A Guest Post by Laura Gehl
Toddlers
and preschoolers are basically 35-pound kid-shaped sacks of fears, decorated
with pigtails and chocolate stains, fairy wings and Batman suits.
These
fears can drive parents crazy. I say
that as a mom who once carried a terrified preschooler—a HEAVY terrified
preschooler—across a large parking lot after a rainstorm, due to a number of Evil
Earthworms lurking above ground. And as
a mom who is now resigned to leaving her daughter’s bedroom light AND the hall
light on every single night, keeping the Robber-Filled Darkness of Doom at bay.
But
really, who are we to judge? We adults
have our own illogical fears. Show me a
slug and I’ll show you an adult screaming and hiding under the covers. Yep, that would be me. Spiders? No problem. Bees? No problem. Slugs? MRMMMMF!
Yet
we parents are constantly encouraging our little sacks of fear to try new and terrifying
things. How would adults feel in the
same situation? Wanna try skydiving
tomorrow? How about an afternoon of
swimming in shark-infested waters? Sure, these activities have very low
injury—or casualty—rates. But for most
of us, that type of logic doesn’t do much to combat the terror.
Into
the fear-filled world of toddlers, enter adorable chick siblings Peep and Egg,
brought to life by illustrator extraordinaire Joyce Wan. Peep can’t wait for Egg to hatch; she wants
to share all the fun and beauty of the world with her little sister. But Egg is scared of….everything! Climbing on the roof of the henhouse? Might
as well order a concussion with a side of broken wings. Counting the
stars? You mean AT NIGHT? In the DARK?
AAAAAHHHHHH!!!
Over
the course of the PEEP AND EGG series, Egg will face all kinds of typical
preschool obstacles—from taking a bath (AAAAAAAHHHH!) to trick or treating (AAAAHHHH!)
to tasting new foods (AAAAAHHHHHH!). Fortunately,
Egg has a secret weapon in overcoming her fears: the ever-patient,
ever-comforting Peep.
Will
reading PEEP AND EGG with your preschooler be a magic bullet for eliminating
childhood fears? No. But curling up and
sharing PEEP AND EGG with your child will
be a magical experience, the way reading any book with any child is a
magical experience. An experience that
makes the child feel safe and loved and cozy…and makes the world a little less
scary as a result.
And
if Peep and Egg manage to help a few kids take a few steps toward conquering
their fears—then that’s the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae. Wait!
What is that slimy thing on my computer? MRMMMMMMFF!
You
know, I think I’ll just stay right here underneath the covers. Can somebody
please hand me a book? And an ice cream
sundae?
Bio: Laura Gehl is the
author of PEEP AND EGG: I’M NOT HATCHING as well as several other PEEP AND EGG
books hatching in 2016 and 2017. Laura’s
first picture book, ONE BIG PAIR OF UNDERWEAR, was a Charlotte Zolotow Highly
Commended Title, a Booklist Best Books for Youth selection, and winner of the
CBC/MSRI Mathical Prize for grades K-2. Read more about Laura, and find printable
Peep and Egg activities, at www.lauragehl.com. Laura lives, reads, and eats ice cream sundaes
in Maryland with her husband and four far-from-fearless kids.
Borrow Peep and Egg: I'm Not Hatching from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.
Looks completely cute!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fabulous story. I can't wait to share it with my own kids and my school kids, too!
ReplyDelete