Our FAVOuRITE books series
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Looking for a gentle way to support your child in dealing with their worry and anxiety? Books are an excellent way!
Books about worry, anxiety, and building resilience are always high on my priority list. With a global pandemic happening, they are now more than ever. Find some of my favourites below!
Help Your Dragon Deal With Anxiety: Train Your Dragon To Overcome Anxiety.
This book is a part of the larger My Dragon Books book series, and like all of books in the series it uses kid friendly language to explain big subjects. This book has been a hit with my 5-8 year olds. It has helped them to self-identify, acknowledge worries, think about them differently and learn some strategies for their every day coping.
Worry says what
My goal has always been to teach my kids to talk back to worry. They can’t help but worry, but they can be helped to talk back to their worries! This book is a gem when it comes to teaching talking back (to worries that is!) and to support in using positive affirmations. Written by the best selling author, Allison Edwards, this book is one of my favourites!
What was I scared of
This book uses humour to engage children and bridge to conversations. A must have for Dr. Seuss fans!
When worry takes hold
Another wonderful story about a little girl who is able to overcome her worries. They don’t go away but she is able to overcome them through strategies that kids are easily able to implement in their day. A great read to encourage open communication between yourself and your child and filled with lovely illustrations!
The Don’t Worry book
Yet another of Todd Parr’s amazing books. This book talks about every day things that may bring your child stress or worry in a way that young children can easily relate. It offers strategies and opportunity for conversation. A great read for younger children!
Up and down the worry hill
This book proved incredibly helpful when my little’s anxiety started to show with some OCD tendencies. It gives a great framework for conversation and helps parents see this form of anxiety through the eyes of a child.
What to do when you worry too much: a kid’s guide to overcoming anxiety
This is one of my favourites! This award winning book is designed for parents and children to use together. It brings cognitive behavioural techniques into your home by offering simple, easy to use, day to day strategies that can be used by kids AND their parents!
Outsmarting worry
This book is geared towards a children who are a bit older and helps them to identify how they are feeling. It teaches them specific skills that they can use to help them deal with, and hopefully overcome, some of their worries.
Jonathan James and the WHatif Monster
This is a great book for little ones. It helps them to question worry and realize there are two sides to the “what if” questions. It’s not always “what if I am really bad at ______,” it can also be “what if I am really good at _____?” Somehow the message lands a little differently coming from Jonathan than it does a regular old parent! The Whatif Monster Chapter Book Series also has some great books for older kids!
Mindful Bea And the worry tree
Written by an award winning author, this book includes a special note to parents helping them to better understand a child’s anxiety. It teaches deep breathing and visualization skills and approaches the topic of anxiety in an easy to read, child friendly, way.
Breathe Like a Bear: 30 Mindful Moments for Kids to Feel Calm and Focused Anytime, Anywhere
This is one of my favourites! This book helps children to manage their feelings of anxiety and worry through mindfulness activities. It includes a variety of bite-sized meditations making it a perfect guide for children. This book helps to support your child in a framework that will serve them well for the rest of their lives!
When my worries get too big
This book is full of ideas and strategies to help children with self-calming, and the behavioural outcomes of “too big” feelings.
Worries go away!
This is a great book that encourages talking to an adult rather than keeping feelings inside. It offers a great starting point to further conversation about worry and managing feelings.
Koby the little blue kangaroo who worried all day
This book follows a little kangaroo who worries about a lot of the same things as our children! He models a way to change worries to happy thoughts with a little bit of practice. This is a cute book for younger children to help them realize they aren’t alone in their worries! This book is a part of a larger series that deals with different childhood issues.
Don’t feed the worry bug
This book is a part of The Worry Woos Book Series and won the 2019 Child Mind Institute Pick for Best Children’s Books For Helping Kids Understand Anxiety. The story’s character, Wince, teaches children to embrace their worry, without allowing it to overcome them.
The invisible string
This is a story about love and connections. It supports children (and parents!) struggling with separation anxiety, by reminding them that our hearts are always connected. This is a beautiful story to support our children when they are being separated by loved ones for any reason.
The worrywarts
Another great book about “what if” questions for little ones! This is a funny book and has a focus on wrestling your worries, and the letter W, so be prepared to work on your alliteration!
The huge bag of worries
A wonderful book for little ones. This book follows a little girl who carries around a bag of worries with her everywhere she goes and through her process of conquering them. This book supports children in learning to identify their worries and open up about them.
The panicosaurus
This book finds a clever way to explain to children how their brains create anxiety. It provides children, and their parents, ways to help when the feeling of anxiety arises.
My Magic Breath: Finding Calm Through Mindful Breathing
Written by New York Times bestselling author, Nick Ortner, this book teaches children a process of mindful breathing as a strategy to finding calm. It is a simple to understand, beautifully written book, with beautiful illustrations.
listening with my heart
This book gives a reminder to children that while it is important to show kindness and compassion to others, it is also important to show kindness and compassion to themselves. This is important for self-acceptance, self-confidence, and resiliency. It’s a book with an important message and beautiful illustrations!
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