Brilliant book for explaining worries, I really do think this will be a useful tool to use within the classroom and also in a Nurture Room
Very useful

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Feeling Worried is a great little picture book aimed at children from 5 to 9 years and is part of the Everyday Feelings series.

Ava has many people in her life who are worried about things, her brother and her friends. She listens to them and offers advice and help that works. When Ava has a worry about going to the dentist, her parents come up with a wonderful idea of role playing to help her feel better and get over her worries. The message of talking to someone when something is worrying you is a good one. I wish that others had helped instead of just Ava. Perhaps the teacher or a different friend, but that is a small issue. The worries are different, but presented in a way that makes it seem that everyone worries about something and it is not a big deal to ask for help and support. The illustrations support the story well. The expressions on the characters' faces makes it easy to understand their emotions. The colours chosen are also soothing and the warm. This would make a great book in a classroom when something new is happening or if the teacher notices students are upset or worried about something. A great addition to a class library or teacher resource area.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book covered a lot of ground in a short span. Several things kids often worry about are mentioned with the opportunity left for readers to discuss their own worries. The emphasis on talking about worries as a way to find calm and seek a resolution drives home the point that a person is not alone in their worry, even if those around them might not know exactly how to solve the problem.

I loved the illustrations and real-life situations. However, I felt like a lot of pressure was put on the main character to make everyone feel better. It helped that at the end of the book, she was worried too. Overall, I liked it.

What a kind, caring, and wise little heroine! She is unusual and I couldn’t help but think that the world would be a better place if there were more people like her! Ha!
Little Ava knows just what to say and how to advise her brother and friends when they confided in her about their troubles. However, when it was her turn (having to see the dentist), she became quite a mess herself. Things turn out well, though, because her mother knew just what to do to soothe her nerves.
This is a fantastic little book for children who tend to be worried or anxious, even if it just to assure them that it is possible to solve the problems of everyday life. To me, the other message from this book is that it is cool to be kind and helpful and that we can all support each other to make life better and easier.
I loved the expressive and colourful artwork too!
Thank you, NetGalley and Free Spirit Publishing, for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

This was a very sweet book about feelings, I enjoyed it quite a bit, as did my son, who is currently going to preschool and often feels worried about changes that are happening in his life.

Young kids will enjoy this book because of the different scenarios and the illustrations that goes along with it. The illustrations were helpful in showing that the characters were worried. The style of the drawing and the colors that were used had sort of a 'calming' effect. For instance, I noticed soft lines (not completely dark and solid) have been drawn to create this effect.

Additionally, the book shows how the characters handle their problems despite feeling overwhelmed about it. This is one of those books I wished I discovered as a child because it teaches young people to talk about their problems. All in all, it was a good book. It just felt very formulaic: solving each problem every time. There's really nothing new except the situations. The only constant character is Ava. Even if this was the case, the message/lesson for each the difference scenarios were clear. Thus, I would recommend this book to those in pre-k or young children (in general) who are worry-warts.

Ava is a wonderful confidant who senses when those around her are worried. She does her best to either help them herself, as she did for her smaller brother, Noah, who is very worried about not being able to complete his homework because he preconconceives it too hard, or with a friend at school whose parents are going through a divorce and needs to talk to them about her feelings concerning her uncertain future.


Ava then experiences worry first-hand when she has to face an up-coming dentist appointment that is looming the next day. Will she be able to cope with those fears and put into practice what she has been mentoring others to do?


The lovely and expressive illustrations focus on the the feelings associated with "worry". The book helps young children understand and deal with their anxieties. Worry is a very strong, real emotion that can be overcome by discussing it and seeking help from others when it overtakes you. The child characters in the book are presented in different scenarios that are relatable to kids reading the book thus making it easier to open up and discuss fears and apprehensions they may be experiencing with a parent, teacher or caregiver. The book is perfect for a home or a classroom setting. I highly recommend this book and encourage you to check out the complete series.

This cute title is great for Pre-K and elementary students. Young Ava helps her friends overcome their worries, but she herself is afraid of her upcoming trip to the dentist. With a little role-play and the help and support of her family, will she be able to overcome her own worries?

This book is a good way to approach and talk to children about their concerns and things that are taking up too much of their mental space. It provides the opportunity to discuss ways to combat worries and even discuss coping approaches if the worry cannot be completely eliminated. The illustrations work well with the story and are often quite comical. This would be a good title to add to the home, school or public library.

How do you talk to children about worries? This book teaches about helping others, empathy, supporting them and how talking can put your worries to rest. I wonder though if the divorce worry was too simplistic. It can often involve custody issues and fighting. A child might not realize that this advice might not help the worrier.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I am a big worrywart myself, so I was quite interested in this book. I was curious as to what Ava would do/say, plus I was curious if there would be notes (like a few other books I read) for parents/teachers (yes, there were and they were quite good).

It was quite a nice book, but it was a bit sameish throughout the whole book. Someone has a problem > Ava is magically there to talk it over > problem fixed. Lastly it is Ava who has a problem > talks it over/does some things to relax > done. While there is a time continuation, it felt stilted. Which is a shame, if this was less of a repeat, had a bit more natural flow/story, it would have been much much better.

I did like Ava, though I do hope she also takes a breather at times. If this is how almost every day is going to be then she will be burnt out by 15 years old. :P Helping people is good, but you should also take care of yourself and maybe let someone else help out those in need of help.

I liked what the parents did to make Ava feel better about going to a dentist. I wish my parents had done that (I never was a big fan of dentists).

I had a laugh at Mila's hair. When she gets introduced/sits in class she has grey-ish hair, but outside it is dark brown. I can speak from experience that this doesn't happen.

The art is pretty nice, I like the style, it reminds me a bit of Tony Ross his style.

All in all, a pretty decent book about worrying and what to do about it.

Feeling Worried is a great little picture book aimed at children from 5 to 9 years and is part of the Everyday Feelings series.

Ava helps her brother understand his maths homework that he's been worried about all week. She advises her friend Bahar to talk to her parents because she's worried about her parents' divorce and which parent she'll be living with when they separate. Ava helps the new girl at school, Mila, overcome her worry about having a different accent than the other kids in their school. Now Ava is worried about going to the dentist tomorrow. Will she ask anyone for help with her worry or keep it to herself? Can she overcome her worry?

Kay Barnham has done a great job of making a scary feeling not so scary. The message is clear in the different scenarios in the book that when you're worried it can help if you talk to someone about it. There's the sense in reading this book that having worries are understandable and there's no judgement attached to them. There's also positivity shining through the book, with the constant hope that things will be okay. Feeling Worried would make a great starting point for discussions with children about what worries them personally.

There's a section at the back of the book with suggestions for other books relating to this topic along with a very useful section for parents and teachers. This section provides ideas for the adult to make the book interactive with the child or children they're reading it to, with questions and activities aimed at exploring worry more.

Mike Gordon's illustrations are also easy to 'read'. The expressions on the faces of the people make it clear when someone is worried and when they feel better and the pictures line up well with what's happening in the story. There's a softness to the colours used, along with some brighter areas, that make the images calming to look at. I loved the style of the illustrations. There was a quirkiness to the pictures that really appealed to me, particularly the expression on the cat's face and the tooth picture on the wall in the dentist's office. The illustrations in this book remind me of Quentin Blake's style, but in colour.

I can see this book being used for bedtime reading and also at libraries, schools and childcare centres. While I haven't read any others in the series I would anticipate that this book along with the other books about being angry, jealous, sad, scared and shy would make a great set to help teach children to identify and deal appropriately with their feelings.

I received an ARC from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and Free Spirit Publishing for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback.