A beautifully written book that speaks to both children and adults alike. While aimed at younger readers, Hello, Anxiety thoughtfully explores the experience of anxiety in a way that resonates across ages. It captures how children perceive and process anxious thoughts, while also offering gentle guidance for parents on how to support them.

What stands out is the book’s refusal to oversimplify the topic. Instead of providing a one-size-fits-all solution, it allows readers to observe, reflect, and sit with the emotions—an approach that feels authentic and respectful. It presents alternative strategies to cope with anxiety without minimizing its impact.

A must-read for anyone looking to better understand emotional well-being in childhood. Thoughtful, sincere, and quietly powerful.

I think one of my favorite genres to read are these children's books about emotions with information for adults in the back. Hello Anxiety has a relatable story about how kids can experience and deal with anxiety, and how parents can help with it. It doesn't oversimplify the experience, but gives visualization and alternatives for when things get complicated or for when the first solutions don't work. Would recommend this book to anyone, specially in these times when the world requires so much from us since we're little kids.

Hello Anxiety was an informative read. I like that anxiety was represented and discussed through conversations and tips were provided to help with navigate the issue. Beautiful vivid artwork as well. Great for young reader.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc

Un livre court mais très intéressant pour expliquer l'anxiété aux plus jeunes. C'est très graphique, ce qui permet de se visualiser assez facilement comment l'anxiété agit, et comment y remédier. La conversation avec un adulte de confiance qui est prêt à agir pour aider sa fille était vraiment mignonne et m'a fait chaud au cœur.
Rien à redire quant à ce livre très intéressant et doux.

Hello, it's me, a deeply anxious person! I loved this book. It gives a mix of general and specific advice/suggestions for kids with anxiety (and for adults who want to offer support). For example, there's a section on calming breathing with specific instructions, as well as more general advice like making a plan for how to deal with a stressful situation; breaking a plan down into steps can help reestablish a sense of control over the source of anxiety.

Obviously, this isn't a perfect or comprehensive description of anxiety or anxiety management, but it's a good teaching tool for young kids that could help establish a healthier way to approach those issues. The illustrations are a little mechanical in a way that I associate with educational picture books, but I appreciated the tools suggested here.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This was a lovely way of talking about anxiety with kids and teens. I could've really used this when I was younger and even reading it now made me think about what I can work on with my own anxiety. I like that it tackled a common fear that kids have as well of doing a big project and speaking in front of the class, as well as had different tips on how to help. I also appreciate the caregiver tips in the back. Wonderful job.

Anxious kids, you are not alone! And you, the adults who see this book, please get it for a child you know. Read it with that child or let them read it on their own if they prefer. Maybe just leave the book somewhere where it will catch a kid's eye. Be ready to talk with them about anxiety.

This book does an excellent job of discussing the overwhelming feelings that anxiety can bring. It also offers some hope.

The best part of the book, in my opinion, is that, in addition to some techniques, Destiny find that there are ways to be helped. What a relief! Anxiety does not have to be Destiny's destiny.

This book is great for a home library, for a therapist to use in working with a child and for school resource centers.

This book can be a terrific jumping off point. If more help is needed, remember that it is OK to access emotional support services.

Many thanks to the National Center for Youth Issues and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book called out to me from the cover - and its a book I wish existed when I was a little kid. As someone who has struggled with anxiety my whole life, I think this does a great job of presenting anxiety in a way that is relevant to kids, digestible for them, and comes with actionable insights for kids and adult carers to use when a child is struggling with that anxious voice in their head. The therapeutic approaches are described in a way that would make sense to anyone, and are techniques I find helpful even as an adult. I loved the section for adults at the end that provided advice for helping an anxious child. The dad was so wholesome and loved that he passed on advice from his own mother and was vulnerable with his child - letting her know that he has been there before. All in all would definitely recommend this and will be recommending it to my parent friends when their kids get a bit older!

As someone how has anxiety for over 30 years, and can see the signs in my 9 year old sometimes, I feel this book does a wonderful job reflecting what it is like to have anxiety. The simple break downs through out the story, showing examples of things that maybe triggering the anxiety is a great way for kids to relate and maybe even explain what causes them anxiety. I think that the books being piled on top of her when she is in bed and how she feels frozen is such a simple and yet powerful image. This book will be added to my personal collection.

As someone who's had anxiety their whole life but didn't know it as a kid, this book would have helped me so much! The tips in it are great but also the way they describe the feelings is also good! I didn't have the words to describe how I felt as a kid and this book can help with that.

***Thank you to National Center for Youth Issues and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review***

Destiny carries the weight of intrusive thoughts that make her question herself and the ways others perceive her. When she doesn't know where to start with her book report, her father admits to her that he has anxiety too, that some people have super sensitive amydalae that point out non-existent danger. He tells her about a poem his mother taught him and explains the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Destiny learns to start small and make a plan for her report. Once the day comes to give it, she is wearing her mother's courage bracelet to calm her down. Remembering the poem, she gains confidence to do it.

I thought this was a quick read and really helped with anxiety. I wish it was. Little bit longer though

This is such a fantastic children’s book with anxiety representation and how we can use coping mechanisms to mange our own anxiety. It helps open up the conversation about mental health with kids and I think every household could benefit reading this. The illustrations are cute but also simple which is perfect for the intended readers.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy! We really enjoyed this as a family.

Hello, Anxiety is a terrific book discussing how anxiety works and tips and tricks to help combat that alarm bell that goes off in your brain.

The story follows Destiny, a young girl who gets assigned a book report that she is meant to present in front of her class, and she gets overwhelmed with alarm bells of anxiety regarding this project because she doesn't know what to do or where to start. However, her father helps her by telling her what he used to do when he was young and his mother told him about anxiety: say hello to it.

Great tips and guidance for my daughter, but I found them helpful for myself! Destiny’s journey through preparing, writing and presenting her book report helped my daughter relate and understand what I was causing her to feel this way as well as how to cope!

I found the book to be just okay. While it did share some useful information about anxiety in children, I'm not sure how many children will find it helpful for dealing with their anxiety. Two days after reading it, I am struggling to remember anything about it. Since I would only have given the book three stars, I chose not to review it elsewhere.

A useful and practical book that can help introduce both parents and older children to anxiety management strategies. I appreciate its indirect approach, and its clear method for delivering important information. I think the concept of using one's "whole brain" to strategize is something that hasn't been mentioned by therapists we have spoken to before, and it will definitely be something that we are going to explore more in-depth.

I enjoyed this book as an adult with anxiety. It gives children that are experiencing anxiety a way to identify and cope with it and let's them know they aren't the only one that feels that way.

All in all it was a well written, interesting story but also an informative resource. I think this would work great in a school library and would benefit most children to read.

I actually really enjoyed this! I have anxiety as an adult and I spent a lot of time,t life feeling like I was in constant panic mode, simply because I didn’t know about anxiety. I really like that this book gives parents a way to explain anxiety to their kids in a way that makes sense, and provides techniques that may actually help.

This was a good idea and definitely had some good tools for kids and caregivers to utilize when feeling anxiety. I did feel it felt a bit older and more straightforward and literal than expected.