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The Little Squirrel Who Worried ISBN: 9780717192304
O'Donoghue, Katie
Published by Gill Books, 2021
Little Squirrel has not been out of his comfortable home in a tree for a whole year, and he feels safe there; but now he knows that he must venture forth to find nuts for the winter. This frightens him, because he is worried about all the things he might find on the ground - 'the unknown'. A little wren in the tree next door sees the red face of the squirrel peering out from his hole and wonders why he stays there all the time. On inquiring, she finds that he is too frightened to go out and suggests that perhaps she could go with him . He explains that just thinking about leaving makes 'my paws get sweaty and my legs feel wobbly', but if the wren will go with him, perhaps he can manage. And so the adventure begins. There follows a series of meetings with forest animals - Snuffly Hedgehog, Grey Rabbit, Mister Fox, Old Badger, and Great Stag. Each of them can tell him about techniques they have used to quell their own worries and fears, and these techniques are recognised by professional therapists as being helpful: the acceptance that all animals have worries and that he is no different from the others, an explanation of why this is so, the 5-4-3-2-1 technique, writing down the worry and putting it into a jar, the deep relaxation technique, and the fact that there are always good thoughts and bad thoughts, and some of the bad thoughts may not be true. We must try to find out if the worry is real and if it is kind. Often we can prove to ourselves that it is neither and therefore not worthy of thought. This last is a complicated thought process for young children, but with discussion, it can be understood. The story is charming and gentle, the illustrations equally so, full of soft colour, and the whole is a quite beautiful production. This would make a delightful sharing story between parent or carer and child, and the techniques will be fun to do.
Age: 3+