Our noisy world sometimes feels like it’s not made for shy people. This book will help children understand shyness and find their inner voice.

Shyness is often misunderstood. It’s not a personality flaw, it’s a complex trait with many positive aspects. However, shyness means many kids struggle to speak up in class, get involved in activities, make friends, put themselves forward, and compete. As a result they can miss out on exciting opportunities, and are often overlooked, ignored, and sidelined… but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Introducing Shy And Mighty, a brand new book that offers an insightful way of looking at the subject that will comfort and reassure shy children and can help them to overcome the aspects of their shyness that are holding them back, without pretending to be something they’re not.

Featured in the pages of this heartwarming book, you can find:

-Practical advice aimed at 7-9 year olds on how to take small steps to achieve your dreams, how to work with other -people, and ways to get your views heard
-Bright, fun illustration helps to digest complex topics like understanding body language and appearing more confident
-Features relatable, and often challenging situations but offers activities, solutions, and coping strategies for children
-Book is divided into two sections Shy (which is about understanding shyness) and Mighty (how to thrive with your shyness)

Did you know that over the last 15 years, the incidence of shyness in children has rise from 40% to 48%? So with shyness already on the rise, as well as an over-reliance on technology and an impact on social integration due to COVID-19, there have been fewer opportunities for young people to develop their social skills. That’s why Shy and Mighty includes simple tools and ideas to help children take small steps to get more involved, share their ideas, and make friends, whilst also exploring the science behind shyness, the potential costs of shyness, and more in a completely accessible and easy-to-understand format for young readers.

A must-have volume for shy children aged 7 to 9, this inspiring book can also come in handy for parents, carers, educators and even librarians who are seeking to understand the challenges faced by shy kids, and equip them with skills to feel braver and to thrive in social situations.

Shy and Mighty can help kids go from invisible, to invincible!

My Review of Shy and Mighty

Shy and Mighty is, as might be expected from a  DK book, a robust, beautifully produced hard backed book that feels high quality.

What an absolute joy to open a children’s book and find the end papers illustrated  with a range of children from all ethnicities. Immediately Shy and Mighty feels inclusive and friendly. It’s a real pleasure to find characters in wheelchairs too. Sara Thiekler’s images are pitch perfect for the target audience, with just the right level of maturity and child like appeal for KS2 youngsters. That said, Shy and Mighty is an invaluable tool for shy people, or their friends and family, whatever their age.

I loved the way Nadia Finer begins Shy and Mighty by sharing her own shyness because this immediately gives the reader someone to relate to. The language the author uses is incredibly well matched to the target audience too. She explains how our brains control our shyness, and outlines the physical responses in our bodies for example, but she does so in an accessible, easy to understand language without ever patronising the shy child.

Shy and Mighty considers different situations like school or home where a child might feel shy and offers practical coping strategies, but what is so important is that Nadia Finer makes it absolutely clear that a child doesn’t need to change who they are, that there is nothing wrong with being shy. The author emphasises that being yourself is acceptable, that none of us is perfect and that the messiness of being who we are can also be our mightiness.

I thought the small tasks in the ‘Mighty Mission’ circles were excellent and I can see Shy and Mighty being an invaluable resource to adults supporting shy children, especially to teaching assistants in schools. Indeed, despite being an outgoing sixty something, I found some of the sections like the one on ‘Take control’ had valuable advice for me too.

Speaking of educational settings, although I can see Shy and Mighty being an absolute boon to a shy youngster at home, there’s so much within its pages that it would be brilliant for classroom use. Not only does the book help shy readers to understand themselves, it enables their peers to understand them too. Shy and Mighty could support PSHE perfectly.

Shy and Mighty is an excellent book with multiple uses. I think it is an invaluable addition to children’s lives.