Doubt

Children face doubt in every part of their lives. What will I wear? How long will I have to wait? Did I do it right? These doubts allow us to face our insecurities and teach us how to choose, learn, and grow as we decide what paths to take in life. Doubt is an intelligent approach for children from their own point of view that combines subtle humor with a little bit of irony to reassure the reader that we all cope with like unknowns. Through a warm combination of colors, Pia Valentinis illustrates these common self-doubts through animals, each asking a simple question that creates a comfortable atmosphere where the reader is presented with different ways of dealing with them. Doubt is a part of life, what makes us human, and in a world where we are pressured to be perfect, it is a healthy lesson to learn that the world can be wrong, that we are at liberty to change our minds, and that it is okay to stop and question, because "I always have so many doubts . . . Don't you?" Doubt is a universal but authentic and relatable look at facing insecurity for little ones who struggle with worry and self-doubt. As a toddler the world is your oyster, but when you enter preschool and start to receive constructive criticism from teachers and not-so-constructive teasing from peers, doubt begins to bloom. For those sensitive souls, doubt can be consuming and make their world feel very small. In this narrative, the playful illustrations combine with the simplicity of the text to help children recognize these insecurities from their own point of view and encourage them to cope with how to process the thought. What will I wear? How long will I have to wait? Did I do it right? With subtle humor and a little bit of irony, each spread illustrates these common self-doubts through quirky animals, each asking a simple question and creating a comfortable atmosphere for the reader. In a world where we are pressured to be perfect, it is a healthy lesson for children to understand it is okay to be wrong, to change your mind, and to stop and question. The ending allows the dialogue to continue, with the narrator stating, "I always have so many doubts ... Don't you?" Ideal for social and emotional learning curriculums, teaching children how to manage doubts and how to choose, learn, and grow as they decide what paths to take in life