5 books to help overcome your child's fears

1. Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears

This lovely book, by Emily Gravett, is a fantastic book that deals with many childhood anxieties from things that go bump in the night to a fear of being sucked down the plughole at bath time.

This book is charmingly illustrated and there are plenty of flaps, pockets and other surprises to keep your child occupied as Little Mouse works through his list of worries.

Gravitt is one of Britain’s best children’s writers and this is well worth adding to your nursery bookshelf.

Age: 2+
Price: £7.99
Available from: Amazon

2. I Want My Mummy

Tracey Corderoy’s heart-rending book is a beautifully comforting tale dealing with separation anxiety.

One day, Arthur’s mummy has things to do so Arthur is being looked after by his granny. And although Arthur loves his granny, he is not happy about this.

Luckily, his grandmother – who is, after all his mummy’s mummy, knows exactly what to do. Accompanied by Alison Edgson’s touching illustrations, this is wonderfully soothing story which should help to settle even the most anxious of pre-schoolers.

Age: 2+
Price: £5.99
Available from: Amazon

3. The Darkest Dark

A fear of the dark is one of the most common childhood concerns. Astronaut Chris Hadfield was himself afraid of the spooky shadows that appeared at bedtime and has penned The Darkest Dark in a bid to show children that the night sky is one of the best things ever.

In the story Chris is a would-be astronaut who spends his days planning missions to Mars. But by night all his bravery has gone and he lies terrified imagining he will be eaten aliens who live under the bed.

Then one day Chris sees something very special on the TV that changes his mind about the darkness forever. This is quite a sophisticated story which will appeal to the school-age child who is still battling the demon dark.

• Age: 4+
• Price: £11.99
• Available from: Amazon

4. Topsy and Tims: first sleepover

Staying on a sleep theme is Topsy and Tim: First Sleepover by Jean and Gareth Anderson.

Sleepovers seem to be the thing to do nowadays and start at a much younger age. And no matter how much they say they want to go, for some children the thought of staying away from their parents is just too much.

This reassuring book shows what fun it can be to stay with a friend but that it’s ok to miss home too.

• Age: 3+
• Price: £4.99
• Available from: Amazon

5. Black dog

And finally, a very thoughtful book from Levi Pinfold called Black Dog. One day the Hope family are visited by a large black dog, they are all convinced they will be eaten alive but Small (the youngest child) knows better and insists on going outside and making friends with the animal.

Small plays and chats to the dog until it is small enough to be introduced properly to the rest of the family. This book is all about facing your fears, and reminds us that by talking and meeting those fear head-on things are never quite as bad as they seemed.

Exquisitely soothing and sumptuously illustrated with each page giving you the chance to discuss things with your little one. Would highly recommend!

• Age: 6+
• Price: £12.99
• Available from: Amazon

Read more

• 5 brilliant books for starting school or nursery
• What to do when your toddler's scared of the dark
• Could this book be the answer to sleepless nights?