Why am I passionate about this?

If you want to live your best life, you’ll need to face some fears. I’ve faced a lot of my fears: great white sharks, sky-diving, caves, spiders, meat sauces. I’m still scared, but what else can I do? Stay in bed my whole life? I love writing and illustrating for kids. It’s how I’ve spent the last twenty years. I’ve written and/or illustrated almost fifty books. The scariest part is figuring out how to start. Thinking of an ending is scary too. Then there’s all that stuff in the middle. Ugh! My first books about facing fears were Hippo and Rabbit. Now, Scaredy Cats. Fear gives me ideas!


I wrote

Scaredy Cats

By Jeff Mack,

Book cover of Scaredy Cats

What is my book about?

Three kittens, faced with a polka-dotted present have different ideas of what might be inside. One cat is sure it’s…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Jabari Jumps

Jeff Mack Why did I love this book?

I feel like I lived this story as a kid. I’ll bet a lot of kids do. A young boy overcomes his fear of the high dive. 

Step by step, Gaia Cornwall takes us through Jabari’s jump. Jabari starts by telling his dad he’s not scared at all. He clearly is. He delays, makes excuses. Dad never pushes. He wants this to be Jabari’s decision, Jabari’s victory. It’s so relatable, the perspective even changes to first person once Jabari is high above the pool. 

Everything rings true. It’s exactly what a scared kid would say and do. It’s exactly what I said and did when I was Jabari’s age trying to summon my own courage on the high dive. Except when I hit the water, my swim trunks fell off.

By Gaia Cornwall,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Jabari Jumps as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Working up the courage to take a big, important leap is hard, but Jabari is almost absolutely ready to make a giant splash.

In a sweet tale of overcoming your fears, debut author-illustrator Gaia Cornwall captures a moment at the swimming pool between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can't help but root for. Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He's finished his swimming lessons and passed his swimming test, and he's a great jumper, so he's not scared at all. "Looks easy," says Jabari, watching the other kids take their…


Book cover of Scaredy Squirrel

Jeff Mack Why did I love this book?

I’m a creature of habit. So is Scaredy Squirrel. We both know the comforts of feeling safe in perfect routines where nothing is left to chance, where nothing can go wrong…right?  

Scaredy writes lists of his emergency procedures, draws grids of his safety equipment, diagrams his secret exit strategies. I feel this poor squirrel’s pain. How many nights have I lain awake before a school visit mulling over my presentations? No plan is fool proof. So when Scaredy accidentally falls from his tree, he does what he must: thinks quickly and improvises. And discovers a secret ability he never knew he had. 

In the end, Melanie Watt gives Scaredy most of his old routine back, but now it’s balanced with a healthy dose of adventure. Perfectly balanced, I’d say.

By Mélanie Watt,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Scaredy Squirrel as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

The first book in the Scaredy Squirrel series is a comical story of an endearing squirrel who learns what can happen when he’s brave enough to take a risk.


Book cover of Hannah and Sugar

Jeff Mack Why did I love this book?

Here’s a book about being shy in a world that rewards the bold. 

Sugar is the beloved therapy dog at school. She puts people at ease. Kids, teachers, parents, all give her pets. But not Hannah. Whenever it’s her turn, she shrinks away. Then, when Sugar gets lost, Hannah finds herself reaching out to calm her. Her fear evaporates when Sugar’s the one in need. Kate Berube evokes Hannah’s quiet bravery with a beautifully-timed wordless scene. 

When I was Hannah’s age, I was shy too. I hid when I thought my teacher was going to give me a shot. But her “syringe” was just a fountain pen. As she wrote my name, my fear evaporated. I could have used a dog like Sugar. Or a book like this.

By Kate Berube,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Hannah and Sugar as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Every day after school, little Hannah sees her classmate's dog, Sugar. All the other kids love to play with Sugar, but Hannah politely declines; she just can't conquer her fear of dogs. But one day Sugar goes missing, and Hannah joins the search to help her classmate recover her pet. As fate would have it, Hannah is the one to find Sugar, and although it takes a lot of courage, she brings him home safely and finds herself with an unlikely new friend.


Book cover of Big Bad Bubble

Jeff Mack Why did I love this book?

I love weird humor. I always have. These guys are like the Monty Python of kids books. 

Four monsters from an alternate world of cheap real estate and donut trees run around terrified of bubbles. They have fangs and claws and huge horns (the monsters, not the bubbles).

The bubbles are so delicate, they are almost too much for the beasts. But the narrator urges them to fight back. They do. And they win. The bubbles pop, and they feel like heroes. Until they learn the terrible truth about butterflies. 

Fetch the soft cushions and the comfy chair. This book will terrify you (no, it won’t).

By Adam Rubin, Daniel Salmieri (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Big Bad Bubble as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

An ordinary bubble may seem pretty harmless to you. To the monsters of La La Land, however, a fragile, shimmering bubble is an object of terror, and when the frightening habits of bubbles are detailed by a fear-mongering monster, Yerbert, Froofle, and Wumpus run away and cry. But with encouragement from the narrator and readers, the three monsters learn to confront their fears and triumph over bubbles! An original, offbeat, and funny take on conquering fears from the New York Times best-selling team behind Those Darn Squirrels! and Dragons Love Tacos.


Book cover of The Monster at the End of This Book (Sesame Street)

Jeff Mack Why did I love this book?

I loved reading this book as a kid. It’s so fun and funny. It inspired me to become an author. It’s one of the first ever books where you feel like the main character responds directly to you. 

Grover, from Sesame Street, is terrified there’s a monster at the end of the book. How does he know? The title page told him! So he begs you not to turn the page. He tapes them down. He nails boards over them. He builds a wall between you and the book, anything to stop you from bringing the monster closer. 

I won’t say how it ends. Just know it’s all about false expectations and self-awareness, learning to see yourself the way others do. Novel, sly, philosophical, I still love reading it.

By Jon Stone, Michael Smollin (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Monster at the End of This Book (Sesame Street) as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Monster at the End of This Book is a classic, adored by toddlers and adults alike. This collectible kit includes a mini book version of The Monster at the End of this Book, featuring the full text and illustrations from the original classic story, and a plush Grover backpack clip. Journey with lovable, furry old Grover to the end of the book to discover who the monster really is!

Lovable, furry old Grover is distressed to learn that there's a monster at the end of this book! He begs readers not to turn the pages, but of course kids…


Explore my book 😀

Scaredy Cats

By Jeff Mack,

Book cover of Scaredy Cats

What is my book about?

Three kittens, faced with a polka-dotted present have different ideas of what might be inside. One cat is sure it’s a cake, but their two skittish friends aren’t so certain. What if it’s a big hungry crocodile waiting to eat them up? Or a cake and a crocodile? Or a cake, a crocodile, a tiger, and a great white shark? The tension builds. Each new fear is more outlandish than the last. Finally, one cat must face the unknown. Will they choose fear or bravery?

Scaredy Cats is a comedy, a mystery, and a fable. None of us know what’s coming. What will our choices bring? Will we listen to fear? Or bravely take the next step? It’s the question we face every day.

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By Elana Gomel,

Book cover of Girl of Light

Elana Gomel Author Of Nine Levels

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Elana's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

A girl of Light in a world of darkness.

In Svetlana's country, it’s a felony to break a mirror. Mirrors are conduits of the Voice, the deity worshiped by all who follow Light. The Voice protects humans of MotherLand from the dangers that beset them on all sides: an invading army of wolf-headed men on their borders and the infectious, ever-evolving, zombie-like Enemy that plagues them at home. When Svetlana meets Andrei, a traumatized and amnesiac soldier from another war, she embarks on a harrowing journey of adventure and self-discovery that leads her to question everything she was taught to…

Girl of Light

By Elana Gomel,

What is this book about?

A voice through Svetlana's mirror guides her beloved MotherLand from behind its' electric tower. The war with Wulfstan is not going as well as Sveta and her parents hope, but Sveta trusts the Voice. When her best friend Tattie goes missing, and Sveta saves Andrei, a soldier in summer uniform in the dead of winter, it takes Sveta through a crucible of Light, doubt, and back to the altar of true belief. Girl of Light unravels Sveta's beloved MotherLand in a war-torn adventure through monsters, missing eyes and broken mirrors.

Girl of Light is a dark fantasy with a Slavic…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in fear, dogs, and swimming?

Fear 58 books
Dogs 423 books
Swimming 31 books