My Code Word: For When I’m Scared or Afraid

The world outside is shaking.
It’s growling like an angry lion
Snapping like a great white shark,
Every day a piece breaks off
Scaring tigers, elephants, and giraffes.

My Code Word: For When I Am Scared or Afraid is a story about a young boy who sees acutely what’s going on in the world and internalizes the negative things - wildfires, violence, etc. - to a point where he begings to fear for his future. When everything seems most hopeless, his mother comes up with a clever solution to not only allay his fears, but teach the resilience needed to be a change agent and tackle the world head on.

Lynn Joseph is a lawyer and an award-winning author of several children’s books, including Flowers in the Sky and The Color of My Words. Code Word is based on her own fears and emotions growing up and then as a mother of two young boys of color. Originally of Trinidad and Tobago, she has been based in the U.S. for her adult life and now splits her time between New York and Bermuda. Trinidad & Tobago based artist, Annalize McLean, has been mastering her skills in traditional art for the past several years. She focuses on light and dark themes within her work using a range of media including pencil, ink, watercolour and acrylic paints. Originally a geoscientist and educator, she creates artwork that emphasises nature and time.