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A Kids Book About Anxiety
An honest exploration of the symptoms of anxiety and what learning to manage it can look like. This is a book about anxiety. Having anxiety doesn’t just mean you feel nervous sometimes or need to calm down. It means having an uncontrollable feeling that gets in the way of what you normally do. This book explores what anxiety is like and what life can look like when you’re able to manage to live with anxiety. Ross Szabo is an award-winning pioneer of the youth mental health movement. During his 8 years as Director of Outreach at the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign, he helped create the first youth mental health speakers’ bureau in the country and personally spoke to over one million people. He is currently the Wellness Director at Geffen Academy at UCLA and CEO of the Human Power Project. He’s using both of these opportunities to change the way communities learn about mental health. — Meet A Kids Book About, a new kind of publishing company with a collection of beautifully designed books that kickstart challenging, empowering, and important conversations for kids and their grownups. Learn more about us at akidsbookabout.com.
72 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 12, 2020
3 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 11, 2023
When I struggled with anxiety as a teen, I didn’t know what was going on or how to manage it. There was also a time when I thought it meant I was “crazy.” Now that I’m older, I see that there are millions of people, like me, who are affected by anxiety or some other mental health issue. What I’ll never understand is why has it become “taboo” to discuss mental health in general. We MUST end the stigma if we’re going to reach each other and make a difference and move forward! Szabo beautifully sets the scene and helps all readers, even those who’ve never experienced anxiety, what it feels like for someone to have anxiety. Way to go, Szabo! We need more literature like this, especially in a world where so many are affected by mental health disorders. End the shame! End the stigma! Break down those walls! Most of all, it’s ok not to be ok!
August 28, 2024
As much as kids learn about their physical health from young, mental health isn’t something we talk about much until something is clearly wrong.
“I feel like I need to ESCAPE…but I can’t.
I look around. It seems like no one else is feeling this way.
And it’s just a matter of time before I start to cry.”
In two contrasting scenarios, this book aligns a normalization of mental health to physical health and teaches the kid that anxiety is normal, and how to cope and ask for help.
📚: @times.reads
“I feel like I need to ESCAPE…but I can’t.
I look around. It seems like no one else is feeling this way.
And it’s just a matter of time before I start to cry.”
In two contrasting scenarios, this book aligns a normalization of mental health to physical health and teaches the kid that anxiety is normal, and how to cope and ask for help.
📚: @times.reads
Read
August 22, 2023I liked this one a lot as a basic introduction to anxiety. I wish it offered a few more coping strategies, as this was very simplistic. It's a good introduction for young kids who are feeling anxious and aren't able to put that into words. For a kid already struggling and dealing with anxiety for some time, it doesn't offer anything new.
February 8, 2022
Focused mostly on normalizing anxiety. The use of a heartbeat blip line through the entire text is an interesting choice. Not sure how that will be perceived by kids. Alludes to coping strategies.
Read
January 18, 2025I love this series. No cartoons, no pretense at a story, just help for kids who want to be healthier, happier, better people.
But this one. Holy cats. If anxiety can hit this hard for absolutely no reason, then I think the kid needs more help than breathing exercises.
I can't rate. I don't know enough, even after reading this. The kind of anxiety I feel is always hooked to something... usually something trivial, but something. I just don't understand what Ross is going through.
But this one. Holy cats. If anxiety can hit this hard for absolutely no reason, then I think the kid needs more help than breathing exercises.
I can't rate. I don't know enough, even after reading this. The kind of anxiety I feel is always hooked to something... usually something trivial, but something. I just don't understand what Ross is going through.
July 1, 2021
First up, there’s the format of the books, which fill my little typography nerd heart with such joy. There’s no pictures, except the ones made by the stark, simple text. Each book has it’s own simple and representative color palate, that evolves as the book unfolds. An example of this is the book on depression, which starts with white text on a black background, and the background gradually lightens as you move towards the end of the book, as the explanation of how to deal with depression and how it feels like fog lifting when your depression improves is being told. It doesn’t end on an overly simplified, ‘wow everything is fixed and bright white now’ page either, but just on a slightly less dark, purple page, simply shades lighter than where the author started, and it’s so simple, but so appropriate. The thought and care that so obviously went into every aspect of these books – inculding their design -is very clear.
Each book shares an accessibility in text (I would judge these to be between beginning/emergent and fluent reading levels, depending on both the kid and the topic in question), but also in their approach to hard subjects. From the first page’s explanation that these books might be better when read with an adult, to providing adults with intro/exit letters in each book, to the idea that each book is best used as a starting point for important conversations with kids, as opposed to the be-all, end-all authority on the topic, these books are so obviously crafted with deliberate & knowledgeable intent. They have age ranges on them (the books I’ve included here range from 5+ – disability, to 6+ – racism & anxiety, to 7+ depression & body image), and have an excellent summary and sort of pictorial trigger warnings on the back cover (a little emoji saying that the book discusses curiousity, fear, crying, bravery, hate, etc).
More specifically, each of the books covered their topics in simple & non-infantilized terms, which is SUCH a hard line to walk. A lot of books for kids either talk waaaay down to them, or go over their heads, especially when discussing topics as complicated as race or body image, but I didn’t find any of that in any of these five books. Just simple definitions and explanations, supported by the text & imagery, and thoroughly broken down into easy nuggets of truth that kids can easily grasp. In fact, some of their definitions and descriptions were so on point that I know kids much older than starting age for these books -I’m having my college age nephew read the depression one on his next weekend home, and his 14 year old sister read the anxiety book this morning and said “YUP!” – will also surely benefit from them, as will the adults in their lives.
Consider this definition of breaking through depression: “Sharing about my depression took the bricks from the walls built around my heart. And turned them into a bridge. A bridge back to me. The real me.” In fact? Sometimes I think these books are going to benefit their parents even more than they’ll benefit their kids, and for one simple reason: Because by making these things more accessible to kids, they’ve opened them new ways for adults to look at and consider them as well.
Since it’s been a while, a little reminder: I’m a disabled & chronically ill woman, an advocate for disabled people, and I’ve mentioned here previously that my specialization when working on my Master’s degree was the portrayal of characters with disabilities in picture books. So the book about disabilities was particularly of interest to me, and I was not disappointed at all. In fact, it’s my favorite of the bunch, and I’ll tell you why: The author, a disabled teacher herself, comes right out and tells kids that they are better at respecting disabled people than their grown ups: “Kids are good at being curious and respectful, including and not excluding. Grownups are usually just afraid they’ll say or do the wrong thing.” And that is the truth – no kid has ever stopped me in the mall and asked me about my sex life, or made a face when I’ve stood up to transfer into a different seat. Kids sometimes will say “what’s wrong with your legs?” but they never say it in a mean or dismissive way; they usually actually want to know why my legs don’t work. And when I explain that it’s not my legs that don’t work right, but my heart, they tend to think it’s pretty cool, instead of giving me the ’tilted head of pity’ that disabled people know oh so well. So a book that says “Having a disability is one of the many ways to be normal.” and “Disabled people belong everywhere.” straight out loud and simple like that? Kids ae going to be like “of course! duh.” and their parents are hopefully going to start seeing it just that simply too.
Here are a few other examples, from either the text of the books or the parent’s notes in those books:
“Mental health is communication, relationships, strong coping skills, and how you take care of your mind.” – a kids book about anxiety
“Kids are ready and willing to learn about tough things, if only the grown-ups in their lives are willing to talk about them.” – a kids book about racism
“Vulnerability is the soil of connection & growth” – a kids book about depression
“These companies would never make a single dollar if you didn’t believe there was something about you that needed to be fixed. Nothing about you needs to be fixed.” – a kids book about body image
Each of these books is going to be an essential resource for the parents & kids in my life, and if I was still teaching, I would immediately have requested as many as possible for my classroom. My next purchases are going to be some of the more upbeat titles – community, kindness, adventure, probably – just for some balance, but I don’t think I’m going to find many disappointments in the series. The utter compassion and care that each of these books has towards its topics, and the children & parents they’re trying to talk to about these topics, shines through on every page, and if you were thinking about buying one, but weren’t sure how good they were, I hope this review can give you that little push to at least give one a try.
Each book shares an accessibility in text (I would judge these to be between beginning/emergent and fluent reading levels, depending on both the kid and the topic in question), but also in their approach to hard subjects. From the first page’s explanation that these books might be better when read with an adult, to providing adults with intro/exit letters in each book, to the idea that each book is best used as a starting point for important conversations with kids, as opposed to the be-all, end-all authority on the topic, these books are so obviously crafted with deliberate & knowledgeable intent. They have age ranges on them (the books I’ve included here range from 5+ – disability, to 6+ – racism & anxiety, to 7+ depression & body image), and have an excellent summary and sort of pictorial trigger warnings on the back cover (a little emoji saying that the book discusses curiousity, fear, crying, bravery, hate, etc).
More specifically, each of the books covered their topics in simple & non-infantilized terms, which is SUCH a hard line to walk. A lot of books for kids either talk waaaay down to them, or go over their heads, especially when discussing topics as complicated as race or body image, but I didn’t find any of that in any of these five books. Just simple definitions and explanations, supported by the text & imagery, and thoroughly broken down into easy nuggets of truth that kids can easily grasp. In fact, some of their definitions and descriptions were so on point that I know kids much older than starting age for these books -I’m having my college age nephew read the depression one on his next weekend home, and his 14 year old sister read the anxiety book this morning and said “YUP!” – will also surely benefit from them, as will the adults in their lives.
Consider this definition of breaking through depression: “Sharing about my depression took the bricks from the walls built around my heart. And turned them into a bridge. A bridge back to me. The real me.” In fact? Sometimes I think these books are going to benefit their parents even more than they’ll benefit their kids, and for one simple reason: Because by making these things more accessible to kids, they’ve opened them new ways for adults to look at and consider them as well.
Since it’s been a while, a little reminder: I’m a disabled & chronically ill woman, an advocate for disabled people, and I’ve mentioned here previously that my specialization when working on my Master’s degree was the portrayal of characters with disabilities in picture books. So the book about disabilities was particularly of interest to me, and I was not disappointed at all. In fact, it’s my favorite of the bunch, and I’ll tell you why: The author, a disabled teacher herself, comes right out and tells kids that they are better at respecting disabled people than their grown ups: “Kids are good at being curious and respectful, including and not excluding. Grownups are usually just afraid they’ll say or do the wrong thing.” And that is the truth – no kid has ever stopped me in the mall and asked me about my sex life, or made a face when I’ve stood up to transfer into a different seat. Kids sometimes will say “what’s wrong with your legs?” but they never say it in a mean or dismissive way; they usually actually want to know why my legs don’t work. And when I explain that it’s not my legs that don’t work right, but my heart, they tend to think it’s pretty cool, instead of giving me the ’tilted head of pity’ that disabled people know oh so well. So a book that says “Having a disability is one of the many ways to be normal.” and “Disabled people belong everywhere.” straight out loud and simple like that? Kids ae going to be like “of course! duh.” and their parents are hopefully going to start seeing it just that simply too.
Here are a few other examples, from either the text of the books or the parent’s notes in those books:
“Mental health is communication, relationships, strong coping skills, and how you take care of your mind.” – a kids book about anxiety
“Kids are ready and willing to learn about tough things, if only the grown-ups in their lives are willing to talk about them.” – a kids book about racism
“Vulnerability is the soil of connection & growth” – a kids book about depression
“These companies would never make a single dollar if you didn’t believe there was something about you that needed to be fixed. Nothing about you needs to be fixed.” – a kids book about body image
Each of these books is going to be an essential resource for the parents & kids in my life, and if I was still teaching, I would immediately have requested as many as possible for my classroom. My next purchases are going to be some of the more upbeat titles – community, kindness, adventure, probably – just for some balance, but I don’t think I’m going to find many disappointments in the series. The utter compassion and care that each of these books has towards its topics, and the children & parents they’re trying to talk to about these topics, shines through on every page, and if you were thinking about buying one, but weren’t sure how good they were, I hope this review can give you that little push to at least give one a try.
November 2, 2023
Mental health advocate Ross Szabo shares what it's like to experience anxiety through this very easy-to-understand book for kids and their grown-ups. The book introduces some skills kiddos can use when they're experiencing anxiety, and mentions that it's ok to not be ok, and it's especially ok to ask trusted adults for help when they're not feeling ok.
This book is recommended for ages 5+. It's a great resource for grown-ups to talk with their kiddos about some of the big emotions they may experience in their life.
This book is recommended for ages 5+. It's a great resource for grown-ups to talk with their kiddos about some of the big emotions they may experience in their life.
July 1, 2022
The Kids Book About book series has a basic format: the author introduces themselves and gives a little background about why they're writing about this topic and/or tells a personal story about it. Then they explain a little about the topic and offer some tips for dealing with it and/or a call to action with some specific things to do to take action. Szabo talks about how his anxiety is different than being nervous, how he might feel it in school and how it might escalate if he doesn't know what to do, and then offers an "alternate story" of what might happen if he has a plan to block out what he is hearing, focus his eyesight on one simple thing, pay attention to his breaths, take a walk to remove himself from the situation, and tell his parents. It's good information for kids who might be feeling this way and don't have the words or tools, and it is also good for kids who don't feel this way to be more empathetic and/or helpful to people who do. I think the book could have taken one step more by asking the reader to actually do the actions Szabo was suggesting, so they rehearse it while reading the book. That's why I'd give it 3 stars, instead of 4, but I realize that's kind of petty.
October 2, 2024
I like what this book sets out to do and I think it is successful for the most part. I think something that would have been helpful would be to show how anxiety can feel differently in different moments, not necessarily one way it can start and progress. I think I would have also liked it if some other techniques were given on how to help yourself when you start feeling anxious - one big one being to tell a trusted adult that can hopefully help you through a panic attack/anxiety spike. I do think this does a good job at opening the door for children to express if/when they're experiencing anxiety.
July 14, 2023
Mental health advocate Ross Szabo shares what it's like to experience anxiety through this very easy-to-understand book for kids and their grown-ups. The book introduces some skills kiddos can use when they're experiencing anxiety, and mentions that it's ok to not be ok, and it's especially ok to ask trusted adults for help when they're not feeling ok.
This book is recommended for ages 5+. It's a great resource for grown-ups to talk with their kiddos about some of the big emotions they may experience in their life.
~ Emily
This book is recommended for ages 5+. It's a great resource for grown-ups to talk with their kiddos about some of the big emotions they may experience in their life.
~ Emily
October 27, 2020
The words on the page allow children to understand what anxiety is and what it does to the body. It is a thick idea that is explained in a way that is kid appropriate. The idea of anxiety is very real and can be scary to kids who do not know what is going on. This is what this book is for. IT is great for a description but does not offer ways to cope.
July 1, 2021
Okay seriously, these books are great! In my forties and I just learned that my anxiety can happen when I’m doing things I like and that doesn’t mean I don’t like the thing, it’s just that anxiety happens whenever the heck it wants to! And it explained very well how it’s different than being nervous. Loved it!
December 26, 2024
“My grownups tell me they support me doing whatever I need to do to take care of myself.” I sobbed.
It’s not innovative in content, nor deeply educational in nature, but it’s exactly what it should be: a kids book about anxiety. It’s a really great starting ground to introduce little ones to what anxiety is.
It’s not innovative in content, nor deeply educational in nature, but it’s exactly what it should be: a kids book about anxiety. It’s a really great starting ground to introduce little ones to what anxiety is.
April 12, 2021
This book was amazing! I recommend it to my little sister who struggles with anxiety.
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August 6, 2021616.8522 S9963 2019
October 23, 2021
Great way to start conversation exploring mental health and anxiety with kids, looking at it, talking about it, and exploring ways to cope with it
February 21, 2023
Anxiety is in a lot of people. This books shows kids that they're not alone.
July 14, 2023
This would be good for older children, maybe 8? 10?
August 30, 2023
Pretty light on content. A very very basic intro.
October 1, 2023
Kid friendly and helpful about teaching about anxiety.
October 4, 2023
A great book, but I got a little anxious reading it, although it reminded me to breathe.
October 28, 2023
Encouraging book detailing some symptoms of anxiety and normalizing asking for help
September 25, 2023
Pretty successful. The book is framed like a conversation, so there are no pictures. Some of the text has a little fun, but it's not a super visual book. Where it does succeed is in that conversation. The author walks the reader through an anxiety attack, including all the seen and unseen ways it's affecting his body. Then the author changes the narrative and retells the same story but using some coping techniques. The coping techniques are solid, but one thing that can definitely amp up anxiety is the story we tell ourselves about it. Taking control of our personal narrative can be a powerful tool to reframe a past (or future!) panic attack.
January 17, 2021
This is a fantastic series of books!! Written for adults to read along with kids, they tackle hard topics that can be hard to bring up, or navigate, with kids. But these conversations are important! I wish I had seen this one when I was a kid dealing with anxiety. I felt like it was something I had to bury and get over instead of accepting it & learning tools to get through it. I hope kids now see more things like this instead.
January 14, 2025
This book VERY simply explains what general anxiety is and offers a few tips on how to deal with it (e.g. breathing exercises). I would suggest this book to parents who may believe their kids have anxiety but would not recommend it to be used as a source for a project nor recommend it to a parent whose kid has been diagnosed with anxiety. There are definitely more informative books.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews