BEAUREGARD'S BRAVE LEAP

A cat learns to overcome his anxiety in this picture book by occupational therapist Baskett.

Beauregard, a gray-and-orange feline, is enjoying a nap when he hears a young neighbor splashing happily in a puddle. He wants to join in, but when he reaches the water, he’s stricken with fear: “His tummy felt fluttery and icky. His breathing turned into short, shaky gasps.” The boy encourages him, but Beauregard is frozen with anxiety. He recalls what his mama taught him to overcome it: Note three things you can see, three things you can hear, and gently move three parts of your body; then take a deep breath, hold it a moment, let it out slowly, and move on. He does each action, then leaps into the water: “Beauregard’s fear had faded, and joy filled his heart.” At the end, the steps to “Pause and Be Brave” are presented as a simple rhyme with suggested motions (such as “Shade your eyes with one hand as if looking far away”). The art is slightly unpolished but charming, and the interactions between the boy and cat are sweet. More importantly, the book is everything a helpful story should be—demonstrating with compassion how awful fear feels, then expertly offering a simple skill that anyone may use in such circumstances.

An ideal tale for anxious youngsters.