How to Be Brave

When Daniel blew out the candles on his eighth birthday he had made a wish: to be brave like Fiona. Fiona and Daniel are twins but they aren't anything alike. Fiona is fearless. She loves to watch spooky movies, she never sleeps with a nightlight and she cannonballs right into the deep end of the pool. Daniel needs a little more time to feel comfortable in new situations. Three week before their ninth birthday, Daniel isn't sure he's going to see last year's wish come true. He still prefers safe to scary. Dad tells him that sometimes courage takes time to grow. Daniel wonders how much longer he'll have to wait until he grows brave. Hopefully not too much longer. He could use all the courage he can get to start all over at a new school - in April! Even with Fiona by his side, it will be pretty daunting to meet a new teacher and all new kids. And when Daniel learns in the first few weeks of school that he'll have to give a presentation in front of his whole new class, it's his worst nightmare come true. But as he gets to know his new friend Andrew and faces down some fears, Daniel realizes he's braver than he thinks. As always, Nancy Wilcox Richards draws on her many years teaching elementary school and effortlessly ties in curriculum links (here, a number of science curriculum links for grades three and four around bugs and habitats), along with the character traits explored here.