20 Books That Make It Easier To Talk To Kids About Worry
A recent study showed that over 4.4 million kids between ages 3-17 have diagnosed anxiety. In reality, the number is much higher, considering that statistic only accounts for anxiety that is formally diagnosed.
As a child, I was one of those kids - one that struggled with constant worry and anxiety, but was never diagnosed. In fact, I was never able to put a name to what I was feeling. I just knew that when thunderstorms came, I felt queasy. That I laid awake in my bed wondering about the end of the world, the things I saw on the news, and whether or not I said the right thing two weeks ago.
The thing was, I thought this was normal. No one had ever talked to me about worry and anxiety. At school, I learned my math facts, spelling, and how to use a potato for electricity - but never how to manage the constant worry that kept me up at night.
Thankfully, things are different now. With an increased focus on social emotional learning and educating the whole child, there are many more resources to help kids with worry and anxiety.
These 20 kids books about worry and anxiety will give you the tools you need to talk about these feelings with the kids at your school. They will make it easy for you to help your students acknowledge, understand and cope with their worry and anxiety. Choose your favorite and start using them today in your individual, small group and classroom lessons!
This post contains affiliate links. Please review my full disclosure policy for additional information.
Books About General Worry & Anxiety
Ruby’s Worry by Tom Percival
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
One day, Ruby discovers a worry. It starts small, but then grows and grows. Ruby tries ignoring it, but then she worries so much about it that she can’t think of anything else. After she realizes that she isn’t the only one with worries, she learns how to get her worry to shrink!
The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
Worrysaurus is ready for a fun adventure until a friend tells him there might be a storm. Even though it’s perfectly sunny, the little dinosaur begins to feel worried about what might happen. Eventually, he finds a way to cope with his feelings of worry and enjoy the present moment.
Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
Scaredy Squirrel never wants to leave his tree. Everything in his tree is safe, predictable and under control. Then, one day, the unexpected happens and Scaredy Squirrel learns that it’s not so scary to leave the tree. This is a great story to teach young students that the unknown doesn’t have to be scary!
Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Wemberly has a lot of worries. She worries about her house, the playground, her doll, and mainly – school. She can’t stop worrying. That is, until she goes to school and meets a new friend who is just like her.
The Huge Bag of Worries by Virginia Ironside
Recommended Grades: K to 2
In this book, readers learn about Jenny, who has a lot of worries. She carries them around in a bag that grows and grows. She doesn’t know how to get rid of it until she meets an old lady who helps her empty out the bag.
Jimmy the Jittery Jitterbug by Sonica Ellis
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Jimmy the jitterbug jitters when he feels worried or anxious, which is a lot. Whenever Jimmy feels worried, he talks to someone about how he feels and they are able to help him feel better. This is a great story to help anxious students realize that they aren’t alone and that there are people around to help them!
Wilma Jean the Worry Machine by Julia Cook
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Wilma Jean worries about everything. Most of the time, the things she worries about don’t even happen, but she still can’t control her worries. Finally, she talks to her mom and her teacher who help her decide which worries she can control and which worries she can’t.
The Worry Box by Suzanne Chew
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Murray Bear and his sister Molly are getting ready for a hike to the waterfall with their friend Oliver, when Murray tells his sister that he’s worried about the trip. She encourages him to talk to her about his worries and to write them down in a worry box. This strategy helps Murray along the way, and is just what another friend needs too when Murray finds out that he’s not the only one who worries! This book would be a great introduction to making a worry box with your own students.
Worry Says What? by Allison Edwards
Recommended Grades: K to 3
In this story, a girl talks about something called Worry in her brain. Worry tells her things, sometimes so loudly that it makes it hard to hear anything else. She listens to Worry until she realizes that she’s done letting Worry boss her around. Instead of listening to Worry, she decides to start talking back to him and focusing on what is true. This is a great story about the impact of worry/anxiety and how positive self-talk can help!
Anxious Little Pishy by Brittany Joseph
Recommended Grades: K to 3
Little Pishy is usually a happy fish, but sometimes she feels nervous and anxious - which scares her. These feelings grow and grow until her teacher notices the change in her. Little Pishy learns to talk about her feelings and get advice from other fish that care about her.
The Whatifs by Emily Kilgore
Recommended Grades: 1 to 4
The Whatifs follow Cora all day long, constantly bringing up the worst case scenario. There are so many and she can’t shake them off, especially when it comes to her piano recital. Then, her friend Stella encourages her to take her grim Whatifs and turn them into positive Whatifs, allowing her to focus on all of the positive things that might happen!
Find Your Calm by Gabi Garcia
Recommended Grades: 1 to 4
The girl in this story often feels anxious, but she learns that there are things she can do to feel more calm, like practicing mindfulness. This is a great book to help students learn to identify their anxiety through noticing how their body feels, and then gives practical tips to cope with the feelings in a mindful way.
A Little Spot of Anxiety: A Story About Calming Your Worries by Diane Alber
Recommended Grades: 2 to 5
Anxiety is a normal feeling, but sometimes it can get too big and too much. Thankfully, there are ways to shrink your anxiety spot like drawing a picture, using mindfulness strategies, etc. This book is full of helpful information about anxiety and practical ways to cope with it.
Hey Warrior by Karen Young
Recommended Grades: 3 to 5
This informational book is perfect for explaining what causes anxiety and what it feels like, in a way that kids will understand. Knowledge is power, and this book will definitely give your students the information they need to understand and manage their anxiety.
Pippa Potter President’s Daughter: Pippa Speaks Up!
Recommended Grades: 3-6
This chapter book is about a girl named Pippa, who just so happens to be the president’s daughter. As she adjusts to this new role, she also gets an assignment at school that involves giving a speech in front of her classmates. This new assignment leaves her feeling incredibly anxious - she’s not sure how she’ll be able to do it. Thankfully, her support system steps in and teaches her about practical strategies she can use to manage these feelings.
The book is a fun way for kids to learn about how they can manage the anxiety in their own lives.
Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Recommended Grades: 4 to 7
Raina is an anxious and shy kid. She has a lot of worries, and getting sick is one of them. Just the thought of throwing up makes her anxious. As her anxiety grows and grows, she begins to see a therapist. Readers will follow Raina as she goes through different situations and attempts to conquer her fears! Middle school and elementary students will love the relatable themes in this book.
Books About Separation Anxiety
in my heart by mackenzie porter
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to K
This is a sweet reminder that even when children aren’t with their families, they are never really apart. The mom in this story tells her child that she is always thinking of the child throughout her day of work. She reminds the child that they are always connected by their thoughts and hearts.
William, the What-if wonder on his first day of school by carol wulff
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
William has a lot of “what-if’s” when it comes to going to school, but he realizes that he has the power to see things in a new way. Readers walk through the school day with William as they see that things aren’t as bad as they seem. This is a great story for students worried about going to school.
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Chester the raccoon is nervous about his first day of school. He wants to stay home with Mama. To comfort Chester, Mama kisses his hand and tells him to hold it up to his cheek whenever he feels lonely or scared. The kissing hand will fill his head with warm, positive thoughts. This is a great strategy for students who struggle to separate from their parents.
The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
Recommended Grades: K to 2
When Liza and Jeremy are scared by a thunderstorm and want to stay with their mom, she reminds them of the invisible string. The invisible string is a string of love that connects people near and far. This is a great reminder to students that even when they aren’t physically with their loved ones, they are still connected.
the sunday blues by neal layton
Recommended Grades: K to 2
Steve does NOT want to go to school on Monday. He thinks school will be terrible. He dreads it all day long, and even more so once Monday morning comes. But, once he gets to school and sees his friends, he realizes it isn’t so bad after all!
Books For Perfectionism, Performance Anxiety and Test Anxiety
Too shy for show and tell by beth bracken
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
Sam the giraffe is too shy to talk to the people around him. When it’s time for show and tell, he is so nervous. Finally, he conquers his fear and realizes that talking in front of others isn’t so bad after all. This is a great story for students who are anxious about speaking in front of others.
Beautiful Oops! by barney saltzberg
Recommended Grades: Pre-K to 2
This fun and illustrative book helps students realize that what can seem like an “oops” can turn into something great! This book is perfect for students who struggle with perfectionism.
jack’s worry by sam zuppardi
Recommended Grades: K-2
In this book, Jack has a concert coming up and a big worry appears! He is afraid that he will make a mistake in front of his mom. Jack tries to get rid of his worry, but learns that he needs to face his worry head on!
the big test by julie danneberg
Recommended Grades 1-3
It’s time for Mrs. Hartwell’s class to take the big test. Her students are prepared, but they just have to learn one last thing - how to show what they know. They practice different test-taking skills, including the most important skill of all - relaxing!
the anti-test anxiety society by julia cook
Recommended Grades: 2-4
B.B. has terrible test anxiety. She knows all of the information but gets so nervous when it’s test time. Thankfully, her teacher gives her some great strategies to beat test anxiety once and for all! This is a great book to help students with test anxiety, especially around the time of standardized testing!
These worry and anxiety books for kids are a simple way to make your social emotional learning and school counseling lessons more impactful. They are sure to help you give your students the tools they need to talk about, and manage, their emotions and to remind them that they’re not alone. To make your lessons even easier, make sure you check out the ready-made activities for many of the books!
