Is a Worry Worrying You?

I. Love. This. Book.

Seriously, it left me with tears in my eyes. The illustrations are cute, and the message is SO STRONG. By turning a "worry" into this sort of monster-thing, it helps to make it something tangible and real and, thus, something you can DO something about. There are lots of suggestions and solutions for what might worry you, some silly and some serious.

I received this book free from NetGalley for in exchange for an honest review, and IMMEDIATELY went and ordered a paperback copy to read to my 3 year old (who is a bit of a worry-wart). I also will recommend this to a friend who is a social worker, as I think it will be useful in her line of work as well.

Worrying is natural and everyone will get there eventually. Growing up, anxiety and worrying was something I didn't even think about or really understand. I had some difficult times growing up and always stayed positive, and then one day it hit me like a brick wall. I didn't know how to cope, and a book like this would have helped me understand what was going on inside my brain. I'm glad there are more resources available now to help kids with these issues.

The book itself is a great resource and tool on top of just being a good book. I kinda had a good chuckle reading this book, because the annoying and strange dynamic of worry kinda feels like the weird monster that is representing it in this book. It was on the nose for how I would show more picture worry, so I'm quite impressed.

This book makes worrying seem so simple. It not only explains what worrying is but also different ways to cope with it. It explains it in an easy to understand way that I think young readers would be able to identify with. It gives a great analogy for worry and helps explain it in ways that just make sense. I would recommend using this book for middle graders, or grades two and up.

The art style was also unique. It felt crayon-y and kind of nostalgic. It was very intriguing and not a style I've seen a lot of.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tanglewood for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. show less

I was one of those high-strung children who always tried to hide my worries. I felt like no one would take me seriously because I was a kid, and no one would think my worries were valid. This book erases all those thoughts. It's vitally important for kids to know that their worries and emotions and thoughts are valued. This not only encourages kids to talk about their problems (while reminding adults that kid's lives are not all carefree) but to work through their problems instead of living in fear of them.

Received for Review

Delightful story about worries. Really! The text encourages the reader to work through (serious but silly) worries with simple solutions. We are reminded that "A worry isn't polite. It has no manners." The children in the story treat worry appropriately, ignoring it, replacing it, facing, and talking it through with someone. Illustrations are colorful, detailed and fun.

Is Worry Worrying You? is a fun and educational book about worry and things that might cause stress in children. While it suggests some amusing, unrealistic scenarios, the suggestions for dealing with those problems are helpful. Throughout the book, authors Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz gently propose solutions to worrisome situations and point out that anyone, including adults, can have worries. They interject practical advice into silly stories, such as "Most of the time, something you worry about never happens." The book ends with many ways to battle worries. My favorite is "Replace a worry with a happy thought. Let a worry thought remind you to smile." The very last words are encouragement that "You can do it!" The book's show more target is 4-7 year-olds, but I think it could be entertaining and helpful for children older than that range.
Illustrator Marie Letourneau has contributed some tremendously fun illustrations, personifying worry as a giant, ugly blob. Her illustrations are exaggerated and colorful. They are a beautiful addition to the book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tanglewood Publishing for this ebook to review. show less

Worries, big and small, are something that plague us all, big and small. Most adults think with nostalgia about being young and having no worries. I guess we don't remember that worries can terrify children: if they hear overhear their parents arguing, if they break something and fear repercussion, if they know they are going to have to pass the house of large barking dog or a group of six grade bullies on their way to the park, if they remember on the way to school that they didn't do their homework (and far worse). While most adults have honed their coping mechanism to the point where they have either learned to deal with or compartmentalize their worries until they are ready to deal with later, many children need to learn how to do show more this, how to face a worry that can quickly assume monstrous (double entendre intended) proportions.

Is a Worry Worrying you?, by Ferida Wolff & Harriet May Savitz, is a lovely book with beautiful illustrations, citing real and imaginary worries, that can help a child put some of those worries into perspective and/or show how a worry can be approached and dealt with. This is a topic I don't remember ever discussing with my kids when they were small, and I see the merit in reading this book and discussing with kids on more than one occasion, BEFORE the day to day worries creep up on them. Most important, and I thought this was missing, a child needs to know that it can and should ask for help from a parent or a teacher or a counselor, if the problem is so large that it has begun to consume them (that I do remember discussing with the kids).

Thank you NegGalley and Tanglewood for a copy of this book in exchange for my own honest opinion. I look forward to reading and discussing with my grandchildren this weekend! show less

I wish I had this book when I was a kid; I think it would have helped.

It puts worries into perspective and gives tips for not letting worries take you over. The drawings are adorable and the scenarios and anxieties achieve the right balance between actual things that could happen and the sort of anxiety that runs away with you.

I'll be buying this book for the little ones in my life.

(Provided by publisher)