The Blurb On The Back:

Worries

Everybody worries sometimes, but it’s important to talk about how you are feeling.

FIND OUT ABOUT: WORRIES was released in the United Kingdom on 4th August 2022.  Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

You can order FIND OUT ABOUT: WORRIES by Mandy Archer from Amazon UK, Waterstone’s or Bookshop.org UK.  I earn commission on any purchases made through these links.

The Review (Cut For Spoilers):

Mandy Archer is an editorial director and experienced writer of children’s books.  This board book for readers aged 3+ (part of a series) uses sympathetic illustrations by Louise Forshaw to explain to readers why feeling worried or anxious is perfectly normal and how it’s important to talk about any worries that you have.  The flaps add a fun element to the book and there’s a little game for readers at the end to test them on what they’ve read.

I liked the fact that this book both normalises feeling worried but also stresses that while worries may not be real, they may nevertheless feel real to the reader.  There’s a strong emphasis in both talking to someone about worries but also the individual examples given in the book also suggest some practical steps that readers can take to deal with worries.  

There are 7 scenarios given in the book, each of which asks the reader to consider what can be done to help address the character’s worry (e.g. getting lost from a caregiver, being worried about the environment and so on) before going on to give suggestions. I really liked Forshaw’s illustrations, which are diverse (including having one character who appears to use a hearing aid – such a change from books which assume that disability is confined to wheelchair users).  Each scenario has a flap that readers can lift to get more information on the problem, which provides an interactive element but also makes it a bit more fun.  There’s than a test section at the end for readers to try out how much they remember.

All in all, I thought that this was well done and very reassuring for younger readers while also giving them tools to take control of worries.  Definitely worth a look if you have a young reader who is dealing with worries or anxiety.