From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2–Sam acts very brave around his friends, going down the slide headfirst and standing on the swings. However, although he would never admit it to his buddies, he is scared at bedtime and worries about monsters and ghosts hiding in his room. One day, when a gigantic hairy spider with extra-long legs lands on his hand, he begins to cry in front of his pal Max. That night, Sam is afraid that Max will tell everyone about his reaction and call him Scaredy-cat Sam. His father calmly explains that everyone is scared of something, helping him confront his night anxieties as well as his concern about his peers. With Dad's encouragement, Sam gains a new confidence and is no longer afraid of being called a scaredy-cat. Goossens's bright-hued, fuzzy-edged oil illustrations exude charm and the exuberance of the animal characters. Although the subject is not original, both text and art deftly reflect the targeted age group, and youngsters will relate to Sam's plight, making the book a sound selection for discussing fears.
–Piper L. Nyman, formerly at Fairfield Civic Center Library, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Two dog friends give a canine twist to a story of friendship and childhood fears. Although Sam isn't scared of anything, his best friend, Max, is afraid of everything. Sam talks about going down the slide head first, standing on the swings, and watching scary movies with his eyes open (though he does get scared at night when he wonders if there are monsters under his bed). On the other hand, Max won't even climb a tree. When a big, hairy spider lands on Sam's hand, he's very scared, but Max comes to his rescue, picking it up and putting it on a leaf. Now Sam is scared of Max! What if Max tells? Bold oil illustrations, with carefully outlined shapes, feature pert, humorous-looking dogs with oversize heads to convey the story's message.
Julie CumminsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
