If you have a four or five-year-old who is having second thoughts about starting school, you've probably tried telling the child that it's going to be fun, that there will be songs to sing, games to play and friends to meet.

Harder to do, though, is address your child's very real fears. Children are genuinely terrified of things which would never frighten adults . . . "Is my coat going to get lost with all the others?" "Will Mummy be able to find me when she comes to pick me up?" Or, "What is that very tall and intimidating person they call the teacher?" Parents may be able to help by sitting down with their children to listen to a new audiotape, "Why am I starting school?", written and narrated by Diane Louise Jordan, British broadcaster, trustee of Children in Need and Vice-President of NCH Action for Children in the UK.

Told in story form, the cassette is part of the "Coping and Growing" Audio Series (Backbone Productions, Ltd) and includes a colour booklet. Other titles include "Why are we moving home?", "Why are my parents separating?", "Why have we been burgled?" and "Do I have to go to the dentist?" All available at Easons (£8.99).