Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC opportunity!
This is an absolutely gorgeous book illustrating how anxiety can feel for children. The illustrations are beautiful and capture emotions well. The words for anxiety were spot on (I am a therapist) and easy to understand.

I loved the tips for both kids and caregivers at the end of the book, as well as shared responses. I will definitely be buying a copy for my office/my patients.

I hope to read more from this author in the future!

My 8 year old recently discovered the feeling of anxiousness. I requested this book in hopes that it would be something she would enjoy and benefit from.
This book is gorgeously illustrated and beautifully written. It describes what feeling anxious looks like and also takes you through steps to make you feel better.
My daughter read the book aloud to me, told me that she loved it and gave me a hug. She mentioned that she would like buy a copy when it is released and read it to her class at school. She said it will help raise awareness of the scary feeling and also help people understand how she personally feels sometimes.
She is the one who gave the star rating and helped me to write this review.
Thank you NetGalley and Luciana De Luca for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.

This book is a lovely book for children about anxiety. The material is very age-appropriate and I appreciate that the back pages have ideas for kids on how to deal with anxiety, and adults to talk to their kids about anxiety. I love how the book goes from most black and white images to color as the girl learns to cope with her anxiety. I loved this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is such a a cute picture book for kids. It talks about anxiety in easy to understand way. The illustrations are adorable.
I wish I'd had this book when I was a kid.

I LOVED this book. As a 50 year old woman who has had anxiety since I was a little girl, I wish a picture book like this was available at that time. This book is a great resource for parents with children who have anxiety and I really appreciated the note to parents at the end as well as the resource guide. This book will help you talk to your child with anxiety and give them tools to help them cope. The illustrations are beautiful and I love how when the little girl is anxious, the illustrations are in grey scale and after she uses her coping skills they change to color. Absolutely recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd., Annick Press, for an advanced reader copy.

I was a kiddo with undiagnosed anxiety. Being anxious was a very confusing experience because no one put a name to the feeling. I almost want to cry that other anxious kids may have access to this beautiful book, put a name to the feeling they are experiencing, and get the help they need. I loved the pictures in the book and the contrast of the feeling of darkness, fear, and being small with the colorful flowers of being able to live with joy, love, and help from an adult. I highly recommend this book for all parents/teachers especially the ones that may have an anxious kiddo at home. They deserve to live beyond their anxiety and find hope and beauty in the world. So happy that is lovely book exists!

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. As someone who suffers from anxiety, and as a mom of a kid who has anxiety, this is a great resource to help kids verbalize and picture how they’re feeling. I also really liked the suggestions at the end. The artist did a great job of conceptualizing ways that anxiety can make you feel. I’ll be reading this with my 6 year old.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book about what it like to have anxiety. I am adult with anxiety, and have had students that I have taught with anxiety, and this is an accurate representation of what it feels like. I loved how there was a note for both children who experience it, as well as note for the grownups in their lives who want to help and support them.
Not only was it an accurate portrayal, but it also gave some ways to help with feeling that way.

An important book for any child with anxiety, and to keep in a classroom to have students understand others who who may have it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, the author, and the illustrator for this copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I have a school aged daughter who had been feeling extra nervous to return to school after holiday break. I was thrilled to get an ARC copy of "Anxious" as I find she connects with stories best to calm her nerves. Not only is the illustration beautiful and serene, but the message is beautifully written. This is the perfect book to calm the jitters and to be a staple is school counselors office. Even as an adult, I found it comforting.

"Anxious" was a good, simple story about a very complex feeling.

In "Anxious," a little girl talks about how her worries and fears make her feel, how anxiety has impacted the things she enjoys, and what she's learned to do to help herself not feel so anxious all the time.

Addressing the anxiety kids may have is so important. The author did a good job talking about anxiety and what it feels like. I liked the illustrator's art style. The illustrations really captured the emotions the author's words embodied. I also like that the book includes a note for readers and adults, and resources for caregivers about anxiety, what it is, and how to start an open and honest conversation about it.

Thanks again Annick Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review!

Such a beautiful book to teach children about anxiety and that it's okay; they're not alone and their feelings are valid. I wish my parents knew/talked about anxiety when I was a kid. It would've saved me from a lot of heartache. This book is tender and calming. The illustrations depict anxiety so well from a child's point of view. I will be purchasing this book for all of my nieces and nephews. Thanks you @netgalley for this ARC!

Such a sweet book to help littles understand and know what to do when they feel anxious. I read this with my 6yo and we both loved the illustrations. The way the book is worded also allowed me to open dialogue with her about her feelings while reading the book. At the end there is an amazing section with notes for adults and caregivers!

I really liked “Anxious” by Luciana De Luca. The writing was kid friendly but not overly simplistic. The colors while a tad muted, were also soothing. I liked that there was a letter to the reader and a letter to parents included in the back of the book. These provided reassurance and advice for both groups about how they could help manage anxiety.

As advertised, the illustrations in this are stunning. They are beautiful and the use of color to show how anxiety feels was so well-executed and will likely help children connect their own feelings to the story more. I do wish there had been a bit more of a storyline but regardless I think it is a great opening to help kids understand feelings of anxiety that may be new to them and therefore scary - and to show that they’re not alone in those feelings. The note to adults at the back is also a very helpful and thoughtful resource to include.

"Anxious" is a beautifully illustrated and thoughtfully written picture book that delicately explores the intricate emotions associated with anxiety, making it a valuable resource for young readers navigating these complex feelings. Through the eyes of a little girl, readers witness her struggles with anxiety as she yearns to engage in joyful activities but finds herself hindered by overwhelming emotions. With evocative artwork and straightforward text, the book tenderly depicts the various manifestations of anxiety, from fear and shyness to sensory overload. While there's no quick fix for anxiety, the story offers a hopeful message of seeking support and discovering small moments of relief. Written from a child's perspective, "Anxious" fosters empathy and understanding, providing a compassionate framework for readers to recognize and address their own anxious feelings.

With beautiful art and carefully chosen prose, “Anxious” by Luciana de Luca with illustrations by Natali Barbani (4 stars) (Pub Date: 3/14/2024) creates a beautiful and calming space to reflect on and work through the experience of being little and feeling intense worry or anxiety.

Good Things: The illustrations are excellent, using the movement of color, shading, and white space to explore what it feels like to be off - balance, to feel overwhelmed, or over-stimulated. Experiencing anxiety is a complex, and sometimes contradictory experience, and small children can relate to these illustrations in a way that adults might not. Their feelings are still those of color and movement, and less of words. The sparing language allows for the illustrations to tell the story, and makes the book more relatable to a child who might want to access the book alone. I also very much liked the write ups at the conclusion of the book.

Opportunities: While the illustrations were amazing, they are of one child throughout. The book might have benefited from having other children of different genders or backgrounds, visually experiencing the artistic anxiety, to allow for kids of all kinds to identify more with the story.

Final Thoughts: It’s refreshing and important to discuss the complex feelings and experiences associated with anxiety. Even at the earliest of ages, the feelings, sounds, colors, and shapes of anxiety can be addressed and normalized and this beautiful book is a great contribution to that mission.

I appreciate the opportunity afforded me to have an early read of this story by netgalley and Annick Press Ltd.. The opinions in this review are expressly those of ButIDigressBookClub and are intended for use by my followers and friends when choosing their next book. #butidigress #butidigressbookclub #anxiety #lucianadeluca #netgalley #netgalleyreviewer #arc #arcs

Details
Review Shared on Goodreads - www.goodreads.com/leah_cyphert_butidigressbookclub
Publishing Review 2/17/2024

A lot on the short side and not what I was expecting considering the usual style of children’s books. There wasn’t a story just a straight diagnosis…almost a checklist of anxiety symptoms presented with pretty pictures. Relatable but not something I’d want to give to a child…

Beautifully illustrated. A great depiction of how anxiety feels when you are younger. Loved and appreciated the notes at the end for young ones and adults.

5/5 Stars! Thank you, NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd./ Annick Press for this eARC of Anxious by Luciana De Luca.

BEAUTIFUL!!! I am so glad that I got the chance to read this story and share it with my boys. We've had a hard history and especially with my youngest's recent diagnosis, I am glad I can introduce to him the label of this feeling and that it's okay to feel that way and to let us know when he does. The illustration is beautiful and short enough to capture my boy's attention of the story. When I first read the book by myself, it made me wish I had this book when I was younger...

I will definitely be buying this book for my boys when it is published. Thank you!

Incredible. The illustrations were beautiful. I wish I had this book when I was younger. What an excelling story and resource for young people!