With a team of earnest, hilarious little animals representing the various parts of your brain, and a friendly narrator taking you by the hand from the get-go, how could it be anything but magic!
Whether you’re feeling average, isolated, scared, unable to make a friend – or perhaps you’re aware that you’re winning at everything when others are not! – this book contains strategies and ideas for all the variables that life throws up.
I found myself nodding, agreeing, wondering, dog-earing pages and exclaiming along – and that was just chapter one.
Each chapter follows a similar format with pockets of interest, pops of colour and surprising facts to keep even reluctant readers engaged and, more importantly, digesting information. Directions for further reading and areas of interest are also offered.
The book has been beautifully designed, with a slew of colourful infographics and little cartoons (although I did have to look with my good eye sometimes as the font is so teeny tiny!).
All that said – my favourite thing about this book is that it’s funny. Not always, but always just enough. There are laugh-out-loud bits and lovely moments of personal reflection from author Alice Peel, interspersed with real life stories and inspirational people.
It’s a bold call, but I feel inclined to say that all young readers will find something to relate to in the pages of this book. It’s a joy, a support, an inspiration, a helping hand, a soft place to land.
Highly recommended.
Title: How To Be A Fantastic Sensational Good Enough Kid
Author: Alice Peel
Illustrator: Beck Feiner
Publisher: UNSW $29.99
Publication Date: 30 April, 2025
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761170188
For Ages: 8 - 12
Type: Junior Non-Fiction
