Facing Mighty Fears About Trying New Things

by Dawn Huebner, Liza Stevens (Illustrator)

First time jitters are normal, but when they turn into tears and outright refusal, the world shrinks in problematic ways. Facing Mighty Fears About Trying New Things teaches children to manage uncertainty about new experiences. Fun Facts engage children while a Note to Parents and Caregivers and a supplemental Resource section make this the perfect guide for parents and mental health professionals.

This book is part of the Dr. Dawn's Mini Books About Mighty Fears series, designed to help children ages 6-10 tackle their fears and live happier lives.

80 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 21, 2022

About the author

Dawn Huebner, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist and Parent Coach specializing in childhood anxiety. She is the author of 20 books for children (and one for therapists), including bestsellers What to Do When You Worry Too Much and Outsmarting Worry.

Dr. Huebner recognized the need for lively, easy-to-read take-home materials to help children practice the strategies they were learning in her office. She created a format effective for 6-12-year olds – the What to Do Guides for Kids - teaching complex psychological concepts using metaphors, language, and humor easily understood by children. Subsequent books maintain her distinctive voice while adding a layer of detail and sophistication appreciated by older children and teens.

All of Dr. Huebner’s books echo her philosophy - that children can and should be taught to help themselves, and that they are capable of overcoming even stuck-seeming challenges.
Dr. Huebner’s books sell briskly around the world, and have been translated into 23 languages. She has been featured on the TODAY Show, CNN.com, WebMD and many other news and information outlets, and is frequently interviewed by popular parenting magazines. Dr. Huebner’s TEDx talk on Rethinking Anxiety has been viewed over a million times.

Dr. Huebner enjoys hearing from readers. She is always at work on her next book...

Reviews

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Facing Mighty Fears about Trying New Things is a fantastic resourceful book for children about feeling serious and fearful of trying anything new. I jumped at the chance to read and review this book as this is my child at the moment - fearful of anything new, going new places, going to a friends, etc. I'm going to go through this book again with her and try out some of the ideas and suggestions within it. This is a great book in that it explains why we can be like this and how we can take small steps to help ourselves. I loved the little snippets of fun facts dotted through the book and found them interesting and relatable to the book content.
Definitely a book to try if your child has anxieties or fears.

[bookishcharli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible book not just for young readers, but for people of every age. Most people don’t like to try new things for many different reasons, but as Dr Hawn Huebner points out, the thing you love to do or thing you love to eat was once something new to you. Just because you feel anxious about trying something new doesn’t mean that it’s something to be scared of. This book is full of great advice and tips for readers on trying something new, whether it’s something big or small it doesn’t matter, just as long as you try something. There’s some great resources in the back of the book for dealing with anxiety and worrying which will be extremely useful for many people.

This should be a book on every bookcase out there, Dr Dawn really hit the nail on the head with this book. I can’t recommend it enough. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Fern Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book series! This book provides a non-judgemental, encouraging and helpful guide to children who face anxiety at the thought of new things. There are plenty of illustrations making the book bright and engaging and some fun facts dotted throughout the pages too. What I thought was brilliant is it acknowledges the child’s fear and doesn’t make it into something bad or something to be ashamed of, inside it explains why it is exists and that while sometimes fear or apprehension can be a good thing, sometimes it works against us too. By providing a very clear three step plan it aims to help children move towards feeling more comfortable with the unknown and makes it fun in the process too. There is no judgement for the parent or carer either but again lots of useful tips to help along the way.

While this book is aimed at children who are anxious about trying new things, I think any child would get a lot out of reading it.

My only complaint about this book is that it didn’t exist 20 years ago when I was growing up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Naomi Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review based on an ARC provided by Jessica Kingsley Publishers through NetGalley.

This book is lovely. It explains why kids (and some adults!) might be afraid to try new things, how they might feel dangerous or uncomfortable. It gives simple & straightforward advice on how to think in a new way about new things and gives an easy-to-follow three-step process to recognize when you're feeling afraid to try new things and to be able to move forward from there.

The illustrations are fun & include a diverse group of children, which is essential & necessary.

This handbook reminded me of the American Girl book series with similar themes, but I liked how this was more inclusive to all gender experiences.

And while it's targeted at adults, I found it useful for my own life. I was just coming down from some bad flashbacks/anxiety and this book really helped calm & soothe my nervous system.

It also has a selection of resources in the back - some of which I will absolutely be checking out.

I already have a person in mind to recommend this to & will keep it in mind for future recommendations.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very sensible book, discussing for the young reader why they might be shy of the new, and how they can overcome the nerves, anxiety and so on, and get out there and do it. The need to pictorialise everything, and the talent the author has for getting everything into a snappy, succinct point do both mean there is a lot of blank page/screen, mind. Cheap layout aside, this could well be just the help that is needed in many a case – so go for it!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The "Facing Mighty Fears" series by Dawn Huebner features a fantastic set of non-fiction books which aim to support children who suffer from anxiety in an non-intimidating and interesting way. Each page has simple illustrations, short paragraphs and interesting facts like the number of bones in a cat or quotes from famous people. There are also simple and straight forward strategies that children can use to counteract anxiety with clever names or acronyms like W.I.N. or steps in a staircase.

Facing Might Fears about Trying New Things includes several questions or thoughts that children might experience when considering trying new things, making the characters in the story very relatable to a child with anxiety. There are three steps (using images of stairs) to take when trying something new. There is also a list of ideas that could be new things to try. There is a note to caregivers with examples and suggestions as well as a list of resources. The illustrations are very inclusive, children in different cultural clothing, wheelchairs or other unique attributes are featured throughout the story.

I could 100% see myself using the books in this series in my Grade 3 classroom. I would recommend them to parents of anxious children. I could also see using a page or two as part of a small group or whole class mental health lesson, or just to offer to children who could use new strategies. This book could also be used by parents and guidance counsellors as well as teachers of children ages approximately 5 to 10, maybe others as well depending on developmental levels.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this fabulous book! I can't wait to purchase a copy for my classroom!

[BlueFalkon95 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facing Mighty Fears About Trying New Things by Dawn Huebner is a fantastic way to teach children, teenagers and adults how to embrace their fears and anxiety of trying new things. The new things could be anything from new foods, different coloured foods, different types of fabrics of clothing or textiles or textures. Could be getting on a bus, seeing a new doctor or therapist even a specialist, dentist even meeting new people and making friends. Everyone young and old needs some help and encouragement in trying new things.
A great children’s nonfiction book to which I recommend to children who may or may not have fears and anxiety can learn and understand on the steps of guidelines of improving new skills of dealing with their fear and anxiety regarding trying new things. Certainly a book that I will keep to read and encourage my autistic children to learn on how some children and adults cope to try new things. The book can be used as a self-help guide with parental and carer support notations, tools and a supplement Resource Page. I am encouraged help encourage and support my autistic boys with trying new things.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Jessica Kingsley Publishers via NetGalley for my honest review of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.
#FacingMightyFearsAboutTryingNewThings #NetGalley

[Elles_shelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facing Mighty Fears About Trying New Things is a book to help children overcome their anxiety about trying unfamiliar activities. These children may simply be worried because they do not know what to expect in a new situation. They become overwhelmed by what may go wrong and frequently avoid new situations. The book has three easy steps which can help alleviate this fear. This includes simply asking if a new activity is dangerous or it's simply a new activity. It teaches focusing on the facts, not worrying about why could or might potentially happen in a new situation. It also teaches the importance of practicing bravery every day. There is a notes to parents/ caregivers section which includes tips to help children overcome the fear of trying new things. At the back of the book, there are resources and organizations for additional information.
This book is an excellent tool to use if a children needs some help with trying new things. There are fun facts scattered throughout the book that readers will find entertaining. The tips in the book are easy to use and help guide the children and their caregivers through the process to overcoming the fear of trying new things.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! This book would be perfect for every child whether they openly show anxiety or not, because I think we all have anxiety in our life sometimes. Both of my children have shown anxiety over trying or doing new things, and even sometimes things they've done but it just still gets to them. It gives explanations as to why they could be feeling the way they do, and then steps to go through to help them think about it and overcome it. On top of that it has fun facts spread throughout that keep it interesting, along with challenges they can do to help them step outside of their comfort zone. I also really appreciate the parents sections. I have read a few of the Facing Mighty Fears books now, and I can say I would absolutely own them all for my kids.

[MookNana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource for preschool/elementary kids and their parents and caregivers. It very simply explains why trying new things can cause anxiety and how to work through that in order to feel more confident in unfamiliar situations. The language is very accessible, so it will be easy for young children to understand the ideas and actions suggested. Text blocks are kept to a manageable size and different formats and illustrations are used to break up sections and highlight key concepts. This is a wonderful introduction to managing anxiety and practicing bravery and would be a great addition to home, school, and community libraries!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book for Primary School Children easy for them to read and understand, the language is also easy for them to read so they can read on their own or with a parent/cared.
Ideal book for professionals to use with children when discussing anxiety and how to deal with the emotions and physical changes these bring. I can’t wait to use this book with the children I work with.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley publishers for allowing me access to this free Advance Reader Copy.
#FacingMightyFearsAboutTryingNewThings #NetGalley

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is designed to help children and young people understand why trying new things causes anxiety. It has step by step instructions on how to problem solve to help them cope with the experience of fear of the unknown.

It is clearly written and simple to understand. It has great illustrations to make the book interesting for children and young people.

For the parents of those children reading this book, there is a helpful section at the back of the book that explains how to support their child in this process.

Dr. Dawn has a wealth of experience to share and she does so in a way that is straightforward and, most of all, fun.

[Joni McNeal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great analogies for any kid to follow.