You can’t outgrow fear, no matter your age. As a mom, I get scared of all sorts of things every day - mostly activities involving my children. I worry about them getting hurt as they try something new. I also worry about my girls being embarrassed or crushed when I’m not there to help them navigate their emotions.
Yep, the worry is pretty much non stop, interwoven into all of life’s moments - from the scary and unpredictable, to the beautiful and epic.
My girls have fears, too, of course. They usually surface at bedtime, right as we’re winding down for the day. Their worries come rushing in like powerful waves. We brace for the crash, then I do my best to help them to see the shoreline. The dry, safe surface is almost always within reach, even though it can feel far away.
New picture book EL CUCUY IS SCARED, TOO! is a story about growing into, and working your way through, new kinds of fear. Not the fear of monsters in your room. But big-kid fears of unfamiliar experiences and the unknown world. Here’s the bright, endearing cover of this touching story by Donna Barba Higuera, illustrated by Juliana Perdomo (Abrams Books for Young Readers), which arrived on shelves a little earlier this month.
EL CUCUY IS SCARED, TOO! is a picture book about a boy named Ramón and the monster in his room, El Cucuy. As Ramón and El Cucuy chat and swap stories, it’s clear that - despite their fears - these friends have prepared each other for harrowing life moments ahead, including Ramón’s first day at a new school. Here are three things that I love about the new picture book EL CUCUY IS SCARED, TOO! …
Balance of Bright & Dark
EL CUCUY IS SCARED, TOO! begins at night. White stars twinkle upon a black sky as the story’s characters wrestle with the same trouble: Sleeplessness. El Cucuy, a sweet little bedtime monster, attempts to startle Ramón with his best scare. But the creature fails to elicit a jump from Ramón, as it did when Ramón was younger. The little boy has something else on his mind. “Other things are scarier to me now,” Ramón says. “Yo también,” El Cucuy sighs.
From page to beautiful page, bright striped textiles and familiar objects surround Ramón and El Cucuy. The brilliant tones and patterns provide a lovely counter balance to the heavy emotions the characters discuss, evoking cheerful and buoyant feelings in the reader, even as they process big feelings and worrisome things.
Art by Juliana Perdomo
Parallel Journeys
Thought bubbles whisk readers into memory, as Ramón and El Cucuy picture home. “I miss our old casita,” Ramón says, as El Cucuy imagines the desert wind and the coyotes singing. The characters mirror each other on either side of the book’s gutter (center binding), a composition that emphasizes their parallel journey, as well as physical similarities between Ramón and El Cucuy: round faces, sweet smiles, and cross-legged posture. El Cucuy seems in this moment to be a reflection Ramón’s childhood loves, joys and self.
Soon the characters begin talking about school, which starts the next morning. As Ramón shares worries, El Cucuy follows suit. Whenever El Cucuy expresses a fear, Ramón comfortingly reassures the monster, demonstrating that he’s learning to distinguish between fears that are imagined and those that are very real, yet harder to define.
Art by Juliana Perdomo
Constant Companion
Just when it seems that Ramón has it all figured out, it turns out that he needs reassurance, too. Ramón worries that he won’t fit in at school. “What if my clothes are not like theirs? What if they make fun of the way I speak?” El Cucuy understands, although he worries that people in this new place won’t even know to fear him.
It’s when comforting El Cucuy that Ramón finds his courage: “Eres fuerte… and brave. You will make new friends.” As Ramón and El Cucuy continue sharing memories and fears aloud, it’s evident that Ramón has never been alone. El Cucuy has been beside him all throughout his childhood, helping him develop strategies for handling fear, such as singing favorite songs and shining a flashlight directly upon the source of a scare.
Art by Juliana Perdomo
Ramón and El Cucuy’s bond shows the tremendous power that imagined companions can have in childhood development. In many ways, EL CUCUY IS SCARED, TOO! is an ode to imaginary friends, with an incredibly positive underlying message to children who will be coming to a new town or country, or starting over this new school year…
You are brave. You are more equipped than you know. The tools you’ve used to confront your fears in the past are still available to you today. And - perhaps most poignant of all - shine light into dark places, so you can face your fears head on. They might not be so scary, after all.
The Creators
Donna Barba Higuera's middle grade and picture books are about kids who find themselves in odd or scary situations, and characters who tackle more than just the bizarre things that happen to them in their lives. Donna likes to write about all things funny, but also sad, and creepy, and magical. If you like those things, read her books, found HERE! Donna lives in Washington State with her family, three dogs and two frogs.
Juliana Perdomo has a background as a psychologist and an art therapist, but her passion is in children’s literature. Her work is diverse, heartfelt and personal, folkish, a bit retro, and joyful, with a Latin touch. She has participated in many beautiful projects, including books (found HERE!), puzzles, animations, branding, family portraits, and magazines. She lives with her amazing son Luca, rocker partner Iván and crazy old dog Menta.
One lucky reader will win EL CUCUY IS SCARED, TOO!,
signed by Donna Barba Higuera!
1. "Like" this post (click the heart below)
2. Follow me (@anitraschulte) on Twitter
3. Retweet my pinned contest tweet by 7/30/21
GOOD LUCK!