Being scared isn’t a weakness—it’s part of being human. These stories will show how each character reveals a unique fear and their path to find bravery.
Vera la Valiente is Scared by Ana Siqueira and Teresa Martinez
Fear: Roller coaster
Bravery: Sharing feelings and asking for help
Vera is muy valiente—she climbs like a mountain goat, she defends her amigos like a lion. But when her teacher announces a trip to Rocking Roller Coasters, Vera trembles “like a chick being chased by a wolf.” She hides her fear, practices bravery—but nothing works.
While on the line for the Green Monster Loopy Roller Coaster, she spills out her words, many words about her fears. Ms. Rodriguez praises her courage to express her feelings. Classmates share their fears. With support, Vera takes a brave first step—not on the biggest coaster, but on the little one. For now.
Relatable emotions and fun similes make this a great book to discuss fears and expressive language.
As Brave as a Lion by Erika Meza
Fear: A giant slide
Bravery: Helping her lion with his fears
A young girl faces fears with her loyal lion. “No matter how fast I go, or where I end up, my brave lion sticks with me!” But at the top of a slide, they’re both scared. She must summon her courage to help her lion find his bravery. Then… again and again—up they climb, down they go.
Relatable fears and vibrant art show that we can find the lion within—or be the lion for someone else.
Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes
Fear: Being lost
Bravery: Accepting help from her little sister
Sheila Rae feared nothing, not even stepping on the cracks. But when she gets lost, she’s truly scared. Louise, her little sister, the “scaredy cat,” appears and leads her home, stepping on every crack in the sidewalk.
A funny, relatable story showing that bravery can mean accepting help—and even the littlest ones can be brave.
Piper Chen Sings by Phillipa So, Maris Pasquale Doran, and Qin Leng
Fear: Singing a solo
Bravery: Saying hello to the butterflies in her stomach
Piper sings to the sun, moon, and frogs. But when asked to sing a solo, she tells her Nǎi Nai, “Butterflies were having a dance party in my belly.” Nǎi Nai shares her own story—how húdié (butterflies) are a sign of exciting things happening.
So Piper smiles and says, “Hello, húdié.” And she sings—her voice “fluttering up and out into the world.”
Kids will relate to Piper’s fear and learn to embrace the butterflies.
Lena’s Shoes Are Nervous: A First-Day-of-School Dilemma by Keith Calabrese, illustrated by Juana Medina
Fear: First day of school
Bravery: Persuading her shoes to go
Lena’s ready for kindergarten—except her shoes are nervous. She tries everything to persuade them. Only when she considers slippers do her shoes find their courage and agree to go. A funny story and fun art about finding bravery by persuading your shoes and yourself.
Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna
Fear: New school, new language
Bravery: Sharing fears through art
This girl always lived with her companion named Fear. But after moving to a new country, Fear grows—stopping her from trying new things.
When a boy shares a drawing, they become friends, and Fear shrinks.
Fear is something we all carry—and sharing it makes it easier to manage.
The Thing Lou Couldn’t Do by Ashley Spires
Fear: Climbing trees
Bravery: Trying—not achieving yet—but willing to try again
Lou and her friends are brave adventurers. But when their game involves climbing a tall tree, Lou offers excuses and tries to steer them elsewhere.
When they call for a pirate rescue, Lou tries. She struggles. She can’t do it—not yet. Her friends understand and choose a different game. Lou promises to try again another day.
Being brave doesn’t mean being able to do it, but being willing to try.
Esi the Brave by Bernard Mensah and Raissa Figueroa
Fear: Getting lost, Monsters
Bravery: Facing fear to find her parents
Esi “loved monsters and ghosts and things that went bump in the night.” But at the Kakamotobi Festival in Ghana, surrounded by scary masks and unable to find her parents, Esi’s heart goes “Bump! Bump!”
She takes a deep breath, stomps and stamps, until she finds bravery and her Mummy and Daddy.
Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
Fear: Diving board
Bravery: Taking a deep breath and trying again
Jabari sees kids jumping off a diving board and thinks it’ll be easy. But halfway up the ladder, he gets tired and climbs down. Daddy suggests a rest.
The next day, Jabari takes a deep breath, thinks of the surprise, and jumps. Again and again.
A fun book about discovering the surprise of being brave, with a supportive dad who helps Jabari face his fears at his own pace.
Mavis the Bravest
By Lu Fraser and Sarah Warburton’
Godwin Books 2024
Fears: of everything.
Bravery: “There is a spark of bravery inside us all.”
Marvis, the chicken, finds anything scary.
“Nighttime and Daytime and anything hairy.”
“Loud things, Fast things,
And anything whizzy!
She can’t turn on her bravery until a thief steals Sandra the sheep. Then Marvis finds a spark of bravery deep inside and rescues Sandra.
Ana Siqueira is a Spanish teacher and award-winning children’s book author who writes tales bursting with brujas, astronautas, and supercapas.
Her books include:
Bella’s Recipe for Success (Beaming Books 2021), If Your Babysitter is a Bruja (S&S 2022), Abuela’s Super Capa(HarperCollins 2023), Our World Brazil (Barefoot Books 2024), La Mala Suerte is Following You (Charlesbridge 2024), Vera La Valiente is Scared (Beaming Books 2024), Sticky Hermana (Charlesbridge 2025), If Your Abuelo is An Astronauta (Simon & Schuster 2026), Mami’s Heart (HarperCollins 2026) among others.
For more books, activity guides, and aventuras, check anafiction.com and her YouTube channel @AnaTeacherWriter.
For a teacher’s guide about feelings and bravery, check it Here.