Scan barcode
abbyreads8's review against another edition
4.0
This book was kindly given to me for advanced review by the publisher. If you are interested in buying a copy, the book will be released on July 21, 2014.
Willetts and Waite’s story “Can I Tell You About Anxiety?” introduces reader to a young girl named Megan who struggles with an anxiety disorder. In a child-friendly way, the book explains the different types of anxiety disorders, how to help your friends with anxiety disorders, and ways that you can get help if you yourself struggle with an anxiety disorder.
The authors of this book do a fantastic job of explaining anxiety to children. I think the book is a great way to explain anxiety to children who struggle with anxiety - something to show them that (1) they are not “abnormal” and (2) they are not alone. The book can also serve as a good tool to explain anxiety to children who have friends or family members with anxiety disorders.
The illustrations really add to the book as well. The topic of mental health and anxiety disorders runs the risk of losing children’s interest- however, with the illustrations, visualizing an actual kid with the disorder brings the story to life for children.
The only part of the book I was unsure about had to do with the section regarding treatment. It used a lot of large words - definitely good for older children, but I don’t think that the target age range would really process that much information. I do appreciate the information, however, and understand that it is very difficult to explain such an extensive, complicated topic in a way that makes sense to younger children!
Overall, this is a marvelous children’s book. I will definitely be recommending this to my friends who work in mental health, education, and other fields that have to do with children. 4 stars!
Willetts and Waite’s story “Can I Tell You About Anxiety?” introduces reader to a young girl named Megan who struggles with an anxiety disorder. In a child-friendly way, the book explains the different types of anxiety disorders, how to help your friends with anxiety disorders, and ways that you can get help if you yourself struggle with an anxiety disorder.
The authors of this book do a fantastic job of explaining anxiety to children. I think the book is a great way to explain anxiety to children who struggle with anxiety - something to show them that (1) they are not “abnormal” and (2) they are not alone. The book can also serve as a good tool to explain anxiety to children who have friends or family members with anxiety disorders.
The illustrations really add to the book as well. The topic of mental health and anxiety disorders runs the risk of losing children’s interest- however, with the illustrations, visualizing an actual kid with the disorder brings the story to life for children.
The only part of the book I was unsure about had to do with the section regarding treatment. It used a lot of large words - definitely good for older children, but I don’t think that the target age range would really process that much information. I do appreciate the information, however, and understand that it is very difficult to explain such an extensive, complicated topic in a way that makes sense to younger children!
Overall, this is a marvelous children’s book. I will definitely be recommending this to my friends who work in mental health, education, and other fields that have to do with children. 4 stars!
bookstacksamber's review against another edition
4.0
((I received this book for review from NetGalley))
This book does a great job of simplifying anxiety disorders to make them understandable for kids. It's told from the perspective of a young girl, so kids will be able to easily relate to the character as well.
Different type of anxiety, causes for anxiety, coping strategies, how to get help, and coping strategies are just some of the topics covered in this book. There are also sections for parents and teachers, other related problems, and lists of books, organizations, and websites that can help. This would be a great book for kids who have anxiety, or or anyone to read who wants to understand anxiety.
There are other books in this series, and I'll be checking those out as well. I recommend these for any upper elementary classroom.
This book does a great job of simplifying anxiety disorders to make them understandable for kids. It's told from the perspective of a young girl, so kids will be able to easily relate to the character as well.
Different type of anxiety, causes for anxiety, coping strategies, how to get help, and coping strategies are just some of the topics covered in this book. There are also sections for parents and teachers, other related problems, and lists of books, organizations, and websites that can help. This would be a great book for kids who have anxiety, or or anyone to read who wants to understand anxiety.
There are other books in this series, and I'll be checking those out as well. I recommend these for any upper elementary classroom.
hsg's review against another edition
5.0
Willetts and Waite have written a stellar "beginners guide" to anxiety. It's a perfect introductory resource book for upper elementary aged children and their parents. I read this book with my own anxious ten year old and she agreed that it was spot on in its portrayal of anxious feelings and behaviors. She especially appreciated that the narrator of this book is also a ten year old girl The language is age appropriate and uses proper medical and psychological terminology without being scary or overwhelming. We were especially taken with the section on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and learned new ideas about how to think about and respond to anxiety producing situations and anxious feelings. The annotated bibliography at the end of the book looks to be an excellent resource!
elephant's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very nice book about children's anxiety written in a way that will help children who have anxiety and those who have friends with it, teachers, parents and other adults understand and have tools with which to help children who have anxiety. Megan, a fictitious 10 year old girl who suffers from anxiety, explains the effects of anxiety on her life, how it feels to have anxiety problems, different types of anxiety, and ways that anxiety can be treated. She also explains a variety of ways that family, friends and teachers can help a child with anxiety. One suggestion is that when a child seems anxious, to ask them how they are feeling, what they are thinking and if they can think of a more realistic way of thinking about the issue rather than just assuring the child that everything is and will be ok. There is a brief section about related disorders and a list of recommended reading. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I highly recommend it.
meganmargoking's review against another edition
4.0
I actually found this book very accurate about anxiety and treatment in general. I found it a little funny that the narrator's name was Megan as well (apparently we have two things in common: our names and having anxiety). But I worry that if a kid was given this book that either they wouldn't care (I never really liked any of the self-help guides my school counselors gave me) or that with some of the language it will fly over their heads a bit. A quick note, it looks like this was written for more of a British audience in mind. Sending your kid to a GP Surgery was a big tip-off as was the all UK recommended websites at the back.
tillthestarsevaporate's review against another edition
2.0
This is a good introduction for people who want to know about Anxiety in general.
However, I have two problems with it. The first one is that there were a few things mentioned in this book that give people the wrong impression about people with Anxiety. The other problem is not exactly a problem, but rather something I wished this book addressed. That is the fact that when you have anxiety, that doesn't mean you are anxious 24/7. What I mean by this is that the few times you do something that contradicts your crippling anxiety, many people go like "See? You're fine. You don't have anxiety or anything." which ties back to two points:
1. People thinking mental illness isn't really an illness, and 2. Comments like this are invalidating to the person suffering because you're not acknowledging their pain.
I simply wished this introduction addressed these two issues.
However, I have two problems with it. The first one is that there were a few things mentioned in this book that give people the wrong impression about people with Anxiety. The other problem is not exactly a problem, but rather something I wished this book addressed. That is the fact that when you have anxiety, that doesn't mean you are anxious 24/7. What I mean by this is that the few times you do something that contradicts your crippling anxiety, many people go like "See? You're fine. You don't have anxiety or anything." which ties back to two points:
1. People thinking mental illness isn't really an illness, and 2. Comments like this are invalidating to the person suffering because you're not acknowledging their pain.
I simply wished this introduction addressed these two issues.
heidig's review
5.0
Willetts and Waite have written a stellar "beginners guide" to anxiety. It's a perfect introductory resource book for upper elementary aged children and their parents. I read this book with my own anxious ten year old and she agreed that it was spot on in its portrayal of anxious feelings and behaviors. She especially appreciated that the narrator of this book is also a ten year old girl The language is age appropriate and uses proper medical and psychological terminology without being scary or overwhelming. We were especially taken with the section on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and learned new ideas about how to think about and respond to anxiety producing situations and anxious feelings. The annotated bibliography at the end of the book looks to be an excellent resource!
More...