Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Frances Lincoln’s Children’s books for the ARC of this!

A cute look at fear and changing your point of view. The art wasn’t my favorite style, but I liked the book overall.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This was a lovely picture-book about anxiety and getting help from a friend to see things from a new perspective! and overcoming our fears and worries! I wish maybe it wasn't something so obviously scary in real life, but the symbol is very on-point. It brings forth the message that our past experiences can make us vary and only think the worst in every situation, even when it should be something that should fill us with wonder.

Surprisingly relatable. On a high level, we can understand the theory here. Changing perspective can be the way to handle the unexpected when you are anxiety prone. It's also really hard to do, so this can feel like an oversimplification. Still, a decent concept to introduce to children.

As an adult who suffered from severe and debilitating anxiety and fear, this book hit home. It depicts my life so well. I very much recommend it!

An unexpected thing is about little Fred who is afraid of everything. His friend Coco helps him find his confidence to face the fears he may have about the scary and sometimes wonderful things in the world.
It is a lovely book for children to read by themselves or with their adult, it will help with reducing anxiety and finding coping mechanisms. It can start great conversations about fears and anxieties which can be spoken about at home or at school in a PSHE lesson.
The illustrations are beautiful and bring the story together wonderfully.

4★
“Being afraid sometimes is quite normal. Everyone feels afraid at some time or other.”

We certainly do. This book is about a little boy who is afraid of everything – something under his bed, for example. He’s jumps at shadows, but to be fair, if I happened to spot a shadow like this on a wall near me and couldn’t see the cute cat that made it, I’d jump too!

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“There were many kinds of things that scared Fred. But it was the unexpected things that worried him most.”

So just imagine what he must have felt when suddenly there was a big black spot in the sky!

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Too frightened to look straight at it, Fred did what anyone in his position would do...”

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“He hid”

He looks absolutely miserable, tiny and alone, as the rain pours down. It’s possible this is his imagined, personal rainstorm, because his friend Coco is standing out in bright sunshine, looking straight at it.

He thinks she would be surprised if she saw what he did. But it seems she didn’t.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Coco did what anyone in her position would do...She decided to help Fred see things from her point of view.”

She holds out her hand to him, and he takes it as they walk. Fred talks about THE SPOT and the scary things he thinks it could be – a moon blown out of orbit – while Coco talks about big bubbles and birthday balloons.

They play with some very big balloons, tossing them back and forth. Again, whether this is supposed to be real or imagined, I don’t know.

Coco convinces him to go out and sit right under THE SPOT and talk about all the wonderful things it might be.

As the light fades, they notice THE SPOT has a sparkly string hanging down.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Together they decided to investigate.”

The string is actually a rope ladder, and the children climb inside THE SPOT (whatever it is). We see them peering out of THE SPOT as if it is a porthole, looking at a sky full of colourful shapes. Then they leap out and slide down.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“The world is fizzing with things.
Scary things, terrific things, wonderful things.
Some things we know, and some things we don’t.
And even though these things can sometimes make us feel afraid and unsure...together we can find them out…”

The children are tiny and simply drawn while the big world is full of visual ‘noise’ that might disturb a nervous child. I like the way Coco is shown as naturally curious, but that she understands her friend’s discomfort.

Thanks to #Netgalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the preview copy of #AnUnexpectedThing.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley and the publishers.

Fred is a boy who lives in fear of new things and experiences. His anxiety is portrayed as natural. "An Unexpected Thing," beautifully written and illustrated by Ashling Lindsay, is a story that helps readers understand Fred's authentic emotions: his curiosities, his frustrations, his angst, and his happiness.

Starting with a dot that appears in the sky that causes Fred great consternation; readers are also introduced to Coco, a character with a different point of view who sees the dot with great enthusiasm for the unknown. With this duality of perspectives, Coco encourages Fred to move through his fear toward inquisitiveness. What might happen if instead of being afraid of the dot, he was curious about it instead?

This book offers readers the chance to see the reality of how children experience anxiety and fear in everyday life and provides excellent opportunities for discussion about how we can be empathetic and helpful for our friends with these fears and emotions as they arise. What might be beneficial for our friends who are anxious? Developing stronger understandings, learning/unlearning, and discovering empathy and compassion for children like Fred, who don't always like change and new things, can help lead to stronger learning communities and classrooms. This book is a must-read for early primary classrooms.

Fred is scared of everything. His friend Coco is not. When a giant spot appears in the sky, Fred is terrified. Coco is not. Coco wants to find out what it is and explore this exciting new thing. Coco takes Fred exploring with her, and helps him be less afraid in the world.
An Unexpected Thing is a beautiful story with equally wonderful illustrations and a great book for young kids struggling with anxiety. Highly recommended.

Thank you to the author, Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This children's book explores the topic of living with anxiety and fears - introducing Fred, who is afraid of everything, and his friend Coco, who is fearless. When something unexpected happens, we see this from their two vantage points, and I agree it's good to show that looking at things from another vantage point can make them appear vastly different. However, I felt the overall message was unbalanced. Sometimes it's good to "trust your gut" and "look before you leap" - Coco would not agree and I felt Fred was othered right from the start, which is not helpful, given the message this book is trying to get across.

I like this book and the message it gives. Things can be scary, especially when you don't know what they are. But with the help of a friend, it can become easier to explore where the fears are coming from and whether there are different ways to view the problem. I like that Coco talks to Fred and shows him the way she views things in a more positive light. I also like the way the book shows that something you don't find scary, might be terrifying to other people and the importance of accepting and understanding that.

I cannot really tell much more about this book than what is in the description already, the illustrations are cute and colorful and the book really delivers what is proposed, helps small children to learn how to cope with anxiety.

What I really liked in the book was that it represents both perspectives, and none of them in a condescending way and deliberately avoids false positivity and emphasizes that how either of the children views the world is not an absolute truth but perspective. This book not only helps cope with anxiety but also helps others to learn how to help those with anxiety. And all of this is accomplished in very few words.

I like reading books about emotional education written for children even as an adult because I think among all the difficult answers and advice and therapy they are capable of reaching back and inside a very deep part of us and shed some different light on our schemes. They don't replace therapy or self-work of course but I think they are a good reminder and can be effectively used as a source for positive affirmations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the ARC.

What a lovely book about fears and worry and how we can help each other. Poor Fred is afraid of everything, but luckily he has a friend yo help him. A great book for a child who is worried or anxious, a great conversation starter.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I enjoyed it very much!

0 ⭐️

As someone who has been experiencing anxiety from a very young age, I am glad I didn’t read this book when I was younger.

Right off the bat the book ‘others’ Fred by calling him “different”. Heaven forbid a child be scared of things they have never experienced.

Excuse me, but if you saw a giant orb entirely void of color suddenly appear in the sky, you would be scared too. That would be an entirely rational response. When we read some of Fred’s ideas of what the orb could be, they are pretty much realistic hypotheses of what could be going on. Good job, Fred.

Enter Coco, our Mary Sue. She sees the giant orb entirely void of color and because she is so much better than Fred she isn’t scared in the slightest. In fact, she is so ImAgInAtIvE she thinks the orb could be all sorts of nice things stopping just short of suggesting rainbows and unicorns. Aww, isn’t that the sweetest? I bet you Coco is the type to see “FREE CANDY” written on the side of a van and hopes they have Snickers as she runs to greet the driver through the back door.

So let me get this straight. When it comes to a potentially dangerous event we are supposed to err on the side of the girl who thinks the orb could be a giant leaf. Then we are supposed to prove we are positive people by putting ourselves in the direct path of the orb. Then finally, we are supposed to go in to the orb (which looks to enter the multiverse). Are you kidding me? How are these good ideas?

Maybe they should have listened to Fred’s instincts on this one.

I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Wow, wow, just wow.

As the parent of an adult son with a severe anxiety disorder, this hit home and is still rocking the house. Anxiety is a ruiner of so much that is good in the world, because it won't allow you to see it. This book doesn't offer any fixes, but it does offer a hefty dose of perspective.

An unexpected thing happens. Is it exciting and full of potential? Or is it menacing and here to doom everything and everyone? To those suffering from anxiety, the unknown is utterly terrifying. Having a trusted someone try to lovingly show that there may be another way to look at things is the first step in overcoming overwhelming fear.

I wish we'd had this book when my son was younger, if only to spark the discussion of seeing the other side. When all he could see was dark, it would have been nice to let An Unexpected Thing shine a little light in.

A beautiful book about fear, anxiety and perspective-taking. Sensitively written and beautifully illustrated by Ashling Lindsay.

Classily done, this shows us a kid afraid of everything, and very anxious about a black spot that has appeared in the skies, and a neighbour, who is much more able to see the positives in what it might be. Together they face the fear, welcome the unknown, and see the world as a whole in a better light. Told like that it has the subtlety of a brick to the face, but this is gentle, calming, and dynamically presented, with dark splotchy shadows for his world and magenta-heavy colouring for hers. Is it really about self-reliance when it proves you need a brave girl to hold your hand? I don't know, but generally the impact of this lesson is a fine one. An impactful four stars.

When a floating spot appears outside his home, Fred is reasonably unnerved. As the whorl continues to loom, Fred’s imagination works actively, trying to understand what it might mean. Unfortunately, his thoughts spiral towards negative possibilities until fear of the unknown becomes all-consuming. Then there’s Coco. Focused only on positive outcomes, the young girl finds magic and wonder in all circumstances. Determined for Fred to inspect his fear and share her awe, Coco encourages Fred to confront the thing.

With modern illustrations and an intriguing title, Ashling Lindsay’s An Unexpected Thing was an easy pick off the shelf. However, though it begins with a brilliant premise, it ends just before its climax. A sincere attempt to embolden children to face their fears, the story’s preference for Coco’s outlook on life unbalanced the message. At its worst, the story read like a well-meaning guide for pushing aside the feelings of others. In a time when bullying is at its highest and therapist offices are filled with neurotypical children trying to make sense of the world through alternate perspectives, what could have been an outstanding tale of compassion and encouragement ultimately left too many questions unanswered and a moral only half-considered.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group, and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked the idea of seeing things from different perspectives and facing fears - but it felt like it didn't go far enoug in exploring the topic. And the pictures were okay, but not stunning.