An Unexpected Thing

An unexpected thing is a beautifully illustrated book, It’s a great book for kids to read or for grown ups to read with kids especially if they struggle with feeling uncertain about things or have bouts of anxiety.

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.

This beautiful book tells the tale of a little boy named Fred, who is afraid of everything. With the help of his friend, Coco, he manages to beat his fears and venture into life with confidence. What a lovely story! The illustrations are stunning, and the message of this book is so beautiful, it nearly reduced me to tears. I would highly recommend this.

Wow, I really love this book about Fred and Coco and how they both have their own unique perspective on the things they like and dread. Even though there are many frightening things out there, it is vital that all children think positively.

Full of lush imagery that somehow conveys a subtle chaos relevant to the story, this picturebook tackles fear and anxiety in a quiet, accessible way for little ones- and packs an unexpected punch for such a small package. I wish I had access to books like this when I was little.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All provided opinions are my own.

A unique take on anxiety about facing your fears and how your perception can change everything. Lovely artwork. There are all kinds of anxiety triggers but this book focuses on an unknown object.

It would be best read together with a parent or in a classroom setting with a teacher to help children with their understanding, while also opening up the chance for conversation about their own fears and anxieties.

That cover 😍

As the mother of a child with anxiety, this book has a lot of good tools and conversation starters to use with anxious children. It would be a very good book to read alongside CBT therapy. The illustrations were lovely as well.

What a lovely book to include in your PSHE curriculum. With gorgeous illustrations and short bursts of text, this charming book explores the concept of fear in a very age-appropriate way. It helps us to appreciate that we each experience things in a different way and all of our responses are right. It will be a lovely book to share just before the beginning of a new term or just before transition within school when some children do feel more anxious than usual. The gorgeous cover alone will generate lots of discussion before you even get to the content of the story.
I hope Ashling will write more books along a similar theme.

It is a simple yet beautiful book about how 2 children see the same thing differently. It is our own perspective that makes something fearful or interesting.

It reminds me of the book, "Black Dog".

Everyone is afraid at some time in their life. But there are some of us that are afraid quite often. Understanding our fears and anxiety is such a valuable lesson for any age. The earlier in life we learn to be aware of fear and learn how to change our perspective and see adventure.

This children’s book is a perfect way for parents, grandparents, caregivers and even schools to talk to young readers about fears and anxiety. Difficult emotions are not always easy to discuss in general, but the way these emotions are presented in this picture book makes it fun and easy.

The artwork is amazing and an adventure in and of itself. I read the book a second time just to get a close up look at each page of illustrations. I would recommend this book over and over to anyone of any age!

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books, Frances Lincoln Children's Books.

Wow, I actually really liked this! When the book starts I was unsure how It was gonna go, but the message of the story I thought was great.

STUNNING ILLUSTRATIONS !!!!

What a beautifully simple book that gives such an important message, that everyone sees things differently but with a little help we can see things in a new way !!

I really enjoyed reading this book to my daughter and she loved it and wished a spot would appear for us to explore ☺️

It is wonderful to read a children’s book that addresses difficult emotions like fear. Handled in a sensitive way, with beautiful illustrations, it drives home the message that we are not alone if we confide in a trusted friend. When we share, we get another perspective about that scary thing that makes us hide. Another viewpoint can make that frightening thing less formidable. It diffuses fear’s power over us, maybe it transforms it into something benign. We can learn to be braver. A book that encourages openness, trust and optimism should be on every kid’s bookshelf.

This is a wonderful book. Even as an adult I really love how it shows that sometimes things that scare us can be good still. The art in this book is beautiful. I recommend this to anyone who has a kiddo or even an adult in their life who is scared.

In "An Unexpected Thing", Fred's life is ruled by fear—but his (new?) friend Coco helps him see that sometimes uncertainty can be wonderful.

This makes for a lovely, compassionate look at anxiety in kids. I have a friend (diagnosed with anxiety from a very young age) who might have benefitted from this sort of book as a child, and I expect many adults will also know children for whom this would be helpful—children who can't quite bring themselves to fling themselves at the world with abandon.

The illustrations are rather rougher than the cover image suggests, but the use of color is really nice, especially as the book transitions from Fred's view of the world to Coco's.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Love this book for help with children struggling with anxiety. It’s a quick read and doesn’t make a huge impact right away but I think it helps with my own anxiety as well as my kid’s. Helps you see the world is a lot bigger than small, minute problems.