Books for anxious children
June 5th, 2021
I was a dreadfully anxious child. At the time, it seemed to me that I was the only one in the world who felt like that, and I became very good at hiding it. Looking back, I really needed books that told me I wasn’t the only one. Books that told me I wasn’t weird and alone.
So now I’m making a list of books for anxious children. I haven’t got very far with it yet, but I thought I’d share what I’ve found. (Note that I haven’t read any of these yet. But they were all recommended to me by people whose judgement I trust.)
I have linked each title to a review.
Middle grade novels: Michaela Mason’s Big List of 23 22 Worries by Alexa Moses.
Kate Gordon’s Aster’s Good, Right Things. (Pretty much any of Kate’s middle-grade novels tackle anxiety and other such issues with a delicate touch.)
Picture books: Under the Love Umbrella by Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys
Mr Huff by Anna Walker
Go Away, Worry Monster by Brooke Graham
If you know of any middle grade novels or picture books I could add to this list, please let me know in the comments.
3 thoughts on “Books for anxious children”
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About Lian
Lian Tanner has been dynamited while scuba diving and arrested while busking. She once spent a week in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, hunting for a Japanese soldier left over from the Second World War. Nowadays she lives by the beach in southern Tasmania.
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Hello Lian.
Your blog is very beautiful. I found a book I think would go very well on your list. It is called What If Roxy, about a dog that suffers from anxiety. I think the author does a clever job of using the ‘vet’ as a substitute for the ‘doctor’ and explains anxiety in such a gentle, through manner. I like this book because it makes the child feel like a big powerful person who is kindly learning about the dog’s struggle. I think this book does a really good job of maintaining the child’s dignity by putting the dog in the position of confusion about being anxious. This book is pitched at children, but I must admit, it really helped me too! I hope you will check it out. Much love, Ruth.
Here is the FB page. https://www.facebook.com/WhatIfRoxy
Hi Ruth, thanks for letting me know about ‘What If Roxy’. It sounds as if it really fills a very necessary gap. I’ll check it out. xxx
Thank you!