Bella the Brave; Rebel Wilson, illustrated by Annabel Tempest

From Rebel Wilson, one of Australia’s most-loved stars, comes a fabulous picture book about finding your voice, overcoming your fears and the wonderful things that can happen when you are brave.

Shy little Bella isn’t like the other children in her class, whilst they are keen to voice their opinions she much prefers to sit quietly. Life would be much better if she were like her confident and loud sister Stella who loves performing and never has any problems making friends.When Bella’s mum takes her to to the local choir, it is the perfect opportunity for Bella to shine. But will she be able to find her voice…

It isn’t easy being brave, especially when your body is doing lots of strange things; your heart is racing, butterflies are fluttering in your tummy, you are sure you are going to be sick and your face is the same colour as a beetroot. I remember feeling like just like Bella, preferring to stay quiet and out of the limelight, I still have many of those feelings even now.

What I love about Bella the Brave is that it shows that it is perfectly acceptable to be the quiet and shy one. But even quiet and shy can flourish and shine when the opportunity presents itself, all it takes is a bit of encouragement and a gentle nudge in the right direction. Hopefully children will take inspiration from Bella, who finds her inner confidence to not only shine like a star but to embrace the butterflies that live in her tummy - ‘The butterflies are still there. They’ll probably never go away. But butterflies are beautiful, so who wouldn’t want them to stay.’

Told in rhyming prose and with Annabel Tempest’s very colourful artwork, this empowering and encouraging picture book will help young children to overcome their shyness, to find their inner brave and to step confidently out of their comfort zones.

With huge thanks to Hachette and Lothian Children’s Books for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.

Recommended for 3+.