A powerful and relatable story by Lindsay N. Giroux with detailed, bright and colorful illustrations by Alicia Teba Godoy, which complement the story perfectly! I loved the character designs as well and how a non-traditional family (child, father and grandfather and a cute pet cat) was depicted here. While the topic of the book is hard, it talks about fear, anxiety and uncertainty very well.

There are details to be found in each spread will keep the kids engaged too. I found this to be a very helpful book talking about these topics and how a child as well as an adult will find this story relatable and personal.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is great for teaching children about feelings, how to recognize them, and how to overcome some feelings (like the feeling of being scared). The artwork was done well. It was easy and clear to see the little girl go through different emotions. I loved how involved the adults in the book were. This modeled a great, trusting relationship between the child and adult.

I Know Scared is a wonderful and well-written book that addresses being afraid, anxious, and unsure. I could probably write a followup book talking about all the reasons why I loved this, but I’ll make a numbered list instead!
1. This has wonderful representation of a dad/grandpa being the main source of comfort . Almost every children’s book I’ve read has mom being the primary caregiver, so I love when dads get some credit.
2. The fears addressed in this are legitimate. They’re things I, as an adult, catch myself being anxious about. Where is the cat? What if he gets outside? What if a tree falls in the storm? How is tomorrow going to go? Fears in children’s books are often boiled down to more elementary (but very real) concerns. The dark, monsters under the bed, etc. I adore that children are given freedom to acknowledge big fears in this.
3. The illustrations are not overdone and don’t distract from the story. The author and illustrator created something very cohesive, and the reader is left with a clean/easy to digest book.
4. The coping tools given are amazing. What can your child do? What can you do to help? Well it gives us some tips, and I’m grateful.
Overall I can’t recommend this enough, and I look forward to trying more books from this author/publisher/illustrator.

Wonderfully written and illustrated book exploring children’s normal emotions and how to recognize. Thank you for allowing me to review.

I absolutely adored Lindsay N. Giroux’s I Know Scared. This is such an excellent children’s book exploring various feelings that a kid may be learning about in their young lives. From scared and worried to surprise, the book follows a young girl who calls herself a “feelings detective” as she journeys through an experience involving a rainstorm and power outage. She first discusses the changes to her body that she can feel to give her clues to what emotions she may be feeling at any given moment and follows up with ideas for how to support herself through each emotion—some of which includes some of the amazing adults in her life providing that support as well—and then gives readers a moment to reflect on how they might address similar emotions.

The artwork was well done, colorful, and engaging, Each character was creatively drawn and, as a reader, you truly feel quite immersed in the story as a whole. This is definitely the kind of book I think nearly every kid should have on their shelves and be introduced to. You can certainly count on me adding it to my shelves for both my students, nieces, and future children. One thing to note, however, is that this is definitely a book to read with and to your kiddo since a lot of the language is a bit more advanced. This is definitely not something you’d give to an emerging reader.

I Know Scared is a picture book that helps kids learn yo differentiate between different emotions that may feel like being scared. The story shows different situations where the character might feel these things, and how to identify and use coping strategies. This would be a great resource for young kids. I liked that it included information at the end for hiw grownups can be a support and expand on the story.

Thanks to Free Spirit Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.