Books for feelings and life
Books about worry and anxiety
Worry can show up as stomachaches, clinging or perfectionism. These books give a child a name for it and something to try. They help, but they do not replace a pediatrician or counselor if worry is constant.
Picks drawn from long-standing children's-librarian lists, ALSC notable and award records, and Common Sense Media age ratings, with each title and author checked against Open Library, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
Ruby Finds a Worry
Tom Percival · Ages 4-7
A worry grows bigger the more Ruby hides it until she tells another child, who has one too.
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Wemberly Worried
Kevin Henkes · Ages 4-7
A mouse who worries about everything faces her first day at nursery school. Reassuring and funny.
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What to Do When You Worry Too Much
Dawn Huebner · Ages 6-12
A step-by-step guide written for children, with exercises based on cognitive-behavioral therapy.
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Wilma Jean the Worry Machine
Julia Cook · Ages 5-9
Wilma Jean worries about things she cannot control and learns to let some go.
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Don't Feed the WorryBug
Andi Green · Ages 4-8
A boy named Zach is told that feeding a worry makes it grow. A simple image kids repeat.
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Is a Worry Worrying You?
Ferne Sherkin-Langer · Ages 4-8
Rhyming and practical, with ways to shrink worries.
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What Do You Do With a Problem?
Kobi Yamada · Ages 4-9
A problem hangs over a child until it is faced, and it turns out to hold an opportunity.
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The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein · Ages 5-9
A very careful girl discovers that a public slip-up is survivable. Good for perfectionists.
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More lists
Books about fear, the dark and monsters
Fear of the dark, of monsters, and of being left is normal between ages 3 and 7.
Mindfulness and calm-down books for kids
Short books that teach breathing, noticing and stillness.
Books about shyness and quiet kids
Shy and quiet are not problems to fix.
Books about anger for kids
Anger is one of the first big feelings children need words for.
Books about sadness and sad days
Children are often told to cheer up.
Books about loneliness and finding a friend
Loneliness is different from being alone.
Books about frustration and trying again
For the child who throws the pencil when the drawing is not right.
Books about being brave
Courage in picture books is often small: asking a question, trying a new food, going in the water.