Eric Makes A Splash

Emily Mackenzie

Bloomsbury, 2018

32pp., pbk., RRP $A14.99

9781408882962

Nothing worried Eric more than trying new things, but luckily he had a brave and kind friend who loved to help him be brave too.  On Monday when Eric was afraid to splash in the muddy puddles Flora suggested he pretends to be a hippo having a bath or a piglet rolling in the mud and soon they were splishing and sploshing together.  On Tuesday she suggested be be a bear so he would have the courage to taste honey sandwiches…  And so it goes on until they receive an invitation to a swimming party.  Eric finally gets his brave on all by himself, but it is Flora who has an attack of the unsures…

This is a new twist on a familiar theme that little ones will love and which parents will appreciate as it offers some new strategies to get timid toddlers to take that first step. Young readers could put themselves into Flora’s shoes and suggest how their friends might overcome a fear in a way that makes it fun. They might even discover that some of the things they are afraid of are common and work out strategies together..

Something a little different.