I WILL NOT BE SCARED

An examination of trauma-borne bravery.

Two rabbits—mother and child—look out onto an abstract, red-tinged landscape as they engage in weighty bedtime conversation. The pair have been displaced by war, and though they’re now safe from immediate danger, young Bunny struggles to make sense of the horrors they’ve both witnessed while grappling with a conflict at school that evokes similar unease. Illustrations render gun-toting soldiers and schoolyard bullies—all members of the animal kingdom—as they enact cruelties; these successive brutalities prompt Bunny to contend with consequential questions. Is one iniquity really so different from another, the child wonders? And how much is the “right amount” of responsive courage? But Mama’s message is clear—fear isn’t proof of weakness, nor is it an experience unique to those who have seen bloodshed. Rather, fear is a tool that can be used bravely and by anyone, a force for restoring goodness when bolstered by courageous action. A sweeping treatise on atrocity and resilience, Sénéchal’s text, translated from French, is dialogic and profound; Rea’s art, with its innovative composition and gorgeous jewel-toned colorwork, is similarly intense. Backgrounds largely done in shades of crimson set a nightmarish tone, and several scenes clearly depict the pain and suffering explicitly referenced in the narrative. The result is undeniably striking and especially timely in its release, but adults should weigh reader sensitivities before selecting this story.

An extraordinary piece to be shared with utmost care.