Oct
29
Written by:
host
10/29/2009 7:00 AM
At some time, each one of us has encountered someone that is a bit scary. We may not have used the word scary, but for one reason or another, we are reluctant to interact with this person. Doing so would require stepping outside of our comfort zone. Emily Jenkins has written a children’s book that addresses this topic.
the little bit SCARY people is a reminder not to judge people based on their looks, or on the brief glimpse of themselves that you may see. A young girl describes the “little bit SCARY people” that she encounters. Following a description of each person, she imagines another side of his or her personality.
“The cafeteria lady wears strange rubber gloves and never lets anyone take more than one milk.
She’s a little bit SCARY.
But I bet, when school gets out, she goes for a jog, listening to show tunes on her headphones. She sings as loud as she can and doesn’t care if people hear.”
The illustrations of Alexandra Boiger beautifully accompany the text. Her artwork portrays the “SCARY” people as coming from diverse cultural backgrounds. With each flip of the page, the transition from “SCARY” to not so scary comes to life.
Being a picture book, the little bit SCARY people is an excellent resource to use with children as a reminder that, “Some people are a little bit SCARY, but then, sometimes (maybe most times I think) sometimes they really are not.” If we dare to enter into relationship with the “SCARY” people, we might be surprised at what we discover. In reality, isn’t that a reminder that God’s children of all ages would benefit from?
~Sally Hoelscher