Inside: If you have a kiddo who worries a lot, I’M WORRIED, by Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi, is the perfect book for your library!
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I’ll admit it: I worry.
I worry a lot.
It’s part of my makeup, part of who I am, and I have my dad to thank for that one (love you anyway, Dad!)
With the whole mindfulness kick raging across the nation, I’ve worked hard on managing my anxieties through meditation, and I really hope to teach it to my boys as well. To that end, I have been blown away by some of the amazing picture books that have recently been published to teach kids about handling their worries and staying focused on the present.
I have long been head over heels in love with I’M BORED and I’M SAD from “The I’m Book” Series written by Michael Ian Black and illustrated Debbie Ridpath Ohi, and when I learned the third book in this series was entitled, I’M WORRIED, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. And just like the two books before it, I’M WORRIED is fabulous, authentic, and so helpful in discussing daunting emotions with children.
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Like I’M BORED and I’M SAD, I’M WORRIED is a story based on three adorable characters: a little girl, a pink flamingo, and a potato (yes, you read that right!!! I did say a potato!!)
In I’M WORRIED, poor Potato is worried about everything! After all, how can you possibly prepare for the future when something bad might happen?
Potato is convinced his friends will be able to make him feel better. Unfortunately for him, though, his gal pal can’t promise Potato that nothing bad will ever happen. What she does do, however, is remind Potato that even when they have experienced tough things, they always make it through to the other side — and have some fun along the way.
Oh, how I love this book!
What I adore most about The I’m Book series, including I’M WORRIED, is the way these stories tap so authentically into the child psyche. They each take a big, frustrating emotion and make sense of it in a way that feels so relatable to kids.
Specifically, I’M WORRIED helps children recognize that living in the now and focusing on the present moment is so much more fun than worrying about something that may or may not happen in the future. The anthropomorphic potato makes light of a daunting emotion, and the adorable trio helps to ease worries with both humor and sensitivity.
At once funny and tender, I’M WORRIED is a gift to parents and teachers who have children that dwell on fears and need help remembering that we can’t predict the future but we can control our thinking and focus.
I cannot rave about these three books enough, and I wholeheartedly believe they have a place in every library collection at home and school! Two trunks up for this treasure of a series!
HEE received a copy of I’M WORRIED from the publisher, but all opinions contained herein are expressly our own.
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