David and the Worry Beast: Helping Children Cope with Anxiety

by Anne Marie Guanci, Caroline Attia (Illustrator)

Learning to deal with anxiety is an important step in a child's healthy emotional growth. Conquering fears, and not avoiding them, is the lesson imparted in this story. David could not stop thinking about the basket he had missed at the end of the big game. He was worried that he might do it again. He was worried that his team mates would be angry with him. He was worried that his parents would not be proud of him. He was also worried about an upcoming math test. In fact, David was worried a lot. "Should I quit the team?" he asked himself. "Should I be sick tomorrow and miss the math test?" Luckily, David finally confided in his parents and school nurse, both of whom gave him support and techniques for controlling the "worry beast" within him. Delightfully illustrated, it focuses on a very real and essential topic.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 5, 2007

Reviews

[Sheenamy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was kind of excited to see a children's book on anxiety, but I can't really imagine that this is helping anybody.
This book was basically 'deep breaths, talk to your parents, listen to calming sounds' and while this isn't entirely wrong, it is also not entirely helpful.
I completely ignores the fact that your body will hold the stress you experienced even after the stressor is gone. It focusses very much on a 'done us better than perfect'-approach, which isn't given nearly enough context, if you ask me. Who really believes themselves when they tell themselves 'It'll be fine'? It teaches very little about how to recognize that feeling in the first place (it's discussed that anxiety may result in various physical pains in children, which is true, but if you're put through an anxiety-inducing event often enough (like school in general) it often subsides into a general uneasiness and your body holding tension and such).
Plus: I really don't like the art style.
I do think it's a nice approach to assign a visible creature to an invisible problem and as thus showing the impact one's actions can have, but that is the only positive thing I can say about this book.

[Albert Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

David and the Worry Beast is a fiction book that starts out with David playing in a basketball game. It's the last couple seconds of the game and he ends up missing a shot which ends in their loss. After the game David's coach tells him how he played a great game and not to worry about what happened. David doesn't believe in his coach and still worries over his missed shot and as he his changing clothes he notices a small furry creature next to him. At first he thinks it's just a stuffed animal, but quickly realizes how its alive and is afraid of it. When he gets home his parents try to console him about the game however that doesn't make him worry any less. When he gets to his room he realizes that the creature is bigger than before and it tells him that it is his worry beast and will cause him to worry even more. David continues to worry as he gets to school and the beast continues to grow larger and does so until he talks about his anxiety and resolves the issues.
I feel that the book would be interesting for children because of its colorful illustrations that are drawn accurately to what is being told in the story. It also helps enhance the story by showing the growth of the worry beast throughout the book so that children can get a visual representation of how much David has been worrying. The story itself allows children to think about their worries and how they can talk about it with others to get rid of it just like the stories problem and resolution. The characters were convincing because they all accurately portrayed how the adults would react when dealing with a child with anxiety and how a child might feel with anxiety. Interestingly David's fellow classmates represented a variety of cultural groups which also included the author and illustrator's, but the other cultural groups had no impact in the story.

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't like much about this book at all. The art is so unattractive that it is distracting, and it oversimplifies an issue that many kids deal with - anxiety. Davis is so stressed out by not doing well in a basketball game and not understanding his math. Both understandable, and many kids will relate. It is giving him stomachaches. Again, relatable. And then a huge furry creature is created by his worries and the police have to come? WHUT. And his parents school counselor, nurse, and parents tell him he needs to talk about his worries. Good. And he should do his best and not worry. NO. THAT IS NOT HOW ANXIETY WORKS. Don't you think that if someone with anxiety could just stop worrying, they would? They offer him no help with math, no offers to practice basketball, and very basic coping techniques that aren't explained well. I am giving this two stars because it does mention a couple of coping techniques in passing - picture a stop sign when you have a thought you don't want, breathe slowly, listen to a relaxing CD. But sometimes you have to take concrete actions in the areas of your life that are stressing you out. Get him math tutoring. Practice some basketball with him in the driveway. Breathing slowly is not going to help you pass a math test if the problem is not understanding the material.

[Scott Cahalan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a little boy named David who struggles with anxiety. The anxiety has a name “Worry Beast”. The book describes how David feels when he has anxiety and the struggles that come with having anxiety. The book talks about identifying the anxiety and how to cope and deal with the anxiety. I would recommend this book. I deal with anxiety as an adult, and I also dealt with it as a child. I do not remember books available that discussed anxiety or depression. I think it is important for children to understand that anxiety is natural, and it happens to all kinds of people. I support any book that discusses mental health and helps change the stigma associated with mental health. I think this book would be great for both teachers and parents because kids can have anxiety at home and at school. The more people children feel safe talking about their emotions the better. I think this would be a great book for children ages 5-10. The more adults talk about mental heath the better our children will be!

[Raymond Richard · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book says that if a child does his best, then that is enough. What if it isn't enough. If a child's best is to get 30% on a math test, he still fails. That's not good enough. Why did the parents tell him just to try his best? Why didn't they help him study? Instead of not worrying and saying "just try and have fun," a child should be taught to solve the problem. Worried about a math test? study worried about a basketball game? practice.

[Pranada Comtois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for children to see that anxiety is natural and give some tools how to cope. THank you.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for helping children address anxiety and stress, including both identifying what they are feeling and introducing some coping strategies. Can't really "love" a book like this, but it is helpful.

[Peacegal · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was one worried kid. Like David, I was often consumed by worry. I don't recall any kids' books about anxiety being available at the time.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anxiety and worry. Parent tips at the end of the book

[no · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had this book when I was younger! I always had terrible stomach aches and went home from school almost once a week. The only reason I passed was because I was gifted and did my homework in advance, but one time I did finally get help from a therapist in middle school. I'm in therapy now in my 20s and I find books like this that talks about anxiety, although for kids, still help.

I loved the notes at the end for parents. I think if more parents were open to talk about things like this so many kids wouldn't feel scared to ask for help, or feel ashamed.

The stigma with mental health is terrible and I'm all for books like this to help break those stigmas down. Nothing wrong with needing help for anxiety like in this book, or any mental health issue.

Great book! And the pictures were super cute! Totally needs to be in every classroom for kids!