I'm Not a Scaredy-Cat by Max Lucado

I'm Not a Scaredy-Cat: A Prayer for When You Wish You Were Brave by Max Lucado, Illustrations: Shirley Ng-Benitez ISBN-13: 9780718074913 Hardback: 32 pages Publisher: Thomas Nelson Released: Oct. 3, 2017

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook.com.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
I’m a big cat. I’m a strong cat. I’m not a scaredy-cat . . . except when . . .

From New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado comes I’m Not a Scaredy-Cat, a hilarious new picture book to help kids manage their fears and worries and learn to trust God.

Follow a silly series of misadventures as scaredy-cat faces his worst fears: an appalling abundance of (gulp!) yellow and pink sprinkles on his donut, an elephant on the verge of a ginormous sneeze, and the terrifyingly loud chime of a clock. For each of the fears, Max provides this reassuring prayer for children:

“God, you are good.
God, you are near.
God, you are here!
And, God, you love me.”

A fun read for children and parents, I’m Not a Scaredy-Cat will open doors for important conversations about fear in a nonthreatening way and help you instill godly bravery in your kids.


My Review:
I'm Not a Scaredy-Cat is Christian juvenile fiction that suggests praying when you're afraid. It's a short, hardback book which follows a cute young cat that gets frighten by things like loud noises or unexpected things. They're generally things which kids can relate to but exaggerated so that they're funny rather than fear-inspiring. The illustrations are charming and make the cat engaging.

There are four sections that start with the "I'm not a scaredy-cat" sequence and end with the "Then I pray: 'God, you are good. God, you are near. God, you are here! And, God, you love me.' And I feel better" sequence. The fears range from scary noises to things that make you feel uneasy (like falling leaves or going down a slide) to times when you don't know what to do (like an elephant about to sneeze on you or a caterpillar on your foot) to when you feel skittish and tearful (like getting soaked in the rain or when a bunch of clocks chime).

I'm not sure how well the book would work by itself, but it certainly provides jumping-off points for discussing the fears that child has (some of which may not be rational) and how praying and trusting that God loves you and is near (to protect you, I presume) can help. Overall, I'd recommend this fun children's book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.