Most children are afraid of something. In Fearless, award-winning author-illustrator Kelly Canby acknowledges the validity of fear and shows how to overcome it.
‘Bea Ware was AFRAID of many things.’ She was afraid of night noises, shadows and other things that children are likely to fear. She was also scared of trampolines, balloons and hard candy. Her friend Annie Venture was the opposite and ‘FEARED LESS’.
Bea admired Annie as she blithely tackled ladders and shadows, candles and ceiling fans. Annie managed her own worries by telling herself to fear less every day. Bea’s fear, aptly symbolised as a frayed knot, began to untangle.
The concept and design of Fearless is superb. As well as being cleverly named, each girl is coloured to match her personality. Bea is dressed in blue and black, while Annie glows in bright pink, yellow and orange. Bea is often placed on a dark night-time background, while Annie is surrounded by white space. Waves of words buffet or bounce around them, accentuating their contrasting anxiety and courage. Key words are in large, bold typography.
An enigmatic black cat adds appeal. Like the reader, it witnesses Bea’s transformation into a well-balanced, generally fearless girl in this relevant, well-composed story.
Reviewed by Joy Lawn
Age Guide 3+
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelly Canby is an internationally published illustrator and author. Kelly was born in London, but has lived in Australia since the age of three, which is probably around the same age she started playing with pencils and crayons, and it was probably only a few years after that that she decided playing with pencils and crayons was something she wanted to do for the rest of her life.
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