Lisa Katzenberger crafted a cute and relatable story that could easily be paired with an SEL lesson on friendship, empathy, or kindness. I would recommend adding this to most elementary school classrooms.

This is a children's book. Giraffe is super scared of spiders, and when Giraffe sees a spider climbs a tree. Zebra stays to help calms down Giraffe, and to be a great friend to Giraffe. I think this book is super cute, and the message that real friends stays with you though hard times is a great message. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Sourcebooks Explore) or author (Lisa Katzenberger) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review about how I feel about this book, and I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

It Will Be OK is a beautiful story about respecting feelings and the power of just being close. When Giraffe sees a spider, he is so scared! He climbs up a tree and won't come down. Even though, as his pal Zebra reminds him, he's bigger than the spider, stronger than the spider, and faster than the spider. But no matter. Zebra will wait.

I love that the moral of this story focuses on letting people feel their feelings and not forcing them to confront difficult challenges before they're ready. Zebra and Giraffe both know that the spider isn't anything to be scared of. But they also both know that Giraffe is afraid anyway, and this story emphasizes that that's OK. Sometimes all we need is patience, kindness, and someone to wait by our side until we're ready to come down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start off by saying I'm pretty sure this made me cry (in a good way). I've added it to my 'ultimate need to own' shelf which has a total of 10 books on it now if that tells you anything. I've read this twice now because the first time I was just in awe and wasn't ready to be critical for my review.

I oopsed and forgot to come back to this before the pub date, but I just want to say: buy this book; read this book with your kids.

"Thank you for staying by my side," Giraffe said. "Even if it seemed silly."
"It's not silly if it bothered you."

Can I just say how important these two lines are? This is modeling the best kind of empathy and friendship and how to treat someone with anxiety.

I'm still having trouble being coherent about how important this is, but this is what true compassion is about. You don't have to understand someone's fears to respect them and to stand by their side. Just being there is so so important even without saying anything.

It Will Be OK is a wonderful story about empathy and friendship. The book has colorful, engaging illustrations. I can't wait to share with my students. In these days and times, we need my examples of empathy and positive strategies for dealing with worry and anxiety. Thanks Sourcebooks Kids and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

This was the cutest book about being different and friendship . It was about it is okay to be scared of things and that your true friends will alway be there for you. I loved the pictures and illustrations , this is one I will definitely buy for school and at home.

I will be adding this book to my social/emotional collection in my preschool classroom. It is difficult to find books about anxiety for under 5's but this one hits the nail on the head perfectly. Giraffe who can't go with his friend because he is worried about a spider, knows that his fear is irrational but his friend zebra, listens to his fears and waits until giraffe is ready. Zebra tells Giraffe that his fear isn't silly if it bothered him, he shows empathy and understanding and shares a message that friends can help us with our fears, but also it is okay to be worried by things. I love the resolution of the story, rather than 'curing' Giraffes fear, it shows the comfort of an understanding friend and the message that being afraid is perfectly normal. Bravo for this modern take on worry, anxiety and friendship!

A very touching and relatable story about empathy and being a good friend! Being not only a children's librarian and mother of three, but a mental health advocate, I love anything that touches in psychology and mental wellness!

This was a very cute book about helping friends overcome their fears.

*The review is based on a free copy I received from NetGalley for an honest review.

Just like what's written on the title, the book speaks about empathy, kindness, and friendship.

Zebra was looking for Giraffe, want to play, but found Giraffe was hiding from Spider. Zebra tried to explain why Giraffe shouldn't be afraid of Spider. Giraffe still terrified and embarassed, didn't want to climb off the tree. Zebra stayed and it touched Giraffe.

It's a simple, touching, and lovely story. I love the illustration, how they deliver the message well. Also, the book provide motivational quotes, which very good for kids.

Anxiety! This is the main topic that the book covers.
The pandemic time has been hard on everyone especially on children.
The isolation, mask wearing and all these new changes have triggered anxiety for so many young children.

This book does a wonderful job in addressing any such anxieties that a child may have.

The story is about a Giraffe who is scared of a spider. His friend Zebra tries to reason with him saying that he is bigger, stronger and faster than the spider but that does not seem to help the Giraffe.

He is still scared. But Zebra does not leave Giraffe when he is feeling anxious.
Gradually the Giraffe gets over his anxiety and is surprised to see the Zebra still waiting for him.
He is very happy!
The story ends with a surprising twist when the spider shows up again!
Get the book to find out what happens in the end!

Having a child who has some anxiety, I love the way this delicate subject has been handled.
Thank you for creating beautiful kidltit on sensitive topics which can be easily understood by the children.

This is a great topic for children who are feeling like Giraffe (irrationally scared of something) and for children to learn from Zebra’s reaction (was empathetic, and did not abandon Giraffe). At first I thought Zebra’s reactions were a little snarky, but that is true to how others usually respond when one person is scared and they are not...and I liked that once Zebra realized just how upset Giraffe was, Zebra just let the topic go and settled in to wait and offer support. I liked the simple illustrations, but found their clothes a little unnecessary and of course it makes no sense scientifically speaking that Giraffe would climb a tree...

It Will Be Okay by Lisa Katzenberger

The world needs more books like this, books that don’t assume that children can necessarily overcome their fears, especially in the short timeframe that most picture books seem to allow. In this book, Zebra comes across his friend Giraffe hiding in a tree. It turns out that giraffe is afraid of a spider he saw. At first Zebra tries to convince him that he is bigger and stronger than the spider, but the giraffe is still afraid. The giraffe seemed to know it was a bit silly that he was afraid of something so small, but he couldn’t help it. He was scared and he was worried, and he was also embarrassed.

But here’s the extraordinary part. Instead of finally convincing giraffe to come down, or leaving in frustration, “Zebra waited. And then waited some more.” Finally, as the day was ending, Giraffe finally got up the nerve to get down from the tree. Draft thanks Zebra for waiting, even though it seemed silly. And here is something that every friend, parent, and teacher needs to take note of. Zebra says, “It’s not silly if it bothered you. I’m always here for you.”

Sometimes, we can use reason to talk children out of fears that we feel are unwarranted. But sometimes, we have to wait for them to deal with them on their own. No one is served when we become impatient.

It turns out that Giraffe is able to overcome his fears with friend Zebra by his side. It’s a lovely book. The end matters have some suggestions for children who are dealing with their own anxiety as well as that of their friends.

The illustrations are just lovely, and I found each of the animals so relatable and adorable. I also liked the spotted endpapers at the beginning and the striped ones at the end. A delightful book all in all.

A nice look at friendship coupled with understanding, patience, and facing fears. It would be useful when discussing viewpoint as well..

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Kids for the ARC of It Will Be OK. The story made me laugh and also feelings of love for the Zebra who stuck with his friend. There are so many wonderful lessons that can be taken away from this book. I highly recommend it!

Such a sweet, simple story.. Giraffe is afraid of a spider, and his friend, Zebra, waits patiently as Giraffe attempts to over come his fears. A book of fear(anxiety), compassion, friendship and empathy. Young readers will easily understand the concept with animal examples of friendship. The illustrations are adorable, too!

What is a great empathy book for elementary kids (and honestly everyone, even adults!)?

It Will Be Ok: A Story of Empathy, Kindness, and Friendship by Lisa Katzenberger is!

When your best friend is afraid of something that you are not afraid of, how do you handle it? Do you get mad at them, make fun of them, or do you support them?
When Zebra goes looking for Giraffe for their daily walk and he finds his friend up in a tree. Why is a giraffe up in a tree you ask? It's because he was afraid of a spider. Zebra tried to reason with him by telling him that he is bigger and stronger than the spider.

Did that help Giraffe? No!

This is where Zebra could have told Giraffe that he was being silly or dumb, but he didn't. Zebra laid down and patiently waited for his friend to process his fears. He was being a great friend!
Does Giraffe ever get over his fears and come out of the tree?
You will have to read this incredible story to find out how Giraffe deals with is anxieties, worries, and fears!

Why I love this book!
This book reminds me so much of me and my daughter! I am the Zebra and Meagan is Giraffe. Meagan has anxiety issues about things that do not bother me. For the longest time, I would get frustrated with her because I didn't understand how she could worry about something that I didn't worry about. Over time I finally realized that it doesn't matter if it bothers me, it bothers her and that is all that matters. I quickly turned from being judgemental to supportive.

To me, this book is not just for children, but for adults also! Zebra is the friend that we all should be! Every school library should have a copy of this book!!
Don’t miss this one!

I received an electronic ARC from SOURCEBOOKS Kids through NetGalley.
Delightful book for younger readers. Giraffe and Zebra are close friends who do all sorts of things together. When the book opens, Giraffe has to tell Zebra that he can't go to the watering hole. When Zebra asks why, Giraffe shares that there is a spider he is afraid of. Zebra thoughtfully makes a series of statements affirming Giraffe which he refutes with his own feelings. Readers see Zebra stay and wait for his friend to come down from the tree in his own time. When they then see the spider, Giraffe tries to speak to it. They discover the spider is afraid and climbs the same tree. So, the two friends wait for a new friend to be okay.
Love the emphasis on affirming and offering support. At the end of the book, Katzenberger offers informative text to answer questions about feeling worried or anxious and helping friends who feel this way.
The illustrations capture the emotions through facial expressions and body language. Readers can tell how each character is feeling without reading a word.
Great book for families and preschools to help young readers identify their own feelings and to show support and empathy for others.

It Will Be Ok is a story that helps readers that have worries and anxiety.

In this story, Giraffe is really scared. He saw a spider, and he is sure the spider will return to get him. In order to stay safe from his worries, Giraffe hides in a tree.

It doesn't take long for his friend, Zebra, to come looking for him. Instead of making fun of Giraffe for his worries, Zebra stays by the tree and talks to Giraffe about what is bothering him. Eventually, Giraffe makes it down the tree and the two are able to continue on with their day.

A cute story about a zebra who shows empathy towards his anxious friend, giraffe, who is stuck in a tree paralyzed by fear of a spider. With resources at the end for kids on how to cope with fear and anxiety, and how to show empathy & help our a friend in need, this is the perfect SEL book for a class or home discussion.