by Pia Valentinis Children face doubt in every part of their lives. What will I wear? How long will I have to wait? Did I do it right? These doubts allow us to face our insecurities and teach us how to choose, learn, and grow as we decide what paths to take in life. Doubt is an intelligent approach for children from their own point of view that combines subtle humor with a little bit of irony to reassure the reader that we all cope with like unknowns. Through a warm combination of colors, Pia Valentinis illustrates these common self-doubts through animals, each asking a simple question that creates a comfortable atmosphere where the reader is presented with different ways of dealing with them. Doubt is a part of life, what makes us human, and in a world where we are pressured to be perfect, it is a healthy lesson to learn that the world can be wrong, that we are at liberty to change our minds, and that it is okay to stop and question, because "I always have so many doubts . . . Don't you?" Recommended for ages 4-8 years, but a provocative and comforting book for any age. Hardcover, 36 pages. 11.0 x 8.75 inches Schiffer Publishing. Printed in India. About the Author: Pia Valentinis has illustrated children's books with national and international publishing houses and has been published in Italy, Korea, Switzerland, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Greece, and now North America. Doubt is her first book as a complete author, and she has cowritten and illustrated several others. Pia has exhibited her works in numerous collective and personal exhibitions and was the recipient of the XXI edition of the Andersen Prize in Genoa, the highest Italian award dedicated to children's books, in the Best Illustrator category. Since 2008 she has been teaching editorial illustration at the Ars in Fabula Master of Macerata, where she conducts visual-art workshops for children. Pia lives in Cagliari, Italy. Visit her website at piavalentinis.com.
