Brave Every Day

by Trudy Ludwig, Patrice Barton (Illustrator)

From social-emotional learning expert Trudy Ludwig and award-winning picture book illustrator Patrice Barton (co-creators of The Invisible Boy) comes a story about managing anxiety and finding the courage to stand up for yourself and others.

Most kids love hide-and-seek, but Camila just wants to hide. Hiding is what she does best when she worries, and she worries a LOT.What if... I can't... I'm scared!
A class trip to the aquarium causes her worries to pile up like never before. But when an anxious classmate asks for help, Camila discovers that her heart is bigger than her fears.
From social-emotional learning expert Trudy Ludwig and award-winning illustrator Patrice Barton, this tale of courage and compassion will embolden readers to face their own fears.
"A sweet and powerful gem of a book sure to help young worriers." -Dawn Huebner, PhD, author of What to Do When You Worry Too Much

Genres: Picture Books, Mental Health, Childrens, Friendship, School, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

Published June 28, 2022

About the author

Trudy Ludwig is a nationally acclaimed speaker and an award-winning author who specializes in writing children's books that help kids connect and engage with their peers in kind, caring ways. She has received rave reviews from educators, experts, organizations, and parents for her passion and compassion in addressing friendship, bullying, and cyberbullying issues at schools and conferences around the country.

An active member of the International Bullying Prevention Association, Trudy collaborates with leading US experts and organizations and has been profiled on national/regional media outlets. She has also served as content advisor for Sesame Workshop's "Good Birds Club" TV episode and as an expert panel member on Sesame Workshop's video series on bullying.

Trudy's books have won the Victoria Soto Legacy Award, NAPPA Gold Award, Mom's Choice Gold Awards, the Moonbeam Children's Books Gold Award and are included in Kids'Indie Next Selection,the Cooperative Children's Book Center's Best of the Year Selection,and NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Books for Young People Selection. the Junior Library Guild Selection, the School Library Journal Best Picture Books Selection, and more.

For more information or to book Trudy for a speaking engagement, visit www.trudyludwig.com

Reviews

[Jenna D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and thoughtful. A gentle nudge to help young readers push through their fears and try, even just a little, each and every day.

[Descansar Literario · Rating 4 out of 5]

El temor no nos debería de gobernar.

Camila es una niña temerosa, en lugar de jugar a las escondidas prefiere solo esconderse. Cuando ella esta preocupada decide esconderse y muy a menudo esta preocupada. Cada mañana tiene múltiples preguntas que la atormentan como ¿Y si el bus no aparece? ¿Y si la señorita flores me llama y no se la respuesta? ¿Y si no tengo a nadie con quien jugar a la hora del patio? Pero también el ¡No puedo! La atormenta ¡No puedo ser la primera! ¡no puedo leer en alto con todo el mundo viendo!

Un día su maestra les cuenta que irán al acuario, en donde también realizarán una tarea sobre un animal. Ya en el acuario Camila se encuentra con Kai un chico igual de temeroso que ella, a lo que l le pedirá que lo acompañe.

¿Lograra Camila superar el miedo?
Edad recomendada a partir de 5 años.

Opinión personal:
Este libro tocó fibras de mi corazón que no pensé que tocaría, Camila es esa mini yo que aún existe en mí. Una niña con muchos miedos y que muchas de las veces prefieren esconderse, pero que en algún momento con miedo lo intenta. Este es un libro que SI o SI debe de estar en tu estantería.

Todos conocemos a un niño temeroso, uno que no se atreve a hablar, que se aleja y que muchas veces son llevados por el temor, pero en su interior quieren ser esa alma libre, que lo intenta a pesar del miedo.

En vez de decir “y si, no puedo y tengo miedo” Camila dice ¡Lo intentare!

Me encanta cuando los libros tienen una guía para los padres o cuidadores, porque te puede dar una idea de que preguntarles a nuestros pequeños para la lectura y el aprendizaje les sea más duradera, pero sobre todo que les nutra.

Muchísimas gracias a Nirvana Libros Infantil por enviarme este hermoso ejemplar.

[Armando Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Camila was a little girl that was unlike any other kids. When kids in her school played hide in seek, she always wanted to hide because it is what she did best. She worried about everything. Her worries followed her everywhere and she always asked herself what if? What if her teacher called on her and she didn't know the answer? What if no one wanted to play with her? She also would tell herself "I can't." Camila's worries made her lack confidence and she felt scared to try anything because she was afraid it wouldn't work out. She was afraid of failure. One day, her class took a field trip to the aquarium. Camila sank in her seat and some kids teased her for being afraid of going to the aquarium. This field trip was something she wasn't looking forward to. In the aquarium, she hid in a corner and in that corner, she found a friend that was also hiding just like her. They both had the same worries about being in the aquarium. Camila felt empathy for her friend, and this made her feel brave. They came up with a plan together to overcome their fears together and explore the aquarium. Camila was happy that she tried to do something she normally would be afraid of. Camila realized that her heart was bigger than her fears and her worries began to disappear. I love this story because of the empathy Camila shows to her friend that is also scared. She is able to relate to his fears, and this helps her build her own courage. This is a story I would share with children who lack confidence. I could have a conversation about what makes them worry and show them how they are not alone because other kids may have the same worries and fears. Hearing about other kid's fears or worries could help them connect through empathy because they would understand that everyone worries about something, and their worries may be the same. We could discuss strategies on how to overcome their fears together. Discussing strategies on how to help each other out could help children build courage, just like Camila did in this story.

[El_bookle de Miroslava · Rating 5 out of 5]

Has sentido miedo alguna vez?

En este libro nos encontraremos a Camila una niña que día con día vive con miedo, miedo a jugar, miedo a que no pase su autobús, miedo, miedo, miedo. Así era la vida de Camila hasta que un día en la escuela les dicen que van a ir a un Acuario y ella deberá enfrentar sus miedos.

Un libro hermoso, lleno de ilustraciónes que podrás ver en la parte de arriba, un libro ligero, fácil de leer y con un gran mensaje. Cuantas veces hemos dejado de hacer cosas por miedo? Cuantas veces nos hemos perdido de grandes experiencias por miedo? Este libro nos invita a ver el miedo desde una perspectiva diferente y atreverse a hacer más cosas día con día y aunque sea con miedo intentarlo.

Me ha encantado este libro se los súper recomiendo ideal para iniciar este año 2025 con toda la actitud y romper esos miedos. Ideal para chicos y grandes así que no te pierdas la oportunidad de compartir esta gran lectura con un pequeño lector y demostarle que si se puede !

Al final del libro incluye preguntas para debatir con los pequeños después de leer el libro 📖 lo cual me ha parecido fascinante 👌🏻 excelente manera de tener una buena retroalimentación ✨


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[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

With moving illustrations created with pencil sketches and then digitally colored, this picture book describes the fears that plague Camila and make her want to hide from life. The artwork and text depict how these worries assail her and make it hard for her to enjoy anything. She deals with crippling messages about "What if..., " "I can't...," and "I'm scared..." (unpaged), which make her dread the class field trip to the aquarium. Mrs. Flores, her teacher, reassures her that it will be fun and tries to silence the class bullies who tease Camila about her fears. Upon arriving at the aquarium, Camila avoids the various exhibits and scary creatures and looks for a place to hide. Instead, she finds Kai, another classmate who is hiding. Together, they summon the courage to look at the stingray, and afterward, she is proud to present her report on the octopus. It's obvious that her concern for Kai has helped her be brave. Consequently, she's clearly made a start in conquering some of her demons. The back matter includes questions for discussion, including three about how to deal with fears or support someone who is fearful as well as some suggested reading material. Not only will some youngsters see themselves in Camila and Kai, but others will be more empathetic to their classmates like these two youngsters after reading and discussing the book.

[Victor Navarro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intended Audience: Preschool-3 grade, ages between 4-8 years old.
The story is about a little girl named Camila, who is afraid and scared about what if's. She likes to keep a low profile around her classmates. But many know that she is afraid about many things and they like to taunt her. One day her teacher, Mrs. Flores tells the class that they have a field trip coming up to go to the aquarium. Camila does not like the idea because she is thinking about all the what ifs. Camila knows she is brave but has not discovered it yet. When the day of the field trip comes, Camila is scared and she tries to find a place where she can take a minute to breathe. That is where she finds her friend, Kai hiding. She talks to Kai and Camila soon realizes that Kai is also scared but he loves stingrays so she decided to go with him. Finally Camila helping her friend made her realize that she is brave.
I chose this book because sometimes we need to help others to realize that we are okay. Also I liked the way the color popped out and how we could see Camila thought bubbles.
Lexile Measure: AD620L

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Camila worries a lot, she is full of "What ifs" and "I can'ts and at night she worries about the next day. Her class is taking a field trip to the Aquarium, and Camila is filled with a whole new set of worries. It doesn't help that some kids from her class are taunting her. Once she gets to the aquarium with her class, Camila decides to hide behind a plant and discovers a boy from her class that is more worried than she is!

Barton's illustrations perfectly represent Camila's worries - I love that she wore her hoodie all tied up with just her face peeking through (so realistic) and the worries manifesting themselves in her imagination - loved it. An easy to read book about fears, I loved the list of read alikes: Henkes "Wemberly Worried" and Santat's "After the Fall" as well as discussion questions. AJ liked it too, sometimes she can get caught up in worrying about something, and Brave Every Day gave us some context to talk about it.

Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.como

[Kathie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As both a teacher and a family member of kids who are sometimes timid and risk averse, this book is a delightful salve. Camila's "what ifs" (what if the bus is late? what if the teacher calls on me and I don't know the answer? what if I have no one to play with at recess?) and "I can'ts" plague her every thought. Barton's illustrations showing Camila with her hoodie cinched so tight you can barely see her face, and bed covers pulled up so high only her fearful eyes are showing, will really resonate with young worry warts. While on a class trip to the aquarium, Camila realizes her classmate Kai is cut from the same cloth and that changes everything. Turns out, having someone to "be scared with" can make you brave, and turn your "I can'ts" into "I'll try!" In each beautifully detailed illustration there's so much conveyed: from Camila's facial expression, eyes, even the tilt of her chin tell of her trepidation. I loved this book and predict all readers AGE 5 and up will too!

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trudy Ludwig's latest book tackles the issue of anxiety and fear in young children. The reader is introduced to Camilla who worries a lot. What ifs and I Can'ts often get in her way from having fun. Though initially a field trip to the Aquarium surfaces new anxieties, a shared moment with a friend Kai leads to an I'll Try moment that helps overcome some of those anxieties. The book is excellent at introdcuing the language of anxiety and alternative words to overcome it. Using a relatable classroom context that is expertly captured by illustrator Barton, Ludwig has created a valuable tool to include in a classroom collection. End notes include Questions for Discussion and recommended reading for kids.

[BiblioBickie]

Camila seems to be clinically anxious as opposed to experiencing occasional trepidation or nervousness about trying something new. Indeed, this causes her to be extremely brave every day in ways that people without Anxiety do not usually understand. I'm a little uncomfortable with the implication that none of the adults in Camila's life helped her develop some skills for handling the trip to the aquarium and instead just sent her out there hoping for the best. Camila decided to "try" entering the experiential area of the aquarium to help a classmate who was initially excited but feeling some nervousness. I'm not sure it's that simple for children with thoughts as intrusive as Camila's seem to be.

[Roben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Camila isn't a big fan of hide and seek - she would rather just hide! She's a bit afraid of just about everything and is consumed with "What ifs?" and "I can'ts". I've been there. Especially the What-ifs. So when her teacher announces a trip to the aquarium, Camila isn't really very excited. But she goes. And discovers that she's not the only one who has fearful moments! She is braver than she ever thought she could be.
I liked the discussion questions included at the end of the book along with a list of resources to further explore fear and anxiety.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that this book described three different kind of fears (what if? I can’t! I’m scared) and eventually Camilla finds courage to try something new, to help a friend/classmate, Kai. I love seeing how one situation led to another where the child reading will recognize the change and growth. There is a situation of teasing and that will provide a good talking point. Nice section of questions in the back to facilitate discussion. Might be a helpful book to help young children to face anxiety.

[Kenzie Hensley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story talks about a child who is shy and how she is scared to step out of her bubble. She is scared about going on a field trip cause of the unknown and how she could get hurt. She then meets a classmate that is feeling the same way, and her classmate works together to get through the day. This shows showing kindness to others, share experiences with other, and talk about your emotions to get support. I also really enjoyed the story because it shows a story to get through hard times and how others can help.

[Nathania · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Now, whenever Camila feels the need to hide, she bravely keeps on trying—in both big and little ways—to make sure she gets found."

As someone who grew up as a 'quiet kid', I find how relatable Camila is as a character. New experiences were such a pressure to me back then, I always love to stay in my comfort zone. The story is simple, to the point, and brings the message that you can be brave even with 'smallest' action. The illustration gives a calm vibe and is really suitable for Camila's situation. 

[Arefa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a little girl overcoming her fears and instead of saying "I can't", " What if?", or "I'm scared" she says "I'll try!". In a gentle way, this story helps young readers to push through their fears and learn to try each and every day. Because being brave, is being willing to try. Even if its just a little each time. This would be a good book to help children talk through their fears or worries and how to try different things to overcome each one.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Camila doesn’t think of herself as very brave, but she is. She just doesn’t know it yet.”

Camila has a lot of worries: the What ifs, I can’ts and I’m scareds. Her latest worry is the class field trip to the aquarium. There are so many things that could go wrong. The day of the field trip, Camila tries to hide to catch her breath … and she runs into classmate, Kai. “Seeing Kai so nervous makes Camila realize her heart is bigger than her fears.” Camila decides that she can try to be brave.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it is easier to be brave together, with someone, rather than try to be brave alone.

I do wonder with the girl having such prolonged fear and multiple kinds of fear (it seemed like social and physical), where her parents were and if they could do something to help her with that.

What I don't know, it might take a specialist.

It just seems like it shouldn't be entirely on her to "face her fears" in a situation like this.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camilla worries, a lot, about everything. She is plagued by thoughts of I can't! What if? and I'm scared. But when she helps a classmate whose scared by overcoming a fear of her own, she realizes that she's a lot braver than she ever thought! This is a great book for children with worries / anxiety. They often get through their days because they are being brave. There is a discussion page at the end of the book as well as other recommended books.

[Karen Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems children are getting more and more fearful. This book examines how a young girl learns ways to step out of her fear, little by little. She comes to realize her heart is bigger than her fears, and instead of thinking "What if I can't?" or "I'm scared," she learns to say, "I'll try."
Besides that good message, there is some recommended reading and questions for discussion. And, the artwork is good.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ludwig takes on anxiety in this volume. Camila worries about so many things and situations. She doesn't join in and is teased about her concerns by classmates. She is not isolated and help is given but it is when she decides to be brave and help an anxious classmate that she finds her own courage. She adopts tools to help her face and overcome her fears. The artwork is detailed and offers a look into her world.

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 3 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book deals with the real-life difficulty of worrying about everything to the point of paralyzing anxiety. Although it's an important topic, the way Camilla suddenly learns to deal with her anxiety without any tools given to her previously, made this seem overly simple and not relatable for readers with anxiety or readers that have friends with anxiety. Telling someone just to "try" has never worked without knowing ways to calm your mind first.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to use for Mock Caldecott, but I also feel there's value in reading it to ALL of the students at the beginning of the year and having them write out:

I worry about what if ...
I worry that I can't ...
I'm scared that ...
BUT
I'll try to ...

Or will I just be opening myself up to dealing with trauma and having to tell the social worker?? Hmm.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It feels like there are a lot of books out there that teach kids how to handle anxiety in real-life situations. Some children, like Camilla, want to hide when they feel scared. All kids feel worried sometimes and Brave Every Day celebrates the children who don't know they are brave—yet.

Story: 4
Illustrations: 4
Read-aloud: 4

[Nicole Roche · Rating 5 out of 5]

This children’s book literally made me cry, but only because it spoke to my anxious inner child. If you know any kids who are shy and appear anxious in new situations, this book is perfect! The line where she turns her “what if” thoughts and “I can’t” thoughts into “I’ll try” definitely hit me in the feels. Highly recommend!

[Anna W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent story about choosing braveness over fear. Camilla often lets the "I cants," "I'm scareds," and the "I'm worrieds" upend her days, but when Kai, her classmate, needs help with something he wants to do, her fears are overcome by her heart's desire to try.

A great story for any kiddo with regular to more-than-regular anxieties. I personally loved the message.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up because it was an Oregon Book Award nominee! I work in Elementary School Behavior, and I recently had a girl who wanted to run and hide whenever things seemed scary to her, and I just knew that she had to see this book. This is a cute and inspiring story, and I can't wait to share it with even more of my students!

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. This book takes a gentle approach to presenting and dealing with the issues of fear/anxiety in children. I love how it was handled in the story by giving the main character a friend to be brave with. Beautiful illustrations throughout!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute story, with lovely water-color-style art.
It is not a "how to" for not being anxious, but it's a story an anxious sort of kid might appreciate reading, seeing that they're not the only one who ever feels like that. And it's a story that might be good for a not-particularly-anxious sort of kid might like reading, to help them understand kids/people who have a little more anxiety.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice little book about pushing oneself out of a comfort zone, but it wasn't entirely clear if the main character was shy, anxious, or just an introvert. I didn't love how the other kids teased her and, in the end, she didn't really solve her own problem, but the illustrations won this book an extra star.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grabbed this book for my daughter because sometimes she’s scared of new things or surroundings and sometimes she really shy. I thought this book would give her some idea/ coping skills for when this happened. I think it did, it showed her it’s okay to be scared but you can also be brave and try new things.
We would recommend this read to everyone.