Overview

When ten-year-old Ivy hears a dog bark, her heart starts racing-and her world suddenly feels small and frightening. She wants to visit her friend's house, but the sound brings on a fear she can't explain. With support from her mom and a caring psychotherapist, Ivy begins a hopeful journey to understand her anxiety and discover the courage she didn't realize she had. Through breathing exercises, mindfulness, gradual exposure, and surprising help from puppy yoga, Ivy learns practical tools to manage her worries and build confidence. This reassuring story helps children: Understand anxiety and phobias in an age-appropriate way Learn coping strategies they can truly use Feel supported, safe, understood, and less alone This book is perfect for ages 7-12 and for adults seeking meaningful conversation starters and effective techniques to support children.

Full Product Details

9781777986735

Table of Contents

Reviews

REVIEW by Stefani M. Cohen, Practicing Psychotherapist, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Author of books about overcoming fear of dogs, at: overcomefearofdogs.com ""This picture book is an engaging and groundbreaking story written in the first person about a young person facing her fear of dogs, aka cynophobia. This anxiety disorder is a common, yet often overlooked, fear among children (and adults). It can range from mild to debilitating. The story offers hope and some useful suggestions about how to overcome the fear, including support from helpful adults, breathing techniques, meditation, and exposure therapy. As a psychotherapist, I offer exposure sessions with real dogs. One brave nine-year-old girl whom I worked with celebrated her progress with a puppy yoga session. Up until recently, I had never heard of it. I was intrigued and interested that, in this story, the main character, Ivy, faced her fear by attending puppy yoga sessions. People who face their fear of dogs gain so much: confidence, pride, empowerment, and most importantly the knowledge that they can do hard things. I always say that facing your fear of dogs is easier than living with it. You will learn a lot and enjoy this book, even if you already love dogs. I plan to use this empowering book in my practice with my clients.""

Author Information

Sydnee Deutsch is an emerging writer dedicated to helping children navigate anxiety with warmth and hope. Informed by research and shaped by real-life experiences, she strives to inspire confidence and courage in young readers, reminding them they are never alone in their fears. Sydnee is currently in Grade 12 in a secondary school in North York, Ontario. As an A+ student with a love for writing, she is also a skilled dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher at ViBE Dance and Fitness Studio. At school, she serves as the Senior Co-Producer of the annual Dance Fashion Show. In September 2026, she will continue her studies at an Ontario university. Creativity runs in her family. Along with her brother and four cousins, Sydnee was one of six illustrators in her grandmother's picture book, ""Another Monkey? A heartwarming story for ages 3 to 8 about love, gift-giving, and sharing."" Each child contributed a monkey illustration and background art. This current book is Sydnee's first solo children's book. Sydnee wrote this reassuring story for ages 7 to 12 as a research assignment for her Grade 11 Sociology, Anthropology, and Psychology (SAP) class. Having experienced dog phobia when she was younger, She chose the topic because she wanted to help other children facing similar fears. With support from her mom, Marnie Schwartz, who helped her design the book in Canva, and guidance from her grandmother, Dr. Susan Schwartz, who assisted with editing, hiring an illustrator, and self-publishing, Sydnee brought this project to life. She is thrilled to be a published author! Illustrator, Josh Creative collaborates closely with authors to craft expressive, hand-designed illustrations using Adobe Illustrator, bringing each scene to life with warmth, emotion, and heart. Educator, Author/Co-author, Editor, Self-publisher, and Coach, Dr. Susan Schwartz, wrote the ""COMPANION RESOURCE for parents, guardians, grandparents, therapists, and teachers,"" accessed via a QR Code or link in the book.

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