Sometimes the stories that reporters tell are scary When bad things happen it’s important that reporters let adults know about them They might first hear about it from the news on TV the radio the internet or a newspaper Once some people hear about it the news starts to spread They start telling other people about it They tell people near them and they call or text friends and family farther away to tell them what they’ve heard Pretty soon lots of adults start watching the TV listening to the radio or looking for information on the internet and talking about what happened 8
Lilly and Ben just finished dinner and their mom and dad turn on the TV news The news person is standing in front of a big glass door and ambulances and flashing lights are all around her Mom says Sorry kids we can’t play right now Dad and I need to listen carefully Then Mom grabs her phone to call Grandma Dad goes on the computer to look things up They look very worried Lilly and Ben feel worried too 9
When something scary happens pictures and information about it spread fast and it can seem as if it’s all you hear about or see for a while That can be a good thing because it can help people know if they need to do things to stay safe or to help others or know when the scary thing is over But scary news can be upsetting and confusing too You may be reading this book because something scary just happened Or maybe one of your parents or a teacher knows that scary news is on your mind Draw or describe something you’ve seen on TV or the internet or heard from someone else that was scary 10
Sometimes when you hear scary news you might not understand exactly what it means or how it might affect you That can make it even more frightening It’s easy to get some wrong ideas about what the scary news might mean for you or people you know This book will teach you to investigate and figure out what is really happening You might be surprised to find out that sometimes scary news isn’t as scary as it sounds But even when it’s really scary understanding exactly what is going on can help you feel less afraid When you investigate you may learn things that help you feel better You might also find out that the scary thing isn’t very likely to happen to you And you will learn some ways to feel calmer when scary news gets you upset 11
