Thomas And Big Bridge Fear

Words: 514
Pages: 3

The story of Thomas and the Big, Big Bridge, written by Marc Cerasini (2001), is about the grand opening of a new bridge high up in the mountains. All of the town’s people are excited to experience the new bridge; however all the train engines are afraid of the height of the mountain, the high winds and crossing the bridge. Yet in this story, Thomas is the one who assures the other train engines that there is nothing to be afraid of and keeps remind the other during the journey. Conversely, there are moments that Thomas wonders if he should be more fearful of the journey because everyone else is. Thomas states, “If Percy and James and Henry are all afraid… maybe I should be frightened, too!” (LaPadula & Lopez 2003). However, Thomas overcomes his fear and continues on. As the trains approach the bridge, Henry opposes …show more content…
As a child’s brain grows, the limbic system begins to regulate a child’s emotions in combination with a child’s hippocampus, which draws out emotional memories (Berger 172). One of the most powerful areas of the limbic system is fear. Children are able to remember people or situations the made them afraid in the past. What is more, children are able to take cues from other people to know if they should be fearful or not (Berger 172). This element is clearly seen throughout this story. For example, when Thomas notices that Percy, James and Henry are all afraid, Thomas wonders if he should be afraid as well. Subtly, the authors are helping children know they do not have to fear even through others are afraid. This method is connected to Vygotsky’s Social Learning theory, where “the acquisition of behavior patterns by observing the behavior of others” (Berger 152). Vygotsky believed that children learn from others in both positive and negative ways. Thomas can follow the fearful path or choose to not be afraid. He chooses the better