Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd ; Hard Cover, Fiction, Picture Book ; Recommended

Pig and Horse and the Something Scary by Zoey Abbott

Pig is scared of something but she is trying to ignore it. Her friend, Horse, tries to get her mind off of her fear with bike rides, swimming, and making her laugh. Pig realizes that ignoring it does not make the problem better. They decide to talk about it and face her fear together. Pig’s fears are things that are very common for children (night, being alone, and a character from a story she read). Horse supports her friend in talking about and facing what is bothering her.

The book offers a gentle way to help children name their feelings and to realize that talking about their feelings may be better than ignoring them.

The animals are anthropomorphic in the way walk on two legs, they cook, and they use floaties in the pool. The illustrations are colorful and add to the story.