Worry Says What?: A Picture Book About Using Self-Talk to Silence Anxious Thoughts (Truth Tellers)

This is my most used and loved book for worrying in my office. Worry starts off small but before long he is taking over. My kids really relate to this book. They sit and nod their heads as we read about missing out on things just because we are listening to worry. Then they realize that they have the power to control worry and they can take his power away. This a great tool for helping kids realize that they don't have to listen to worry and when they stop listening they find out they could always do all those things that worry was telling them they couldn't.

We bought this book after having our therapist read it to us at our therapy appointment. My 7 year old struggles with anxiety and this book really was a game changer. Discussing how big we let worry become in our minds was perfect for my little one. Would highly recommend for kids trying to understand what big emotions they are experiencing.

This is a great story. Well written, with beautiful illustrations. I've read it to a couple of reluctant kids and they loved it. One even asked to keep it on his bookshelf- so I know it's good:-)

I bought this book for my 6 year old. She was having a hard time at school and was always worrying. We read this book at night before bed and the next day she came home from school and said the worries started but she did her best to not think about them and was able to play with her friends and focus on her school work.

This is a wonderful book for anxious children. It really tells a nice story. A family favorite even for those without an anxious brain.

I was impressed reading this book. On a regular basis I run across quality books from The National Center for Youth Issues and this is one of them. Author Edwards turns "Worry" into a monster-like, silly creature, and the pictures are humorous and kid-friendly. We see different ways and situations where Worry makes a young girl become scared, such as when she's afraid she can't do math, or that others kids don't like her, and when she hears noises at nighttime. She hears a voice in her head that kind of takes over. Finally she decides to try to stop listening to Worry and start telling herself she can do the things he used to tell her she couldn't. She does math, she invites another girl to swing with her, and more. After a day of ignoring the monster, she realizes Worry has shrunk, and he leaves when she says loudly "I am not afraid." We can see at the end of the book he's not completely gone, of course, but she's keeping him at bay. Counselors, educators, and and all parents will find this a marvelous tool. Also, the author, who is a Licensed Professional Counselor, has a page at the end with suggestions of ways to help children deal with their worries and fears. Instead of simply telling a child what to do, this book gives a face to perhaps unnamed fears, and that's a good first step towards dealing with them.

There are books that you know that your kid just kind of likes and then there are books that your kid loves and you know will stay with them forever. This book falls in the latter category. My 1st grader (7 years old) can read this book herself, and when she started reading it, I could hear her voice begin to fill with wonder as she turned page after page. She could relate to the little girl in the story and to the things that the worry monster was saying. She immediately noticed how big the worry monster was at the beginning and how the monster began to shrink in size as the little girl began to stand up to that monster. My daughter voluntarily read the story again the next day, and a few days after that (saying that it was one of her favorites). Recently we went skiing, and my daughter, who suffers from generalized anxiety, tackled some pretty steep advanced blue slopes in Tahoe. She has a fear of heights and a fear of going "fast." So I asked her, wasn't she afraid of those hills? She smiled, leaned towards me and whispered, "Yes. I got pretty scared sometimes. But then I made myself go faster in order to shrink that worry monster to a really small size, and it worked." The book allowed my daughter to not only visualize her fears, but, more importantly, to envision herself tackling those fears head-on. I have so many thanks to the author of this book. It has helped our family immensely.

A helpful read for youth with worries

My daughter read this over a few times when it arrived and associated Worry to Anexity from Inside Out 2.

Lovely story.

Lo uso mucho con los niños. Me encanta

This book is wonderful! It helped my 5 year old to understand and make some light of her blooming anxiety. I (mom) live with generalized anxiety disorder, and WISH this book had been available or visible for me! I recognized the signs in her (I can't sleep/my tummy hurts) - and the little girl in this book reflects that. It's relatable and cute. She now enjoys talking back at her worry monster! Highly recommend.

My daughter loved this book and she is an anxious 6 year old