I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The pictures for this book are really good. The idea and the outcome are great but at times the execution falls a little short. It tries to be sing songy and rhyming in parts but then it's almost like it completely forgets that in other parts. So, the text could use some work but otherwise a good book. Great for a person that has been anxious since childhood to read and know that it has helpful things to share with anxious kids.

As this is a cute kids book with meaning. I love kids books that address mental health in some way because it is very important for everyone and anxiety is not talked about enough especially with kids! Overall a cute read!

Anxious Andy has a lot of fears and his friends try to help reassure him that he will be okay. This is a cute story about anxiety and on the surface, makes an attempt to help calm those fears by using distractions i.e. focusing on other things. Andy's mother does a good thing in talking with him about his fears and is reassuring. While I liked all of these helpful tips for Andy, it is unlikely that he would be "cured" from ever feeling anxious again. I would liked it to have ended with Andy remembering that sometimes he would feel anxious, but knowing how to deal with it so that he could get past it a little easier each time. I would just be concerned that children who don't immediately get over their anxiety would feel that something is wrong with them if they couldn't be like Andy. Parents and educators can expand on the story to explain that everyone has anxious moments and that there are things they can do to help. Overall, this is a cute story, that I would recommend. There aren't many available that address mental health issues for young children. I applaud the author in tackling this tricky topic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clavis Publishing for the chance to read and review this ARC!

Anxious Andy is about a young boy who struggles with feeling like he is different. After encountering different animals in the forest who try and help distract him, Andy ultimately finds words of encouragement from his mother that help him feel brave enough to play with his peers.

As someone who has struggled with anxiety most of my life, I was drawn to this book and I appreciated that the author chose this topic for a children’s story. However, I didn’t think the way Andy learned to cope with his anxiety was that realistic. The mother saying to live in the moment was the key and Andy was free from his worries. I wish there had been a bit more to him working through his feelings in a real way that kids could still understand. I would still read this book with my students because I appreciate the topic and it’s great for kids with anxiety to know they aren’t alone.

Young Andy worries… a lot! That he is bothered by this is clear. The author of this picture book shows him looking for help from some non-human friends. For example, a dog says to bark. (Is this helpful for a human child?) Finally, Andy makes it home and looks to his mother for what he needs. In a didactic way, she explains that anxiety is just a feeling. So, Andy takes this in and begins to feel much better (this feels kind of simplistic to me although the message of trying to work with one’s feelings is true.) By the end of the book, Anxious Andy is Andy.

I almost never give a low rating to a book but this one did not appeal to me as either a reader or a mental health professional. I disliked the use of labels like anxious or shy. I also found the quick turnaround that Andy undergoes quite unbelievable. Kids usually progress, regress, go in spurts but rarely are so quickly cured.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. I regret that I cannot recommend it more highly.

Thank you to the author, Clavis Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This children's book about anxiety and how to deal with it is well-intentioned, but as far as I'm concerned it misses the mark. I love that someone tackled this subject for this age group, but the message - believe in yourself and try again when you fail - will not make your anxiety better. That Andy's anxiety immediately clears up completely is at best misleading. I think actual clear suggestions of how to deal with anxiety would have been a lot more helpful. And what was going on with imitating animal sounds? I did like the illustrations, which were very simple but evocative.

Thanks to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for my honest review.

I applaud the author for addressing such an important topic! While the conversation surrounding mental health has been growing, there is still quite a lapse in the knowledge children are given and how seriously their mental health concerns are. As a person with anxiety, I could relate to Andy and the constant battle he had with himself between what he wanted to do and what limits his anxiety was imposing on him.

Overall, the art style was beautiful and it certainly packs an important message for younger generations. However, I do wish more emphasis was placed on how Andy's mother gave him strategies to properly cope with his anxiety. While I understand the need for a happy ending, it also gives an unrealistic premise that anxiety can be cured in a day and go away forever. There are ways to deal with anxiety and it's okay to not always be brave, so I wish that was touched on a bit more in this story.

I think the premise of the story was very applicable to so many children. Many young readers would be able to relate to being anxious. However, I wish the author had used Andy's mom as a character who gave Andy strategies or tips to use when he was feeling anxious. I loved the use of rhyme throughout the story but thought Anxious Andy's name should have just been "Andy". Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my opinions.

Anxious Andy is a precious story of a boy who is so overwhelmed with anxiety that he always chooses to sit things out, rather than risk failure. In a society where children often grow up seeing anxiety as a problem to be remedied, Anxious Andy does a great job of normalizing negative feelings and encouraging positive feelings, rather than “fixing” our anxieties. Andy is validated in his feelings and is given a way to overcome his anxieties and succeed!

Anxious Andy is about a young kid named Andy who is experiencing anxiety about various things, and eventually he overcomes his worries after a pep-talk with his mom. This is a decent book if your child is worried about certain day-to-day things, like playing with other kids, but overall I don’t think it’s a book to help with overwhelming fear or anxiety. Although, some of the tips mentioned to not be afraid are creative - i.e., to “chirp chirp chirp” the fear away - and it might be beneficial to some audiences.

Very kid friendly way to talk about anxiety.

Anxiety is such a prevalent feeling among kids so helping parents find a way to talk about it and share stories about someone overcoming it is fantastic.

The art style was fun and dynamic with movement and emotion. Characters are diverse. I particularly liked the big hole illustration showing Andy deep in his anxiety with his friends trying to reach him.

Anxious Andy is a story about a boy named Andy who faces anxiety and is unable to participate at school. On his way home, he encounters several animals that tell him to make the sound they make in order to cure his anxiety. This doesn’t work and he comes home and talks to his mother, determines he must be brave, and his anxiety goes away. I felt like this book explores a complex theme in an overly simplistic way. It seems as though this book is targeted to a much younger audience than intended (the animal noise thing is more of a staple in books for toddlers). I think it also perpetuates a dangerous notion that anxiety is just a matter of “being brave.” He doesn’t explore the root of his anxiety, or find a substantial that could be helpful to a child in this situation. I think both of these things could have been conveyed in a way that was easy for children to understand and they would have really improved this book.

Thanks to Clavis Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in return for my honest review.
Good book, not great. Is about a young boy named Andy, who is so shy, bashful, fearful, nervous or whatever he is worried he will fail at what he does. I know the purpose of the book is to help instill confidence in children, but this is confusing, and the result is too instantaneous. After not playing either on the school gyms or games, Andy goes home and comes across different animals to whom he tells his problem and each animal tells him to make a sound like they make to drive away those fears. Each contradicts this other and finally when he gets home he talks to his mother (who must have previously been oblivious to his issues) and she tells him to "stay in the moment." What the dickens does that mean and how is that helpful to a 5-year old reader the book is intended for? She tells him one or two other pieces of advice and sends him back where he instantaneously becomes successful and even immediately scores a soccer goal. OK, I know this is for young readers but poor Andy is told by animals to go around saying Bark, Bark, Bark or Hiss, Hiss, Hiss or by his mom to stay in the moment. Sorry friends not really the best. Illustrations are basic and not great. That sort of sums up the whole book, not great.

With everything that is going on in this world and the rising of anxiety among our children, this book will serve well for parents to comfort their children.

Andy is called Anxious Andy because he does everything in his power to avoid playing with other children. He is anxious that he will not do well enough or hurt himself. His "unusual" friends try to help him but it is only when he listens to his mother sound advice that he learns to handle his anxiety. He turns his anxiety to fun.

Anxiety can take away our confidence and our social skills needed to have a healthy emotional well being. A very encouraging book for all ages and stages in life.

A special thank you to Clavis Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

A children’s picture book about Andy, who is afraid of trying new things and the advice he takes to be brave.

If your child simply has rational fears that require a little encouragement and love to conquer, this book is definitely for them!

However, if your child actually struggles with anxiety this book is NOT for them. “The only person who thinks you will fail is you” is NOT a great conversation to have with a child diagnosed with true anxiety.

Full disclaimer: I don't know much about children's books. That being said. I didn't like this one. I wanted to read it because it seemed like it discussed an important and difficult topic, but the ending just reinforced the idea that your anxiety can be solved. I was really hoping to see an honest discussion between the mom and her son about how sometimes you feel anxious just because, and that it's best to accept those feelings as they come. Instead, the ending implied that all Andy had to do was be brave and his anxiety went away, which was weird and not true. The drawings were nice, though, and even though I don't know much about children's lit, it seems like this could be a good learning tool for vocab.

"Anxious Andy" is a sweet book about a little guy who has many fears which inhibit his ability to play and have fun with his friends. He struggles daily with worries and they seem to be defeating his ability to cope with his emotions.

One day Andy is at his wits end as he heads home after battling his demons all day long.

"Frustrated and filled with doubt, Anxious Andy walked home with a discouraging pout. He wanted to scream! He wanted to shout! But most of all, he wanted to figure his worrying out."

On his way he meets some animal friends and asks them why he is so scared. They all offer a solution but those solutions do not solve Andy's problems. Andy with tears streaming down his face finally encounters his mother and confesses to her how he tried to overcome his worries and fear but alas... he failed. His wise mother offers him advice that is sure to help him become a conquerer. Will her council finally set Andy free to become happy and enjoy his life much more with his friends?

The illustrations are expressive and full of emotion. They certainly enrich the message of the book. It is lovely that his mother listens to him and is there to support him and lovingly help him understand what he was going through. The book will spark conversations regarding feelings and how to change fearful thoughts of failure into feelings of bravery and courage. I recommend this book.

This book did a wonderful job describing anxiety. It would be very helpful for kids who feel anxiety to recognize themselves in the story and know that there's a name for what they're feeling and they're not alone. It's also a nice way to start to build empathy among all kids about what their peers might be experiencing.

For all its strength in depicting anxiety, the book falters in how to manage anxiety. The portion of the story where Andy meets various animals who have him imitate sounds to make his anxiety go away seems like a bit of a distraction. His mother's advice, which focused more on reframing and challenging negative self-talk, was more helpful, but still a bit insta-cure to be realistic. Andy was suddenly all better and everything went perfect for him, which is a message I'm a bit concerned about. Still, with relatively few books about anxiety for kids, this could still be a good resource for starting a conversation.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

The illustrations of the book were cute and I liked the idea, but it was, admittedly, a bit oversimplified. This is somewhat understandable for a children's book but doesn't really capture anxiety very accurately.

Another children's book that adults can relate to! Fighting your anxiety today? Maybe this one, however shallow, could help you move. Andy's an anxious boy but what kept me going with this is that he is trying to overcome it page by page and I hope you do so, too. 😊