A well-meaning verse narrative/early reader, about a lion losing his mojo when a maths puzzle at school proves he really doesn't have it all when it comes to bravery and confidence. Luckily a firefly can come along, break every rule of scale in the book, and give him some tips, so by the end he – and presumably as a result, we – are taking deep, slow breaths when things in our mind need a reset. The big issue here is the script is just not up to par with the verse – the rhymes are pretty good, generally, but the rhythm and line length really make you feel like you're stumbling. This then is much less enjoyable to read aloud as it should be, making it not an ordeal to sit through the pages as a lesson, but a smaller dose of fun than intended.

I would add this book to my calm down space where any student is allowed to take time to reset, refocus, then rejoin the group. We never know what our students are dealing with, especially those who do not share. I feel this book did a good job and providing a bit of a story along with some strategies in colorful fun illustrations that will help them feel better about any problems they are facing. The title, focusing on the big lions, has a bit of the "Wizard of Oz" magic where even the king of the jungle can be scared and that is ok. Nobody can be strong and courageous all the time.

Overall, the premise of the book is lovely, and I like the that there is great advice with the breathing exercise for dealing with anxiety that children would find very helpful.

However, I feel like the story and writing didn't flow in a way that makes the book easy to read, especially for young readers like my son, and the rhyming wasn't great in some spots.

The formatting/layout on the Kindle app doesn't work very well, some of the text blends together in a weird way, which made it really difficult for my 7 year old to read and he lost interest.

This is such a cute children’s book about the wobbles and what it feels like when your body gets them. It also talks about how to help the wobbles. I like that it has a lion as the main character to show no matter how big or small you are everyone gets the wobbles. I also really enjoyed the artwork. It was really engaging. This would be great for SEL learning at school or even just for parents to read to their kiddos.

I grabbed this book because my daughter loves to read and she is really shy so I thought it would give a good message about everyone being scared sometimes. We have to have talks about big problems vs. Little problems quite often. We enjoyed this read and the illustrations were great.
We would recommend this read to others.

Thank you to Netgalley and Cherish Editions for the copy.

Thank you to the publisher, and NetGalley for this e-ARC of Even Lions Get Scared...

While I enjoyed this one personally, it was a tad complex for my 6 year old kiddo on the spectrum. He LOVES lions and animals, but the format of the e-ARC didn't allow for it to keep his attention like other Childrens books. I will be looking for a physical copy of this one when it comes out to see if this changes! If it does, I will update my review!

I absolutely love this book; it delivers such a powerful and authentic message. The depiction of the lion grappling with doubts and anxiety is incredibly relatable, helping children learn to understand and manage their own emotions. I particularly appreciate how the story shows the lion overcoming these negative thoughts and emerging stronger in the end. This book is a must-have for every child, as it beautifully illustrates that while we all experience self-doubt at times, we have the strength to overcome it.

This book was lovely. It shows children that’s it’s okay to feel scared. The illustrations are beautiful.

I received an electronic ARC from Cherish Editions through NetGalley.
Readers see a young lion lose his courage and stay in his fears. He stops enjoying life and stays huddled away from everyone. A small firefly helps him find ways to cope and regain his bravery. By the end, he has found a way to face his "wobbles" and step back into enjoying everything he did before. I appreciate the square breathing illustration and the simple to follow directions for readers to practice this technique when they feel anxious too.

Cute, accurate, and well-organized book that helps kids find their inner courage. I think that it was a really smart idea for the author to make the book rhyme. This helps the story stick better in the memory and it gives the book a nice flow/pace. However, there were a few lines (ex. the very first line of the whole book) that didn't rhyme or were a stretch. This took me out of the story and confused me, so it's definitely worth fixing. On the other hand, the author included a lot of useful tools for kids to use when they are feeling anxious or doubtful of themselves. Skills like controlled breathing and positive thinking are simple for little ones to use, but so important and useful at the same time. On top of that, I loved the assisting firefly character! The firefly was drawn beautifully on every page and is truly a key character, which is awesome. Additionally, all of the illustrations of the characters were good, but a bit messy at times. I would make the drawings a bit more crisp and defined, especially since this is a kids' book. However, the coloring of the pictures was great.

The art is beautiful and compelling.
However, there were too many characters and unclear plot twists for a child to follow.
the message of the book has a lot of potential but this one is not for us

(book isn't on GR yet, I just tried to add by ISBN on Storygraph but the listing isn't done yet - will post reviews ASAP and update w/ links)
"Dedicated to all the kids who have faced BIG tricky moments and have navigated their wobbles to find their inner bravery button..."
I disagree, this is for all of the <i>people</i> - kids and adults - who have faced big tricky moments. Because I felt a little more brave after reading, too :)

My only complaint is the incorporation of the "bravery button" itself, I think it could be confusing for kids (because it was kind of confusing to me). In my mind, a button is something you press in order for something else to happen; the "bravery button" isn't a button in that sense. As I'm typing this it hit me - maybe it's supposed to be the kind of "button" you'd pin on a shirt or something? But that's a pin, not a button.....

That wasn't enough to ruin the story, though. This is such a great way to talk about big feelings and the physical changes they may trigger in your body. The mention of an elephant on your chest was a genius intro to a phrase kids will hear a lot growing up, and will benefit from being able to verbalize early on (maybe I've just missed it, but I can't think of any other kids books that take advantage of the safari vibe in order to introduce this heavy feeling). Another wonderful resource added was the square you can imagine during deep breathing. I'm used to the 4-7-8 method, but how in the heck is a kid supposed to grasp that, let alone remember it?

I recommend this book to anyone, though it will be especially helpful for kids who experience big emotions often.

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Dr Marcelle Moore and publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}

I like the idea behind the book, but it was very difficult to read. The writing did not flow and would make for a very awkward read aloud. Young children would most likely struggle with it, but may find the vizualization of the box breathing toward the end helpful.. I think if it was not written in rhyme, it may have been a better read.

The book was beautifully written. The illustrations are beautiful and keep the eye moving. Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it.

I love the concept of this book, showing even really brave people get scared sometimes. However for the age range it's aimed at, I don't think the writing flows very well. I found it quite hard to read. I do love the little breathing exercise in the box near the end though, that could be useful!

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-copy of Even Lions Get Scared by Dr Marcella Moore in exchange for a honest review. This is a powerful children’s rhyming book that introduces Scout, a proud lion who starts to doubt himself when he is confronted with fears that his body and mind find stressful.This book introduces strategies and ideas that the young reader can utilize to overcome difficult situations. Perfect for sharing with preschool readers because sometimes they get easily frustrated and can’t verbalize their feeling.As a preschool teacher’s aide I can definitely say this is a very useful tool that a teacher can share with his/her students when they are scared/ sad etc.