Fuchsia Fierce

A quiet, shy young girl, who was rather timid and reluctant to try new things, Fuschia Fierce had a bit of trouble living up to her bold name. Then her parents sent her to Camp Confidence, and she slowly emerged from her shell, learning that it could be fun to try new things, even when she wasn't always the best at them...

I had mixed feelings about Fuchsia Fierce. On the one hand, I think it can be read as a story about confidence-building, and about the rewards of trying new things. I like the message that even if we aren't immediately the most highly accomplished at whatever it is we're doing, we should still try to do it. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all. Unfortunately however, I do feel that the story here falls into the show more trap of conflating shyness with timidity, and assuming that it - shyness, that is - is somehow a problem, and something to be "fixed." I realize that our current culture puts a premium on a certain kind of loudness, particularly for girls, whom (it is often assumed) need to be encouraged to be more vocal in their participation. For my part, although I myself was on the fiercer side as a girl - no, I wasn't shy about participating - I think a range of personality types in this regard are all perfectly valid, and that introverts shouldn't be treated as if they were somehow in need of help, rather than acceptance. Leaving that aside, this was a sweet little story, with engaging artwork that reminded me a bit of David Roberts' illustrations in Ada Twist, Scientist and Rosie Revere, Engineer. show less

Fuchsia Fierce is the story of a shy girl who learns to be bold. She does not want to try anything and makes excuses all the time. Her parents want to help her so they send her the Camp Confidence. The first week, nothing changed. She continued to make excuses so she would not have to try new things. After the first week, she realized everyone was having fun except her. She decides to try something different. Nobody laughed at her and she was not embarrassed. After her success the first time, she tried again and again. She was not great at everything, but she had fun. Gradually her confidence grows and she is not afraid to try new things. This is a cute book that young girls in particular will enjoy not only because of her name, but the show more colours and illustrations. The text is short and sweet for younger children to read. A great book for primary classrooms.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. show less