Phobiapedia

by Joel Levy

PHOBIAPEDIA is an encyclopedia of all the things we fear the most, from more common fears like spiders (Arachnophobia), heights (Acrophobia), and confined spaces (Claustrophobia) to the strange and unusual like dust (Koniophobia) and the color yellow (Xanthophobia). From their fascinating names to their fearsome effects, PHOBIAPEDIA explores all aspects of the things that make us shiver and scream. You'll learn what makes us fear them and why sometimes it's not such a bad idea to be scared. Packed with amazing images and filled with facts and figures, here at your fingertips is the truth behind the scariest things on the planet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Picture Books, Childrens

80 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Joel Levy is a writer and journalist specializing in science and history. He is the author of over a dozen books, including The Little Book of Conspiracies and Scientific Feuds: From Galileo to the Human Genome Project. Phobiapedia is his first book for children.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phobiapedia is a book that talks about many of the different kinds of phobias that exist in the world. Aside from discussing people’s fears of certain animals, plants, conditions, etc. the book also talks what characteristics of these things might be particularly unappealing to some people. For example, people may experience ailurophobia, or the fear of cats due to superstitious beliefs about cats, particularly black ones, who are said to be bad luck and were thought to be witches pets. Or a person may experience autophobia, the fear of being alone. One scientific theory as to why people experience this phobia is because in nature many species travel in herds to avoid attacks from predators, and to be alone may feel unnatural or even scary to some.

While we’ve all heard about the most common phobias, fear of heights, fear of spiders, etc. this book also talks a lot about some very unusual phobias such as clinophobia or the fear of going to bed, phagophobia, or the fear of being eaten, and leukophobia, or the fear of the color white. You’ll have to read it to find out why some people are afraid of things that may seem harmless or silly to many.

[Joella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it is good to have a big book with nice pictures to gross kids out with. (Especially if about to do school visits.) This is one of those books. With great pictures of snakes, spiders, sharks, germs, etc. there will be some squirms and giggles. This is also a good book for those kids who don't really like reading every word in a book. Fun to look at...even if the fuzzy title on the cover makes a reader think of fuzzy creepy crawling things...

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phobiapedia / Joel Levy / 2011
Genre: non-fiction
Format: juvenile literature
Plot summary: An introduction to common fears includes coverage of such phobias as spiders, heights, and confined spaces, revealing their scientific names, psychological effects, and why such things cause fear.

Considerations: scary things
Section source: YALSA quick picks for reluctant young adult readers, 2012 list
Recommended age: 9-12

[Becky37042 · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are fears that I've never heard of and can't imagine.

[Dana Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about different phobias. Excellent pictures.

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat information with good photos. Great for booktalking.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will make a good reference book for fears I've never heard of!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was for my on-line book club and the prompt was A Personal Phobia. My least favorite prompt. I couldn't think of anything I was afraid of enough that being exposed to a picture or story about it might cause extreme uneasiness or panic. I have healthy fears for things that might harm me like snakes or sharks but I don't worry about them. This juvenile fiction Scholastic book listed phobias A to Z and there were a lot of them. It wasn't listed but I would say guns would cause a lot of anxiety to me. I don't want to every have to see one in real life or touch one and having one pointed at me would definitely cause a panic attack. The other fear that actually makes me lose sleep is another tRump presidency. Nononononononono

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had a lot of gross things in it but surprisingly i couldnt keep my face out of it!!!!

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining and informative book about phobias. Our youngest brought this book home from her elementary school library and we read it all together. I was a bit surprised by the number of phobias presented, and it took us two weeks to read the entire book, a few phobias at a time.

The narrative is interesting and not overwhelming, but the different blocks and picture captions make it less conducive for reading together. The big color photographs complement the narrative nicely and help to convey the disturbing and/or odd aspect of each particular phobia. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, pretty cool book about phobias. I've never even heard of some of these!

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually really interesting and the way the author laid out the photo/graphic made me squirm on some pages.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cool book with great pictures. Can't wait to take it to schools this spring. I think it's going to be a hit.

[Jaguar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked to read more about the phobias in this book where people are afraid of spiders or snakes for example because it provided information on those venomous creatures.

[Alyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The