Thank you for the opportunity to review this children's book, Is a Worry Worrying You? by Frieda Wolff, Harriet May Savitz. This book is primarily focusing on the anxieties that children can have. Particularly, the book shows different scenarios, each ranging from realistic to "ridiculous" or wacky. They show also solutions or address the overthinking in the situation, etc.

I think one of the unique aspects of this book is the illustrations. The illustrations range from cute to dark, which I think matches the tone page to page. The "worry" gremlin reminds me of the Mucus guy from those allergy commercials. Haha! In all seriousness, the illustrations are different than I would expect, but I think the cover lacks appeal.

The content makes up for this. I think the message shines through and helps address some of the issues that children may have, especially in this day and age.

Such a great way to help kids calm their worries. Kids can be very anxious and due to their vast imaginations can come up with the craziest senerios to worry about. I think this story really captured that then showed worries even more outrageous. I also loved the darker illustrations mixed with the humorous tone. This is one my son will surely be re-reading.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

This was such a wonderful story! So many people act as though children cannot and do not worry, so it is nice to have a book that acknowledges that children have worries like the rest of us. I loved how this explained to children how to identify a worry and how to deal with it. I can't wait to get a copy for my little ones.

5/5 stars

Genre: Children's Fiction

Description:

Adults think of childhood as a carefree time, but the truth is that children worry, and worry a lot, especially in our highly pressurized era. This book addresses children's worries with humor and imagination, as hilarious scenarios teach kids the use of perspective and the art of creative problem-solving.

Pros:

- The artwork is gorgeous, like a combination of Tim Burton and Maurice Sendak.
- Talks about the emotion in a silly, lighthearted, and kid-friendly way.
- Offers good, positive solutions to overcome worries.

Cons:

- Amazon states the book is for 4 to 7-year-olds. While my 7-year-old bonus daughter had no problem sitting through it, it was a bit wordy for the 4-year-old I babysit.

Would I recommend it?
Yes, but for slightly older kids.

Kids have a lot of worries, especially these days, when some of them don't really recall much about pre-pandemic life.

Is a Worry Worrying You talks about the idea of worry, normalizing it, and also encouraging cognitive reframing by giving examples of silly/absurd worries.

The book also gives some practical strategies for managing worries, including reframing, problem solving, acceptance, and distraction. As a therapist, I can see this book being helpful in my practice, and I can also see parents and educators utilizing this to facilitate a discussion with kids about anxiety.

Some more sensitive children may be frightened by the illustrations, but I think most would find them silly.

This books has the looks of a classic. I like how it introduces kids to the concept of a worry as a character. The art style seemed a bit gloomy to me at first, but it grew on me and reminded me of a few other iconic children's books. I found it peculiar how the book seemed to interchange animals with humans many times, and rarely depicted other humans, even less so adults! At one point, someone finds out their new teacher is a bear! That definitely set this book apart! The main reason this book falls short of 5 stars for me is how seemingly abruptly it ends. On the last page, we see the worry being kicked out with its items in a bag at the end of a pole. This seemed to be not such a good note end on. Yes, the worry is "banished", but what about when other worries inevitably arise? Maybe establishing a hotel where worries can stay temporarily, maybe even envisioned with a bed-and-breakfast, would have been another idea to riff off of? All in all, I liked and enjoyed the book. It would be great to introduce to kids for many reasons! It gets a thumbs-up from me!

A lovely charming book that reminds us to talk about our worries! I love the quirky watercolour style of illustrations.
This is a perfect book to share between parents and children, but kids spend so much of their time at school and often confide in role models such as teachers, so it will be a great addition to classrooms too.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As a person who struggled with anxiety as a child, this is a book I wish I could have read. Is a Worry Worrying You? not only teaches children that it's okay to feel overwhelmed sometimes, it also uses humorous situations to impart practical lessons on how to manage one's worries. For example, it is unlikely that you will have a hundred thirsty elephants over for tea only to run out of tea bags. However, just like our plucky character who decides to make lemonade instead, thinking on your feet is a skill that every child could benefit from learning. Some of the fantastical examples seemed repetitive, but I think a child would enjoy the silly situations (like an eagle making a nest in your hair) that the characters worry about.

In regards to the illustrations, I mostly enjoyed the odd and dark style. They reminded me of the types of drawings children themselves make, which are more interested in the emotion rather than proper anatomical proportions. I also think that the darker style fits the subject matter of monsters under the bed and worry-induced stomach aches. My main criticism is that this book has very little, if any, diversity. Each situation features a different child, so there was ample opportunity for the illustrator to include characters of different races, ethnicities, and abilities. Much has been written about the importance of representation, especially for children, so I think this was a missed opportunity.

If you have a child that tends to over-think or worry, I think this could be a great tool and fun bedtime story. However, this book would be much stronger if it showed that all children can have worries and learn to overcome them, as opposed to only children who look a certain way.

Do you have lots of worries? I certainly do. Some are more realistic, but quite a lot have been less so, even a bit ridiculous.

Children also have worries. Looking at the world today, you can't blame them. This book is all about worries and anxiety.

It playfully explores different unrealistic fears, and what you can do about them. Basically, it reframes the fear on its own terms, which is a smart approach. In the end it also talks in more generic ways how to handle fearful thinking.

It does feel like the text could be even more concise, more to the point. The book is richly illustrated, and some pictures are more succesful than others. The art style does fit the subject very well.

This book explains worry and gives examples of worries and the effects of it. I also liked that it gave ideas of how to solve the worries. Many books identify them, but do not give any ideas of what else to do.. I think this book could help many kids.

*** Exquisite Illustrations and a Needed Message for All ***

I love Marie Letourneau’s detailed and deeply colorful illustrations in this short but meaningful book ideal for toddlers on up. Authors Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz condense several funny (and some typical) potential worries of youngsters paired with ‘thinking outside the box’ ways to creatively cope or respond differently than what may first come to mind. Lurking throughout is one who looks like that creature who just might have been hiding under your own bed some time ago!

Some may at first find the detailed pictures a bit gloomy or scary, but after looking it through several times it occurred to me the darker images are appropriate. A slightly scary scene sets the atmosphere for validation of the positive messages that follow each worry.

I most certainly recommend this book and will be looking for others written and/or illustrated by the three women who brought us this gem.

Thank you to the authors, illustrator, and NetGalley for a secure digital review copy. This is my honest review.

Is a Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff breaks down anxiety into kid friendly language with beautiful illustrations to entertain even the youngest reader. I am a parent of two children with autism who relate to the world in vastly different ways. This book managed to keep both engaged fully and my older son even remembered the great advice that worry “doesn’t ask if it can enter. It just barges in. And it will stay as long as you will let it.” This caused a great conversation about how sometimes he needs to just try to let things go! Finding a book like this can be freeing for parents to help kids relate and understand that worrying is a natural part of life. But, that it is also wonderful to look on the bright side too. She give advice to “imagine it away” with kid friendly images of putting it in a suitcase and mailing it away and even more memorable strategies. I am thankful for the expertise of Féria Wolff in helping us have that conversation in a fun engaging way through her absolutely delightful book! I was provided a free review copy via Net Galley, the opinions shared are my own.

This is a beautiful book. From the illustrations to the storyline I thought it was fantastic. It would be perfect for a teacher, parent, therapist, or anyone who has children with worries.

Loved he very charming art in this book. The worries are very cute while still being slightly scary and the animals are all very well drawn. Making mental health concepts make sense for kids is really hard, but I would have loved seeing this book try to strike more of a balance between anxiety worries (which is what it focuses on) and being rationally careful and thinking through how to respond to negative events. IT feels a little bit like kids could walk away from this book thinking you should never think about bad things that could happen (and from that perspective having "suppress your worries" as the first strategy seems less than optimal!).

In a time where so many of us are worrying about worries, this is an excellent book to help children understand that while worries will always show up there are ways to take care of them and ensure that others can give help in managing them.

I really liked the idea and the message in this book. 'Worry' is an abstract concept that might be a bit tricky for kids to grasp, and this book makes a great introduction to recognising the symptoms and overcoming it when the feelings arise.

While telling a very important topic, I also liked that the story didn't take itself too seriously. It had fun with the possible causes for Worry to appear, and what they could look like.

I also liked the details in the illustrations, although I think the overall dark colours could be a bit too dark to attract kids to pick it up in the first place (especially on the cover). If I had to change anything on the book, I would most probably make the colour palette a bit lighter/brighter (again, especially on the cover).

Loved the book. Would recommend to all parents to start introducing the concept of anxiety to kids.

First released in 2005, Is a Worry Worrying You? is the perfect book for 2020, when children are troubled by fears of losing their parents and grandparents to an invisible enemy and have seen their routines blown to bits. Not that their parents are doing much better. With clever and calming words from authors Ferida Wolff and Harriet May Savitz and Marie Letourneau’s Edward Gorey-like illustrations, this children’s book will calm and amuse nervous children and parents alike.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Tanglewood in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully illustrated and written book for children that would be wonderfully presented and discussed with a teacher or counselor about worries and alternatives.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3560667315?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I downloaded this book to read with my niece who is on the autism spectrum and worries quite a lot. She loved it and so did I! Children’s books don’t often deal with mental health concerns in children and we need more books like this. I also loved the Tim Burton-esque illustrations. Beautiful and helpful and I need to get a copy for her.

Absolutely Adored this book! Reading it in 2020 during COVID19 but the message is still so timeless. Well written and loved the illustrations. Even as an adult it reminds you to face things head on and not to let worry or fear get the better of you. Would recommend this book to everyone!
(Sue Mason, Indigo Books and Music)