The art of this book is softly beautiful, which fits the point of the story; to work through anxious moments. At the end there's information to help both child and adult, which is a really wonderful thing to include so there's concrete coping skills a child can learn to help get through difficult times, which will help as they get older.

Thank you to Netgalley and Annick Press for the advance copy of "Anxious" by Luciana DeLuca. This was a very sweet picture book, the illustrations are beautiful and expressive and the words were comforting and informative. There was also a detailed afterword for children and parents that gives good tips for both. The book is effective in communicating the theme of dealing with anxiety in a gentle and simple way that is fitting for a child's understanding. I would recommend this book to parents who are looking for another engaging picture book as they teach their children emotional intelligence or if they have a child struggling with feelings of anxiety.

*Thank you NetGalley and Annick Press Ltd. for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.*

I absolutely loved this picture book and how it portrayed nervousness and anxiety. While being entirely accurate, the message is conveyed in a soft and reassuring manner.

The notes (to both readers and adults) contain pertinent resources and information.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Anxious to any parent, caregiver or teacher looking for a children's book on the topic.

What a sensitive and timely book for my classroom. I will purchase this book to add to my SEL collection and it is a great example of ways anxiety affects a person and how one can be sensitive to the needs of others.

I read this book with my six-year-old daughter, who has struggled with anxiety for a few years now. I liked the simple text and beautiful illustrations, although the symptoms described in the book felt more like depression than anxiety to me. Still, I think this book is a good tool to generate conversation between parents and young children, and can help give little ones the words to describe their big feelings.

This sweet and candid children’s story depicts a child’s self-reflection of their anxious feelings. The illustrations are beautiful and provide a visual depth that perfectly accompanies the emotion explored within the story. I especially loved that the author included an element of self-advocacy, which is very important since it can be so easy to forget to ask for help. Furthermore, I think this story is a great resource for parents to engage in conversations with little ones about feelings surrounding anxiousness to provide better self-awareness. I appreciate the author’s collaboration with a Doctor of Psychology for the clarifying note to the reader and a thoughtful note to adults. There are conversation prompts, strategies, and resources listed for caregivers to utilize if needed. It is very apparent that the author and illustrator took so much care and thought in creating this story. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with my kids. My 4-year-old daughter enjoyed the art, and it opened up a good conversation with 10 year-old autistic son. I highly recommend adding this book to your family library.

Publishing, in recent times, has begun to embrace the idea of SEL stories for young readers and I am all behind it.

This was a beautiful picture book that could be a great tool to help young minds understand the ups and downs of dealing with anxiety.

Highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this book!

This (short) book presented anxiety in a way that made it easy to understand for kids and showed relatable examples of anxiety-inducing situations as well as ways kids deal with anxiety. I work with kids in a psychiatric hospital and sometimes it’s really hard for them to put into words how they’re feeling and what brought them to the hospital but I think books like this can help give them the words to express themselves.

How do you explain the feeling of being anxious to a child? Can you really even explain it well as an adult? This children’s book uses a gentle way to demonstrate anxiety, what it feels like and how to handle it. What a great way to help our young readers deal with uncomfortable feelings and emotions they may be experiencing. And when we talk about this uncomfortable feelings they become more manageable.

The illustrations are works of art on each page. Keeping the reader engaged and further helping bring the words to life.

What a great tool for schools, counselors and at home too!!

Grateful to have received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley & Annick Press Ltd., Annick Press.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this one early and review it!

Though this is not the way I would describe anxiety or even worry, this is a great book for kids as an introduction to those topics. The illustrations are detailed in their ability to gain empathy from the reader. The diction is also simple and easy to follow, with plenty of places to stop and inquire about your own experiences or those of the child you’re reading to. Overall, I think this book should serve as an introduction to the topics of worry and anxiety, with more specific books tackling other subject matter taking second or third steps in the march towards understanding your child’s emotional needs.

Beautiful! As someone who suffers from clinical anxiety and depression, I found this title to be a really accurate depiction of how it feels and can affect your day-to-day life. I think it would be really helpful for a child to read this book and learn how to recognize the emotion of anxiety, and learn how to handle it.

The resources for children and adults in the back of the book are very helpful, and as a parent is useful information to have, because it can often be difficult to navigate these subjects in an age-appropriate way that little minds can grasp.

The illustrations are lovely and the use of grayscale vs color moves the narrative along and plays its own role in depicting the main character's feelings.

This book has lovely, gentle illustrations, and it depicts what anxiety can feel like for different people, putting words to experiences that are hard to express. I like how the book ends on a hopeful note without oversimplifying anxiety or making it seem like it's easy to escape it. There is also a helpful note for parents at the end.

Something you should definitely read to children! This book captures the confusing yet scary feelings we all face at some point and it shows ways to overcome them. It's so important for kids to be able to recognize and find ways to embrace it not ignore it! Fantastic parts for the parents to reflect on as well.

These are the books I wish I had growing up.

As someone that is continually trying to find ways to understand and manage my own anxiety, these are the types of books I wish I had been exposed to early on. This read takes you through a simple, yet spot on explanation of what anxiety and feel like and how it can affect your life. I really enjoyed that not only the story gives a positive message about asking for help, but there is an author note to the reader and to the the parents, as well as resources for caregivers at the end of the book.

In addition to the content, I very much enjoyed the illustrations in this book. What a great use of color or lack thereof in this story.

Thanks NetGalley and Annick Press for the ARC of this book

This was a beautifully illustrated picture book dealing with anxiety in children. I think that this book could potentially be helpful to children in helping them identify their mental health struggles, and anxiety is a common problem for children and frequently overlooked. I wish that there had been more on actually dealing with the anxiety, though it does touch on it in an afterword.

This was an incredibly sweet book, both in the illustrations and story. For a child struggling to understand their own feelings of anxiety, the pictures may feel validating and give a sense of comfort. I appreciated the authors correlation of feelings and visuals. The only downside is that I felt it wasn’t quite long enough to connect deeper to the character.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Annick Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

I really related when the main character told us that she feels like the world is too fast and loud. That's what it's like for me too. I'd rather be working from home in silence than driving to the office every day where people are constantly talking. There is a sense of urgency that comes with anxiety, reminding us we must always be concerned about something. She fears the overwhelming darkness that creeps in when anxiety is worst, and consumes her joy.

Another large part of anxiety comes from the unwillingness to ask for help because you're afraid of what others will think, or that it shows a weakness or perceived inability to handle everything you expect that you should. This book also teaches children that it's okay to ask for help when they need it. They don't have to face anxiety alone.

The back includes an author's note, note for adults about how to talk to their children about their anxiety as well as ways to help calm down, and resources.

This is such a good portrayal of how someone feels and looks while being anxious. This would be good to keep in a classroom library or to just have at home.

Thank you Annick Press for this advanced reader copy.

This debut picture book is beautiful to look at. Which alone would make it one of many beautifully illustrated books. What makes this stand out is the conversation between the illustrations and the text. Illustrator Natalí Barbani impeccably brings to life the way anxiety can feel through flowers, string, and movement. Which is a splendid match for Luciana DeLuca's words. Which are not densely overwritten to feel like a manual, but are instead engaging and accessible. It's also not tied to a specific event that could cause anxiety, like a new school, but is instead more about what the feelings feel like in your body.

There is also a page for adults in the back as a resource. I'd recommend this book for any young children dealing with anxiety or depression.

I received an advanced copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A young girl is scared, of feeling down and lonely. The light goes away as the darkness creeps in all around. She feels small and insignificant, all awhile she wants to scream out loud. What she feels is being anxious. A beautiful picture book showing how one can overpower and overcome anxiety. Asking for help is good, and trying different ways to conquer it, is always beneficial. I adored the palette of colored pencils (I think?), drawing the visual images of anxiety. A true and helpful book for kids