The Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade, by Davina Bell

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Perfect for:
Ages: 3-6
Occasions:  school/dance/preschool performances, shyness, anxiety
 
It will come as a surprise to no one, that I am a socially awkward person. I've always been shy, sometimes painfully so, and though I'm now pretty good at hiding it, it can take me days to recover from a party with strangers (the thought of professional networking gives me hives).

I sometimes see shadows of this part of myself in the Bea. Funny and bold with friends, she'll turn quiet and pensive in a crowd. Confident playing at home, but suddenly needing to remind herself that "Mummy always comes back". She watches, and takes her time, which is something that I love about her.

The Underwater Parade is a beautiful exploration of what it feels like to experience social anxiety, shyness and introversion. To be afraid of something that seems so small to everyone else. To feel that as much as you aspire to be otherwise, the challenge of being the life of the party, noticed in a crowd or BIG feels insurmountable.

The Underwater Parade tells the story of Alfie who, the night before the big Underwater Fancy-Dress Parade, gets that feeling. It's the same feeling he had before a friend's birthday party, when he had to ask his Mum to turn the car around. It isn't a nice feeling.

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 Alfie wants to be brave enough to be Captain Starfish, but he doesn't know if he can be.

What I loved most about this story, apart from the way it so perfectly captures the fears and worries of sensitive children, is the calm understanding and patience of the parents. Sure, they encourage Alfie along, but ultimately they accept him. They realise that his fears are real, even if they seem small in a grown up world. One day he will be brave enough, but it won't be today. He is loved, just as he is.

There's also a realness to this story. No heroism, no miraculous pep talk that leads to him conquering the show. And that, I think, would be a comfort to an anxious child. They're not alone - here is someone that feels like them. And they don't have to be a hero or experience a miraculous recovery from feeling the way they do. It's okay to be shy and nervous. It's okay not to do the thing that makes you worried. It's okay to be who you are.

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This is the perfect story for an anxious little person in your life, especially in peak school and Christmas time performance season. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful and the narration is soothing and reassuring. It won't make the anxiousness vanish but it might make sensitive souls feel a little more understood which, I think, is infinitely more important.

We can't all be Captain Starfish in the school play. And that's okay (the world has plenty of Captains anyway).

The Book and the Bea x