I am excited to share with you a new book by Brock Eastman, called Afraid of the Light.
Who’s scared of the light? When a little monster and young boy come face to face, they form a friendship that helps them overcome their own fears of light and dark and soon realize neither have anything to fear. Afraid of the Light is a children's book about overcoming fear through understanding another person's viewpoint. Our world comprises diverse viewpoints, but that doesn't mean we need to fear views different from our own. We can learn to understand what others see, how they see the world and embrace their diverse views.
We can grow our empathy toward others and begin to bridge fractured relationships, uniting and becoming stronger.
This charming little tale follows Echo, the monster, and Grey, a young boy, as they help each other face their fears. The fun illustrations help walk you through the tough feelings that come with the things we are afraid of, and the timeless idea of looking through someone else’s perspective.
While I struggled, a little, with the way the story was written and inconsistencies between the pictures and the words, my kids loved the main characters and enjoyed their adventure. This book also allowed for great conversations about perception and how we respond to other people’s fears.
There were a lot of great opportunities to include references to God and why we don’t need to fear, but the intended audience for this book might have been for a broader than the Christian Market. Below I’ve listed several verses to help point the discussion toward God if you’re interested.
I have enjoyed many of Brock Eastman’s books, and his work with Adventures in Odyssey. I do hope we see the characters of Echo and Grey in future stories.
Happy Reading!
Brock Eastman's books have sold more than 150,000 copies. He is passionate about marketing and storytelling. He previously was producer and podcast host for Adventures in Odyssey. He is the author of The Quest for Truth series, Daddy's Favorite Sound, Mommy's Favorite Smell, Bedtime on Noah's Ark, Sages of Darkness series, Imagination Station series; Showdown with the Shepherd, Faith and Science with Dr. Fizzlebop: 52 Fizztastically Fun Experiments and Devotions for Families. He writes feature stories and the Dr. Fizzlebop recurring column for Clubhouse and Clubhouse Jr. magazines. He is also the co-host of the Story Biz podcast and host of Tyndale Kids' Summer Camp. He loves cooking doing puzzles with his wonderful wife and reading stories to his four kids each night.
Here are a few verses to aide you and your kids on a discussion through this book.
Joshua 1:9- Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Psalms 34:4- I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
Psalms 56:3-4- When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise— in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’
Isaiah 43:1- But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
Isaiah 41:13- For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Romans 8:38-39- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Timothy 1:7- For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
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