I love that Magination Press continues to update their “What To Do When” series for kids. This time it’s “What To Do When You Panic” by Lenka Glassman, PsyD.

In this book, kids are offered concrete ways to help deal with feelings of panic. One of the most interesting is to imagine your panic as an object (such as a dragon) that you can tame with strategies such as deep breathing or distracting yourself with your senses (e.g. what is one thing I can see? What is one thing I can hear?, etc.). The book is an interactive workbook that has children write and/or draw their feelings.

The beginning of the book has a guide for adults to help the children in their care.

This book is great for kids and their adults if they suffer from panic or anxiety.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and Magination Press, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is an excellent book for kids with anxiety and panic. The text is clear and easy to understand, offering exercises to help calm panic and also understanding of why it occurs in the first place.

My kiddo (10) has a lot of anxiety and he seemed to get a lot of out reading this book and talking through the exercises. The illustrations are cute and engaging, as are the stories about the kids experiencing panic.

Definitely worth it if your kid experiences anxiety. I recommend the entire series, in fact, as my kiddo has enjoyed and gotten a lot out of all of them.

*Thanks to Magination Press for providing an early copy for review.


Reading Progress

This revised edition in the series covers dealing with feelings of panic. The examples are clearly written and easy for children to relate to, with worksheets, activities, reflection questions, and case examples distributed throughout. An good addition to a school library or public library as a support for teachers and parents dealing with anxiety and panic.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher, American Psychological Association, via NetGalley.

After reading another book in this series (What to Do When the News Scares You,) I was looking forward to checking this one out. It didn't disappoint! Six-year old me could've absolutely benefited from reading this, and even 31-year old me is taking notes.

Panic/anxiety is tackled in such a compassionate, non-judgmental way, assuring the reader that it's not their fault and that these feelings are something they *can* handle. Included are a lot of great activities to get kids thinking about how they experience their own panic, as well as how they see themselves — hopefully allowing them to cultivate a sense of self-confidence and self-love. We all know it's never easy to just shut off panic, but I believe this book will very well set a child up for success by teaching them about the facts (and most importantly, about the emotions!) early on.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This interactive self-help book is designed to help kids overwhelmed with panicky feelings and stress, using scientifically proven techniques most often used by psychologists and school counselors. I really enjoy this book, with so many tips and new insights to deal with anxiety and panic.

This is an amazing step-by-step guide to help kids with feelings of panic. I love how it uses CBT strategies that involve multiple senses as well as different types of activities that involve drawing, movement, imagination, song writing, and script writing. KIds will feel empowered when they use the strategies in this book!

What to do when you Panic is an excellent self-help book for children that are struggling with Anxiety and/or Panic Disorder. As a mental health therapist, I am always looking for new tools to help my clients. I find it challenging finding a workbook that has enough information to make it beneficial but also while telling in a way that keeps my kiddo’s interest, What to do when you Panic combines the best of both Worlds in this case.
Right of the bat, the author explores the “Fight, Flight, Freeze” response in a very understandable way. Creating an awareness to the fight or flight response is so important for mental health as if a child is able to normalize this response, they are better able to control their reaction to it thus ending the vicious cycle of panic. I love how the author educates the reader on perceived threats versus real threats and how to decipher between the two. There are so many interactive exercises in this workbook that the reader has a hands on approach combining journaling exercises, expressive arts and coping skills.

The author also addresses the foundation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, essentially recognizing ones negative thoughts, emotional response and behavior. Panic and Anxiety is perpetuated by “what if” thoughts and the author does an amazing job at getting young readers to challenge negative thought patterns and re-frame to a more realistic thought.

What to do when you Panic does a wonderful job at helping children identify their negative beliefs by teaching children to “Find their most loving voice” in order to create feelings of self-worth, I adore this. So many children struggle with their self-worth and confidence in our World, this book helps our young reader to identify their strengths and explores positive affirmations they can use to change their “I cant’s to I can”.

This workbook is an invaluable tool for mental health professionals, educators and parents who care for children that are struggling with anxiety. What to do when you Panic is also a great “Prevention” tool for children that may not necessarily be struggling but could benefit from learning new coping skills or gaining a new self-confidence.

The book was beautifully written. The author made careful word choices that were very impactful. Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it.

After reading the second editions of What to Do When You Worry Too Much, What to Do When Mistakes Make You Quake and What to Do When Your Temper Flares, I was so excited to see a new addition to the series - this time on panic.

Just like in the other 3 cases this edition has a modern feel and I'm pleased to see how well the content reflects the experience of panic at present (more on that below). When we know better, we need to do better. The APA does that yet again!

The topic of panic felt a tad advanced for young children, but Chapter 1 does such a wonderful job of explaining panic and providing examples from the get-go. The inclusion of panic as an adaptation for survival was wonderful to see; I don't think I learned of that connection until I was much older. The mention of panic's useful history is a great step toward bringing the very real, very unfortunate experience of true panic to our conversations with children in a way that's actually helpful and supportive.

My son isn't even 2 years old yet, so I wouldn't personally use this right now. But I'm hoping that by the time this would be feasible for him there will be an even newer edition we can purchase. If not, I'll be adding this exact book to our family library :)

{I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher, American Psychological Association, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.}