Oscar's Starry Night

The first camp out is a major event in the lives of children. When I was young, my brother and I would stay at my grandmother's and I had two uncles who were my age. We would use old blankets to make tents over the clothesline and the four of us often vowed that we would sleep out there that night. However, we never had the courage to do so until one night the neighbor boy wanted to stay with us. This gave all of us the courage to sleep out in the tent. To young people, the night can be frightening; there are noises and sensations that seem to arise everywhere. This book is about two young bears sleeping outside for the first time. Oscar has been invited over to his friend Ollie's place and they are sleeping out under the stars. At first, Oscar is a bit scared, but once Ollie admits that he too would be frightened if Oscar wasn't there, Oscar gets over his fear. This allows both of them to enjoy the moonlit night. Getting over fear of the dark and the unknown is something that all children must do. It takes time and the right circumstances and in most cases it takes a companion, a friend, sibling or other relative of the same age. The lesson here for children is that fear of the dark is natural and in some ways healthy. Learning to conquer it is also natural as overcoming that fear is often the first step towards conquering all others and a successful life.