FACING MIGHTY FEARS ABOUT BEING APART FROM PARENTS

A clinical psychologist offers savvy strategies for coping with a common childhood anxiety.

“So, being apart happens.” Despite a page design best described as utilitarian, this series entry offers clingy young readers and their concerned parents both a reassuring message and some helpful tools for getting past the angst. Huebner offers a lengthy catalog of animal parents who, much like human ones, “go to great lengths to keep their babies safe.” These examples are printed as “Fun Facts” on images of small loose-leaf pages taped in below the widely spaced text. The author also provides techniques for coping with panic responses through breath control and describes a method for breaking down separation experiences—from sleeping in a separate bedroom to starting school—into incremental steps. A denser following section lists tips and observations calculated to relieve caregivers’ anxieties about easing children through the process. Huebner closes with generous sets of print and online resources for both of her intended audiences (plus a plug for her video series). In keeping with the narrative’s tone of casual confidence, Stevens tucks in cartoon images of animals and a racially diverse human cast that includes children of various ages, one of whom uses a wheelchair.

Sound, despite the uninviting look.