Shadows on The Wall | Life Doesn't Frighten Me by Maya Angelou



Title: Life Doesn't Frighten Me
By: Maya Angelou
Genre: Picture Book
Pages: 32
Release Date: February 6th, 1993
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Summary from Goodreads: "Shadows on the wall
Noises down the hall
Life doesn't frighten me at all”

Maya Angelou's brave, defiant poem celebrates the courage within each of us, young and old. From the scary thought of panthers in the park to the unsettling scene of a new classroom, fearsome images are summoned and dispelled by the power of faith in ourselves.

Angelou's strong words are matched by the daring vision of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose childlike style reveals the powerful emotions and fanciful imaginings of childhood. Together, Angelou's words and Basquiat's paintings create a place where every child, indeed every person, may experience his or her own fearlessness.

In this brilliant introduction to poetry and contemporary art, brief biographies of Angelou and Basquiat accompany the text and artwork, focusing on the strengths they took from their lives and brought to their work. A selected bibliography of Angelou's books and a selected museum listing of Basquiat's works open the door to further inspiration through the fine arts.


Review: A few weeks ago, my five year old saw something in his half waking state that frightened him. He is now afraid of everything. The most strange fear is the television. I have to cover the TV with a blanket before he will uncover his head in the morning. Naturally, I've been looking for anything to help him feel braver and over come his fears.

I found this book on some list on Google. I don't even know what I was looking for, but I'm glad I found this one. The pictures are actually a little frightening, to tell you the truth, but the way my son reacted was amazing. As we read the words, the story told my son that he didn't need to be afraid over and over again. This repetitive phrase helped him to start and build confidence. He didn't cower at the pictures, he just told me that he wasn't afraid. It was awesome. 

I'm glad I found this book and will read it to my five year old as many times as it takes to get him back to normal.  



No comments:

Post a Comment