Why Are We Afraid? - Fran Pintadera - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Fran Pintadera

ILLUSTRATOR: Ana Sender

GENRE: Children's Picture Book

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A lovely children’s picture book about accepting fear as a valid emotion. Scary artwork though.

This book was originally published in Spain under the title ‘Per què tenim por?’ in 2022. This is the English translation, coming in June 2023.

The premise is quite simple. During a power cut, Max is watching the flame of the candle lit by his dad when he suddenly asks his father if has ever been afraid. Max’s dad thinks about his son’s query for a moment, and then launches into his response, covering the fact that adults too feel fear, and a list of things that can scare people. The story ends with the lights coming back on, in various ways.

I liked the structure of this book. The setup involves a parent confessing that he also has been afraid sometimes, which is so important for kids to know. It justifies fear as an actual emotion, and shows that it is okay to be afraid, and that fears are nothing to do with age. In a way, having a father admitting his fears is even more impactful as kids tend to see their dads as brave superheroes who aren’t afraid of anything.

The book covers all kinds of fears, ranging from imaginary monsters to actual events to irrational feelings. The power of fear is never dismissed; instead, the book highlights the importance of embracing the fear and never giving up. However, I must also point out that a major chunk of the book is dedicated to the titular question: “Why are we afraid?” The part about dealing with fears covers barely 1-2 pages.

My favourite line: “Sometimes, we’re afraid because the real monsters aren’t under the bed after all.”

The equivalence of fear with darkness is also brilliantly done. It uses the metaphorical dark vs. light to show how fears can diminish by shining the light of positivity on them. There is also a special note at the end titled “Shining the light on fear”, which talks about the types of fears and the lessons we can learn from our fears.

The illustrations match the above feel, keeping all the hues on the darker side as if to intensify the impact and the mystery of fears. A part of me feels that the artwork was too scary. Perhaps, this was deliberate. But considering that the book was written for children who might have fears, the art could have a counter-effect as well.

The book is aimed at readers aged 3-7 years, and the language and style will work wonderfully for the elder lot of this age range. The content might be a bit too metaphorical for the younger ages. That said, this book can serve as a great conversation starter for kids aged 6+ because every page offers tremendous discussion opportunities.

Definitely recommended. Because of the theme, this would be a great addition to home libraries as well as classrooms.  But do keep the scary illustrations in mind if your child is sensitive.

My thanks to Kids Can Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “Why Are We Afraid?”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.