Maya and the Stage Fright

by Vicky Weber, Aleksander Jasiński (Illustrator)

Maya loves to sing, especially with her choir. But when the time comes for her first concert, a strange feeling overwhelms Maya. Her hands start to sweat and when she opens her mouth, no sounds comes out.

Will she be able to conquer her fear so she can perform?

Genres: Picture Books, Read For School

32 pages, Paperback

Published March 8, 2014

Reviews

[Twyla Rae Andersen]

This book was a delight to read!

Maya and the Stage Fright is perfect for children of all ages who feel nervous about singing in a choir or solo.

Beautifully illustrated, the artwork compliments the dialogue so that the reader can clearly see Maya's emotions as she goes from nervous to confident about singing with her choir in front of a crowd of friends and family.

I would recommend this book for children ages 5 to 8. It works so well as a picture book for the younger audience. An expressive adult reading to a 5 year old could easily elaborate and have fun telling Maya's story with the aid of such detailed illustrations.

Altogether this is a fun and engaging story.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Vidya Tiru]

My Thoughts
A sweet and helpful book with adorable, beautiful, emotive, and inclusive illustrations that provide readers a variety of strategies to help deal with stage fright.

When Maya suddenly gets stage fright before a performance, her teacher so very wonderfully talks to her and the other students about what stage fright is, and how to deal with it. The beautiful artwork compliments the narrative and we can see all the stages of stage fright (sorry!) from excited to nervous to scared to confident!

In Summary
Overall, a great read to boost anyone’s confidence and deal with those jitters before a performance (not just the little ones this book is intended for).

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Daryl P Goodwin]

Well illustrated picture book about overcoming performance anxiety.

Maya is a young girl who likes to sing, but becomes anxious at the thought of all the people in the audience. She gets advice about some ways to lessen anxiety as well as reassurance most people experience this - even her role model. There are two pages where the reader is encouraged to use these tips themselves. The illustrations support and amplify the text.
My quibbles are that several of the names are not phonetically friendly with no apparent reason for difficult ones being chosen. I also found Maya making an exclamation in Spanish confusing and am concerned this will be shared by young readers.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kirsten Waterson]

"Maya and the Stage Fright" goes on a journey of a girl trying to overcome stage fright. Vicky Weber did a wonderful job telling the story of Maya's nervousness before her school concert (something that happens to many performers of all ages). She offered great, child-friendly suggestions to overcome stage fright. I am a music teacher and I read this to my four-year old son who loved it and loved interacting where Vicky wrote in class/child interactions to make them part of the story. I would highly recommend this for any elementary or pre-k setting and also at home with your little ones. Thank you for making another great book for the littles!

[Susan]

Wonderful book!
Maya loves to sing yet suffers a bout of stage fright before her first concert. Her music teacher does a wonderful job dealing with this fear. Ms. Weber's prose is heartwarming as she confronts this real-life problem in a kid-friendly way. I have taught music for 34 years and have led many similar discussions with myself students. I love the way Ms. Weber provided more than one strategy to conquer stage fright. The illustrations are wonderful! Excellent resource for music teachers.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Kelly]

This little book was adorable. The protagonist, Maya, is a little girl who loves to sing. Like Maya, I have also loved singing since I was a child, so her love of singing resonated with me and it warmed my heart to read this. I loved the bright, colourful illustrations too. I think children who enjoy music and singing would really like this story. If children are musically inclined, but experience stage fright when it comes to performing, this little book could help them.

Thank you to Booksprout and the author for a free copy to review.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jenn]

Great Story, Beautiful Illustrations

Maya loves singing and is excited to perform with her choir. But when the time comes, she gets stage fright! I loved this story, so great to present what stage fright feels like and how to address it. I think the best part of this book was its great representation of kids of various ethnicities and abilities. My little guy likes singing as he walks down the street as well, so he really liked that Maya does that as well! A great book for young and old.

[Marichus Real]

Stage fright paralyzed a person. A lot of people suffer from it. But when it is a child who suffers from it, is worse because they don’t have the knowledge nor the experience to cope with it.
This book is a good way to learn about how to fight against it. Here Maya will help children to learn how to do it and get focus on what they like instead of the nervousness they feel.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brielle]

Another amazing book from a well-loved author. Letting students know it is okay to be nervous, and then giving strategies to cope is just brilliant. All this told through the story of a little girl. Love this book, and look froward to using it while preparing my students for a performance. Great work Vicky Weber.

[Leanne]

This is a sweet book with beautiful illustrations about mindfulness and dealing with nerves. It teaches children that it's okay to be nervous and goes on to show how these nerves can be overcome. It is interactive so children reading can practice mindfulness too.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[julie]

Children are going to absolutely love this book it’s so well written with great characters beautiful illustrations teaches children about stage fright helping children understand it so much better
Totally recommend
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lynn]

A lovely book for children who may be taking part in a concert for the first time or who just want to listen to / read a sweet confidence boosting story . My grandchildren loved it especially as they were preparing for a stage appearance too.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review

[Hassaan]

"Maya and the Stage Fright" is a good read that offers lessons to kids on how to handle the jitters when they have to perform on stage. Plus, it shows characters from a variety of backgrounds and both boys and girls, which is great. On the other hand, I personally felt that the pictures in the book were a bit too dark and might not attract the interest of young readers.

[Shannon]

I’m a music teacher and I plan to use this book with my younger students before their concert! It is especially helpful at a time when students may be more nervous after a break from performing due to COVID. Plus, it’s a great way to tie in SEL!

[Cherie Hoff]

Weber wonderfully shares with children ways to overcome pre-show jitters, and her techniques may be applied to any performance arena. Illustration artistry is fresh and expressive. Perfect for presentation in preparation for talent day at my school!

[Hyacinth]

Children are always doing new things. Stage fright is up at the top of the fear chart. Weber gives an inviting way to deal with stage fright. It is not only good for children but adults could use the tips mentioned in the book as well.

[Kay B.]

excellent book

This is an excellent book. You can use it to talk to kids who get stage fright. The story is very relatable. Simple and easy to read. Go flow to the story. Sweet illustrations.

[Amy]

another great music book for kids!

Vicky Weber has written a wonderful book about owning your fears and letting others help you through them so you can share what you love with those you care about. I really appreciate the way the main character is shown going through the process of doing something you love purely for fun, to the idea that we should share our talents with others-even in the face of fear. Illustrations are vibrant and beautifully done.

[Sarah]

Vicky Weber writes such beautiful and appropriate stories for children. This is an excellent read, helping students understand the concept of stage fright at a young age and learn to find ways to overcome our fears. An excellent story for use in the music classroom, music studio, or at home.

[Shelly]

Maya is nervous before her big performance. Her teacher helps her out. I loved this story with its tips on battling being nervous and anxious. The story is well written. I love the bright illustrations.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Machiela]

My students LOVED this one! They really enjoyed learning about cooping methods of performance anxiety. Great music book for sure!!!!

[R.Aveen]

Beautiful! Nice story & lessons about dealing with stage fright - told in a non-preachy way.

[Elizabeth]

Maya and the Stage Fright by Vicky Weber – This is on kindle unlimited. Perfect for any little musician or music class! Happy Reading!

[Brea Sebastian]

Maya loves to sing, especially with her choir, however, in this book she experiences a dillemma. Maya was very excited for her first concert until she peaked into the crowd. She noticed all the seats were full and suddenly got very nervous and overwhelmed. Maya was experiencing stage fright. Maya's choir teacher calmed her down and explained that stage fright is normal, and that she still gets stage fright sometimes too, despite being a music teacher. Maya got into her spot, and sang beautifully. She has conquered her fear of singing in front of crowds.

[Bookworm4Life]

When Maya has a case of stage fright right before her concert, her music teacher teaches her how to sing with courage