Is My Worry Worth Worrying About? product reviews

Miss Five has just started school so she is learning to negotiate the challenges of adjusting to big changes in her life, including learning new routines and making new friends. "Is My Worry Worth Worrying About?" is a perfect tool to help her to settle in without too much disruption to her peace of mind.

Some of the examples of how to calm down and alleviate the worrying are especially relevant. Miss Five loved the image of the little girl at the beach because she too feels relaxed and happy when she can jump over waves. There are some excellent strategies for coping with difficult situations, all aimed at young children and presented in a way that they can understand.

Although this is a book which is ostensibly a quick read, there is in effect a great deal of useful information which a young child needs time to absorb. Miss Five and her mother stopped reading at regular intervals and continued the following day: this ensured that she was able to get the most benefit and decide how she could apply the new ideas.

With her mother's assistance, she wrote down the names of positive people who love her and would be there for her. She said she would refer to this list when deciding on which person to approach. Sometimes it might be a family member, at other times it might be one of her peers. Her mother also liked the idea of categorising worries into issues that were within her control and others that would need a different approach.

The graphics are delightful, especially the small ones like the bees and the multicoloured collections of crayons. We did wonder whether the bees were honeybees or wasps - they are very bright - and this opened up a whole new discussion on different bee species! Another graphic that was encouraging was that of the child's auntie talking to his father about addressing a concern. It was useful that there was emphasis on the way adults help each other to look at problems too; this confirms that it is not just children who have to face their worries.

We appreciated the inclusion of a ruled page where the young reader can record his or her own ideas. It will provide a useful reference point to help organise problems and possible solutions. Odd sheets of paper can be used too, but if the main thoughts are recorded in the book itself, they are less likely to be lost. It will be helpful in the future to be able to look back on solutions that worked (and those that did not!)