Newly Released Picture Book Can Help Cope with Children's Fears

PERRIS, Calif. - Dec. 11, 2023 - PRLog -- Nearly 60% of children 2-6 have fears and phobias. For them, the boogeyman under the bed is real.

"If they know the monster is there, and you insist that it isn't, then that might be even more scary to them," says Ursula Krentz Ph.D., assistant professor of developmental psychology at Seattle Pacific University. "Imagine being the only one who can see the monster!"

Lee Alfred's newly released Boogey-B-Gone offers a creative way to deal with those fears.

In the second book in the Adventures of Liam & Landen series, the boys learn how to turn their nighttime fears into an adventure. They wake their parents because they are terrified of monsters under the bed. Dad comes to the rescue, with the family's unique blend of patience and humor.

"Splish, splash, slosh, spray! All boogey monsters had better get out of the way!" Dad's homemade spray, Boogey-B-Gone eliminates all monsters. Liam and Landen discover that fighting their fears can be an imaginative game. They hunt through the dark corners they fear, spraying "short boogeys and tall boogeys and purple and red". Describing the monsters becomes a game, and in their pursuit, they rediscover the safety of their home.

"Your kids will enjoy the book and you might get your bed back," says Alfred.

Kids ages 2-6 will delight in this book's colorful illustrations and imagine facing their fears in a playful way.

The Liam and Landen series is something different for Alfred who began his creative career at MTV, then moved to Avida Entertainment where he optioned his first screenplay Red Hood to Disney. Alfred continued his creative writing with several screenplays. He wrote the spec screenplay titled Pirates of the Caribbean

Alfred joined Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker as a creative executive and director of Whitaker's philanthropic division. He co-produced the award-winning documentary Rising from Ashes with Whitaker who narrated the film.

After the birth of his sons, Lee wanted to spend more time with his wife watching them grow up. He blended his career in entertainment with a new career in education, quickly becoming principal of a high school program for at-risk youth.  That blend was evident when his film The House Next Door 2, released by Lions Gate while he served as a high school principal.

"Your passion and purpose can change but the creative fire does not," said Alfred. "I went from adventure films to the adventures of my kids. The process is the same, the purpose has evolved."

The third book in the Liam and Landen Adventure series This Is My Face, which provides a way for children to capture emotions, will be launched later this month.