10 books for worry and anxiety lessons
- counselorsvibes
- Sep 25, 2023
- 6 min read

Use these books to teach kids about worry and anxiety.
The Boy with Big, Big Feelings is relatable for any child -- especially for a child experiencing anxiety, extreme emotions, a child identified as a Highly Sensitive Person, or a child on the autism spectrum. Beautifully illustrated and written in rhyming verse, children and adults explore the whole spectrum of feelings and readers navigate the emotional challenges they face throughout the day.
The main character has feelings so big that they glow from his cheeks, spill out of his eyes, and jump up and down on his chest. When he hears a joke, he bursts with joy. When a loud truck drives by, he cries. When his loved ones are having a hard day, he feels their emotions as if they were his own.
The boy tries to cope by stuffing down his feelings, but with a little help and artistic inspiration, the boy realizes his feelings are something to be celebrated.
"Cora and her Whatifs have a charming appeal beyond their focus on tackling anxious thoughts, making an enjoyable read-aloud for wide audiences. . . . A thoroughly welcome addition to growing collections of socio-emotional development materials." -Kirkus Reviews
Cora is struggling with her Whatif questions ahead of a big piano recital in this timely picture book about overcoming anxiety.
What if my dog runs away?
What if I forget my homework?
What if the sun stops shining?
What if my crayon breaks?
Cora is constantly worrying about everything. Because of this, the Whatifs love her. They sneak up to her and give her all kinds of doubts: big or small, silly or frightening, likely or impossible. As she prepares for an upcoming piano recital, the Whatifs cling on tighter and drag her down, making her anxious about messing up during the concert. Will she be able to change her worry-filled thoughts into hopeful ones?
Meet Ruby -- a happy, curious, imaginative young girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger . . . and a little bigger . . . . Until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about.
But when Ruby befriends a young boy, she discovers that everyone has worries, and not only that, there's a great way to get rid of them too . . . she just has to share her feelings.
This perceptive and poignant story is the perfect springboard for talking to children about emotions and anxieties.
The Big Bright Feelings picture book series provides kid-friendly entry points into emotional intelligence topics -- from being true to yourself to dealing with worries, managing anger, and making friends. These topics can be difficult to talk about. But these books act as sensitive and reassuring springboards for conversations about mental and emotional health, positive self-image, building self-confidence, and managing feelings.
Anxiety is a subjective sense of worry, apprehension, and/or fear. It is considered to be the number one health problem in America. Although quite common, anxiety disorders in children are often misdiagnosed and overlooked. Everyone feels fear, worry and apprehension from time to time, but when these feelings prevent a person from doing what he/she wants and/or needs to do, anxiety becomes a disability.
This fun and humorous book addresses the problem of anxiety in a way that relates to children of all ages. It offers creative strategies for parents and teachers to use that can lessen the severity of anxiety. The goal of the book is to give children the tools needed to feel more in control of their anxiety. For those worries that are not in anyone's control (i.e. the weather) a worry hat is introduced. A fun read for Wilmas of all ages!
Includes a note to parents and educators with tips on dealing with an anxious child.
Follow Greta as she faces her fears...
Greta can't stop thinking all day long about the dark cloud that seems to be following her. Finally forced to confront the storm that follows, she learns it brings good things, too.
Character building book for ages 3-7. Not just for children who are afraid of storms... This story is a wonderful example of a child dealing with fear and anxiety. It stresses preparedness. It also shows that some scary situations can't be avoided and that reward follows doing hard things.
Worry Ninja shares how we can overcome the worry wheel from spinning in our heads by using the circle of control and a dandelion. Find out what happens in this comedic book about soothing your worries.
Life is hard! It's even harder for children who are just trying to figure things out. The new children's book series, Ninja Life Hacks, was developed to help children learn valuable life skills. Fun, pint-size characters in comedic books easy enough for young readers, yet witty enough for adults. The Ninja Life Hacks book series is geared to kids 3-11. Perfect for boys, girls, early readers, primary school students, or toddlers. Excellent resource for counselors, parents, and teachers alike.

Do you have an anxiety monster that is big, and wild, and likes to visit you?
Is there any way to tame him?
Can he be a helpful monster that you just might not mind having around?
Find out in this delightful new book with practical solutions just for kids that deal with anxiety.
Your child may also feel empowered as the child in this story becomes more confident. While learning new coping strategies to deal with his anxiety, his Anxiety Monster shrinks. He may not be able to make his Anxiety Monster go away completely, but he can learn to tame him!
The back section of this book are LOADED with some helpful information for grown ups that can be great conversation starters for children and parents, teachers or therapists that help them deal with their anxiety.
Companion to the best-selling children's book "A Little SPOT of Anxiety" (coping strategies) this story was to created to help children learn how to control their worries (management strategies)! A little Worry SPOT helps children identifies the two different types of WORRIES. A USEFUL WORRY (a worry that can help keep you safe) and a SPINNING WORRY (an IMAGINED worry that prevents you from doing something safe and fun). If you are able to recognize the difference between the two you can prevent a SPINNING WORRY from turning into a BIG ANXIETY SPOT.
What do you do when no one can see your monsters but you? At first, Molly runs from them. But they follow her down the sidewalk, getting in the way when she tries to make a new friend, popping up unexpectedly out of shadows, and multiplying. Until finally...Molly faces her fears. Author-illustrator Brooke Boynton-Hughes delivers a modern classic in this moving adventure that honors everyday acts of bravery and the power of friendship to banish the monsters that haunt us.
Discover the power of mindfulness in this companion to New York Times bestsellers I Am Human and I Am Love!
Mindfulness means being fully in the present moment. Children can learn how to manage their emotions, make good choices, and balance their busy lives by learning to be mindful, express emotions through speech, find empathy through imagination, and wonder at the beauty of the natural world.
“There are times when I worry about what might happen next and what happened before. The thoughts in my head are like rushing water, and I feel like a boat with no anchor . . . being carried away. I give myself a moment. I take a breath.”
Mindfulness encourages us to pay attention to our experiences (our feelings, sensations in the body, emotions, surroundings) without judgment but with kindness and curiosity. Scientific research has proven that there are many benefits to practicing mindfulness. With so many children suffering from anxiety, there is no better tool than learning to be mindful. And it’s never too early to get started.
Here is a gentle expression of the tenets of mindfulness, encouraging young children to breathe, taste, smell, and be present in the here and now. I Am Peace is a reflection of the power of mindfulness in all our lives. It is a perfect guide with which parents and teachers can help children pay attention to their feelings and learn to control their worry and anxiety.












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