book that discusses what selective mutism is. The illustrations are also amazing! I liked the use of different tones to depict the different moods.

Overall, I highly recommend picking this one up!

I absolutely adored this book! It touched on ways to overcome anxiety and how to approach hard situations. The main character continues to try despite being unable to speak around anyone but her family. They are so supportive and encourage her to keep being brave. Eventually she finds her voice and is able to speak to her friend. It’s a great lesson in perseverance and how important a good support system is. The illustrations are beautiful and helped give the story life!

What a powerful book! A simple idea delivered so well. I loved the concept of bravery muscles that need to be developed. Really engaging illustration accompanied beautiful words and a pacy rhyme. The story itself taught me more about the experience of selective mutism than any training I have received. The guide at the end is also hugely helpful. A really powerful read!

I really loved this book. The support from parents was wonderful and the perseverance of the main character was awesome!

The message is fine but the attempts at rhyming are strained at best. The illustrations aren't great and are sometimes flat-out odd. My 5yo asked me at one section if "it was supposed to look like that." Overly long, too - we got bored.

The strategies are nice but you need a better kid-facing section in order for anyone to really get to see them.

Thank you for the ARC.

This was an adorable picture book about a little girl with select mutism. It shows how she can be communicative when she feels comfortable and safe. As a momma to an autistic kiddo who also has selective mutism, I wish I had this book for him when he was little.

When I saw this book and read the description, I knew it would be perfect for a couple of children in my class! This is such a lovely, heartwarming book and I will definitely be purchasing a copy to share with my class when it is released.

This is a story that so many children and adults can relate to. That feeling of confidence amongst those you love but that fear when in front of larger groups. The flow of the text is beautiful and the rhythm will encourage whole class reading so that those who are uncomfortable may join in with every one else. The images and setting are relatable as is the simplicity of an object that can give confidence to a child and help them feel brave enough to share their unique voice. Emotional, embracing and engaging.

This is an empowering story of a shy girl who is gently encouraged to use her brave voice to speak to her friends. My 6 year old loved this story.

Bravery Grown 5 ⭐

This little book has taken a big place in my heart.
I'm the mother of a little girl who is selectively mute in front of other children or new environments.
And any parent knows that although it's a matter of personality, these issues shake our hearts.

This encouraging book tells us the story of a little girl who, at home, was a reflection of joy and spontaneity and, in social contexts such as the playground and school, went into her silent shell, experiencing symptoms of anxiety.

Through small gestures, the author explains how to increase a child's confidence and how taking a small step can be the gateway to a great achievement.

Although the main subject of this book is selective mutism, I strongly believe that it can be encouraging for other issues, particularly anxiety.

On a positive note: the last few pages of the book include advice and tools for parents and teachers.


Thank you to NetGalley, to the publisher, author, and illustrator for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was absolutely one of the best 'mirror' books I've read with my kid. They have never been more represented in a book, plus it's so beautiful to see it normalized and broken down in such a simple understanding way. They kept making comments like 'mama, I do that too... we're the same' it equally broke and healed my heart.

We will definitely be adding the physical copy to our shelves in the near future.

This book had lovely illustrations and a clear story, but it got long to read aloud to my four-year-old. I did find the parents’ guide at the end interesting and useful. This may be better for older age groups and a great book for families specifically tackling selective mutism in their family.

This is geared towards children and caregivers of children with selective mutism, however I can see this being useful for my entire class. The book discusses being brave in different settings and it would be useful for my whole class or small SEL groups.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this ARC.

I read it to my 5 year old who enjoyed it and could relate to it, so had lots of questions, however he found it a little long.

A full review has been left on Goodreads

Who doesn't have anxiety nowadays!?
This adorable children's book is an informative read that every child should have. The storyline is of a young girl who suffers from mutisim. With those she knows and love; her family in her own home she speaks. However when out in public everyday life she is mute. It's an uplifting read of two parents encouraging their daughters bravery to use her voice out in the world.
The message behind the book is easily relatable to anyone of any age. Highly recommend!

I read this book with my 8-year old son, we have always talked about neurodivergence openly and this was a nice way to introduce the idea that sometimes, people can't find their words. This can go beyond being shy and we need to show patience and compassion, rather than making assumptions. This was a lovely story that progressed at a good pace for kids to read, I would recommend to other families as well.

Interesting reading from the point of view of a child with selective mutism. A great book to share with a child who is affected but also for the peers of an affected child. Written in rhyme using simple and repetitive phrases this book is perfect for even very young children.

I was interested in reading this book because of the representation of anxiety in a children’s book.

The illustrations are beautiful and I love the inclusion of physical and emotional feelings in the story to help children identify what they may be experiencing. The resource guide for caregivers at the end of the book has great information. Overall I think this book will be extremely helpful for children and caregivers in expanding understanding and providing tools.

My children are young and I felt like the book was a bit to long for their attention spans. I also felt like some of the rhythm and sentence structure was a bit off.

Will definitely recommend to other parents.

A book on selective mutism and bravery for young children.
I read this with my 9yo.
We both found this to be an encouraging book about selective mutism and anxiety.
The illustrations depict the situations well. The colours are lovely, and the overall grading is a bit muted.

So cute! We loved the main character, loved the drawings and the overall story line. My son read through this one pretty quickly.