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Don't Feed The WorryBug: A Book About Worry
2019 Child Mind Institute Pick for Best Children's Books For Helping Kids Understand Anxiety. Say hello to Wince, one of the biggest worriers you will every meet. From cookies to homework to the weather, Wince worries about everything. And when Wince starts to worry, his WorryBug appears. At first the WorryBug is small and non-threatening, but the more Wince Worries the more his WorryBug grows. Don't Feed The WorryBug is great story to start the conversation on worry and anxiety. Help your kids learn it's OK to have worries, but don't let those worries, aka the WorryBug, grow and take over your life.
76 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2011
192 people are currently reading
186 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
March 7, 2022
It is a very cute picture book that talks about the anxiety in children. Anxiety means the intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. The book uses "Wince" as the monster of anxiety and use pesky as the standard of anxiety. Wince starts to cope with its anxiety when it grows bigger enough. The book tell different strategies for children to solve and relieve their anxiety. It's an unrealistic but really realistic book. Although the character of the book is not human, but Wince has faced most of the situation the kids will face to cause anxiety. And a cute monster is very approate for kids to read.
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November 16, 2021Don't feed the WorryBug is written and illustrated by Andi Green. It is a book about Wince, the monster of worry who has so much to do and worries about it all. The author then introduces the worry bug who buzzes around Wince. The more that Wince worries, the more the worry bug is fed. It gets so bad for Wince that he can't sleep with worry and feeds the worry bug so much that he becomes enormous. Finally, Wince says "Enough!" and decides he must get rid of the worry bug.
It is not lost of me that the main characters name is Wince. The definition of wince from the dictionary is to give a slight involuntary grimace or shrinking movement of the body out of or in anticipation of pain or distress. I thought that the worries for a younger child who might read this book were pretty realistic. A young child might worry about feeding their pet fish, getting good grades, or homework. I thought some of the worries weren't as realistic. I don't often hear about my young students concerned about laundry. I thought that it was clever to have the bug grow every time Wince worried. The more we feed it, the more it grows which makes sense. However, the opposite can be much more challenging to a child that worries quite a bit. If you just say to a child, don't worry, or feed your worry bug, can be extremely challenging for a student with severe anxiety or worry. Lastly, I thought the illustrations fit the book perfectly. They were trying to be colorful and upbeat but they felt chaotic and very busy. There isn't going to be a book that solves a child's anxieties but this book could be a great conversation starter and perhaps one tool in a toolbox to help a child who battles anxiety.
It is not lost of me that the main characters name is Wince. The definition of wince from the dictionary is to give a slight involuntary grimace or shrinking movement of the body out of or in anticipation of pain or distress. I thought that the worries for a younger child who might read this book were pretty realistic. A young child might worry about feeding their pet fish, getting good grades, or homework. I thought some of the worries weren't as realistic. I don't often hear about my young students concerned about laundry. I thought that it was clever to have the bug grow every time Wince worried. The more we feed it, the more it grows which makes sense. However, the opposite can be much more challenging to a child that worries quite a bit. If you just say to a child, don't worry, or feed your worry bug, can be extremely challenging for a student with severe anxiety or worry. Lastly, I thought the illustrations fit the book perfectly. They were trying to be colorful and upbeat but they felt chaotic and very busy. There isn't going to be a book that solves a child's anxieties but this book could be a great conversation starter and perhaps one tool in a toolbox to help a child who battles anxiety.
February 28, 2022
This book is literally the best visual representation that I have ever seen about anxiety. This book talks about how when you're worried, and the more you think about it, the worse your anxiety will get. This book depicts mental health because it talks about anxiety. Anxiety is a very real mental health thing, and its something that many people deal with on a daily basis. This book is unrealistic in the way that there is of course not a real worry bug and the character is a monster. However, this book is a visual representation of what anxiety is like. For example, the worry bug represents anxiety and how when someone has anxiety and the more you think about it, the worse it gets. This book is a great way for children to understand anxiety and how to help when children have anxiety. This book is very appropriate for young children. The worry bug and monster, and the woads in this story are very children friendly. This is a great book to keep around in the classroom for teaching children how to cope with anxiety.
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March 6, 2022This book helps depict the idea of anxiety. This shows an accurate representation of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. There is discussion on worrying about little things like lights being on, appearance, more worries, etc. I believe that the idea of a worry bug is not that good of a representation because often times, telling the worry bug "no" really does not make your worries go away. Often times they can make them worse.
November 17, 2023
I read this while waiting in the psych's office, they have a cute selection of book like this. This lil book is very cute and the representation of what anxiety feels like was spot-on, but also soft enough for young kids. I liked that it de-stigmatizes a)having anxiety and b) asking for help. I think the only part that's a let-down for me is that at the end, the worrybug goes away and never comes back. It doesn't work like that for a lot of us and I think ending on a 'happily ever after' without addressing that is unfortunate and does a disservice to young readers who may need to repeatedly send away the worrybugs. Other than that, real cute.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2025
Very cute story!
July 9, 2020
Good book, it lets kids know that worrying causes more worries. The problem I have is it doesn’t really tell you what to do with your worrying... might be helpful to have steps to de stress in the back? Like breathing in for ten and out for ten.. idk something kind of like that would be helpful.
March 2, 2022
Don't Feed the WorryBug is the story of a monster who is full of worriers that cant go away. This book focuses on anxiety. I thought this book was extremely realistic in what anxiety looks like in everyone; not just someone who is diagnosed. Lots of the worries that were discussed in this book were common and Wince's worries came out of nowhere for no real reason. Once his worries started they just couldn't stop, growing into a panic attack. I enjoyed that the book not only discussed anxiety and what it may feel like but also discussed getting help for it. I think mental health is a common conversation now. However, the conversation of getting help and actually seeing a doctor or therapist can be daunting.
I think this book is very appropriate. It follows some common children's book themes of bright illustrations, monsters as main characters, and words that rhyme. I think its discussion about anxiety was also very easy to understand and it is something that people of all ages can relate to. The word anxiety was never directly mentioned but its symptoms were and tips for calming those worries were also given. I don't think anything about this book was too controversial or triggering.
I think this book is very appropriate. It follows some common children's book themes of bright illustrations, monsters as main characters, and words that rhyme. I think its discussion about anxiety was also very easy to understand and it is something that people of all ages can relate to. The word anxiety was never directly mentioned but its symptoms were and tips for calming those worries were also given. I don't think anything about this book was too controversial or triggering.
May 7, 2020
Reading Levels
DRA: 38
Lexile: 770L
Explanation of Star Rating: I gave this book five stars because of how relatable it is and how I could see myself using many of the phrases from this book in my own classroom. If a student starts to worry about something after we've read this book, I'd encourage them to not feed their worry bug!
Most standout trait(s): Ideas
DRA: 38
Lexile: 770L
Explanation of Star Rating: I gave this book five stars because of how relatable it is and how I could see myself using many of the phrases from this book in my own classroom. If a student starts to worry about something after we've read this book, I'd encourage them to not feed their worry bug!
Most standout trait(s): Ideas
March 4, 2022
This was a great book that can be used as an introduction to a hard topic which is anxiety. Students constantly will experience anxiety in school no matter how young they may be, and many of these students do not have the proper strategies or help to fight off the anxiety. This book did a great job showing that sometimes the worry bug gets control of us, but what are we gonna do once that happens? The book provides emotional strategies and support to help fight off our worry bugs. This would be perfect for younger readers as it rhymes and is written like a poem.
June 1, 2020
Not the message I’d hoped for
Looking for a book to help my son with anxiety. The message of this book is, to stop worrying, just... don’t worry? And/or keep yourself busy and the worry just goes away. It felt like the blame was put on the worrier for letting worry happen. I’ll keep looking for something that has a more helpful message for kids.
Looking for a book to help my son with anxiety. The message of this book is, to stop worrying, just... don’t worry? And/or keep yourself busy and the worry just goes away. It felt like the blame was put on the worrier for letting worry happen. I’ll keep looking for something that has a more helpful message for kids.
June 13, 2020
Wince, a WorryWoo, is enjoying a lovely day in the park when suddenly his mind begins to race. He begins thinking, incessantly, about the homework he hasn't completed, chores that need to be done, upcoming events, and more. His mind and heart continue to panic as he sits in his own anxious self. Suddenly, he is visited by the WorryBug which feeds on WorryWoo worries. As Wince continues to fret about what he needs to do and has not yet done, the WorryBug grows in size until he is almost as big as Wince's Kitchen. Wince realizes that there must be something done to get rid of this WorryBug. He researches and gathers a team to help him find a solution, and not a short while later he finds himself busy and happy as he works with the team. The WorryBug shrinks back down to his puny size for he has not been fed by Wince, and Wince realizes that he has found the solution to get rid of the WorryBug. I really enjoyed this book, and I think it would be a wonderful way to introduce the importance of emotional and mental health to our young learners. This book, focused on anxiety, can help us and our students find ways to avoid anxiety. In addition, when we experience worries and anxious feelings, we can also come together as our own "WorryBug Research Team" in the classroom to find healthy solutions that will help us stop "feeding the bug." This story may be a great resource for our students to learn about and process these negative emotions, and help us begin discussing the importance of maintaining healthy emotional regulation.
April 15, 2021
This book is all about Mince, the Monster of Worry. Minces mind continuously worried about everything he had to do and worried that he might not finish it all. My favorite quote from this book is, “If you feed it a worry, It will always want MORE!” This is so true in even my own life, worrying just causes more worrying, so why worry? I like that this book includes illustrations that play into the words on the page and I enjoyed that rhyme was very common in this story. This book does a great job of explaining anxiety and its impact on people everyday! Through colorful drawings, bolded words, and rhyme I was captivated by my ability to connect with this story. Maybe if I were to use this book in my classroom my students would understand that feeding the worry bug only makes everything more worrisome.
November 23, 2021
Don’t Feed the Worry Bug by Andi Green is a story about Wince who worries a lot and attracts a worry bug. The more Wince worries, the bigger the bug grows. Wince calls in the Worry Bug Staff in order to help him fix the problem. They were having so much fun that Wince forgot about his worries.
I do not think this book offers many strategies for kids to use, but serves as a good introduction to worrying. It is important to cover topics such as this one in the classroom. Students must feel safe both physically and emotionally in their classroom. This book can help students feel less stigmatized about having anxiety, and can help other students to have empathy for those who have many worries. Teachers can then have class discussions around further strategies in addition to supporting students on an individual level with their anxiety.
I do not think this book offers many strategies for kids to use, but serves as a good introduction to worrying. It is important to cover topics such as this one in the classroom. Students must feel safe both physically and emotionally in their classroom. This book can help students feel less stigmatized about having anxiety, and can help other students to have empathy for those who have many worries. Teachers can then have class discussions around further strategies in addition to supporting students on an individual level with their anxiety.
March 1, 2022
This book does a really good job at depicting anxiety for children. It shows the main character and his struggles with engaging in his worrying with the WorryBug. When he becomes preoccupied with these anxieties, it feeds the worry bug and causes even more stress. I think this is a realistic representation for children to find a way to visualize their anxieties and mental health because even for adults anxiety can be depicted in a way that creates an elaboration of the image. I feel like this book would be more well rounded if it had provided some strategies for helping with anxiety as simply telling it to go away isn't effective. It is appropriate for children, nonetheless and represents a topic that many struggle with.
April 15, 2020
Good book that helps kids learn how to deal with their emotions.
This was a good book with charming illustrations and an excellent message to its readers on how to deal with their anxieties. Told in verse, the story follows a cute monster who is worrying about everything. Soon, he’s feeding a “worry bug” who just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Soon, he learns how to deal with him and adjusts. Good read for all of us who might need a reminder to not feed our own worry hugs.
This was a good book with charming illustrations and an excellent message to its readers on how to deal with their anxieties. Told in verse, the story follows a cute monster who is worrying about everything. Soon, he’s feeding a “worry bug” who just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Soon, he learns how to deal with him and adjusts. Good read for all of us who might need a reminder to not feed our own worry hugs.
July 27, 2020
Cute, but...
Although I love the illustrations, and even agree with the message, it seems shallow to make it seem like "worrying" is so easily taken care of. Wince is a fine example of anxiety, and this book, while adorable, may give kids the impression that anxiety is a choice, when it most certainly is not.
Still, it could be a good conversation starter for parents to explain that having worries and anxiety isn't the end of the world, and that there are ways to learn to cope and manage.
Although I love the illustrations, and even agree with the message, it seems shallow to make it seem like "worrying" is so easily taken care of. Wince is a fine example of anxiety, and this book, while adorable, may give kids the impression that anxiety is a choice, when it most certainly is not.
Still, it could be a good conversation starter for parents to explain that having worries and anxiety isn't the end of the world, and that there are ways to learn to cope and manage.
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April 20, 2020This is an excellent book for children to understand how anxiety works. I think that it is really simple and to the point, the more you feed into the fact that you are anxious the bigger your problems become and the harder it is to take care of. I liked how the main character stood up to the worry bug and said no more. I think that is really powerful, how ever I would also read a story about how sometimes people need help through their anxiety and that is perfectly okay too.
May 25, 2020
A fun book and great tool for teaching
I’m finishing my degree as a family therapist and was looking for some books to be able to help a client. I’m so glad I found this series, I will be carrying them in my therapy toolkit and recommending it to my work and internship sight. I also love the colors and artwork. I think the characters not being human can help reduce racial biases for children trying to identify with them.
I’m finishing my degree as a family therapist and was looking for some books to be able to help a client. I’m so glad I found this series, I will be carrying them in my therapy toolkit and recommending it to my work and internship sight. I also love the colors and artwork. I think the characters not being human can help reduce racial biases for children trying to identify with them.
April 27, 2019
Thumbs up from 7 year olds
From our 7 year old: “I liked when they made a net with the bedsheets. I recommend this book to your kids!” (He said this to me, I’m a child therapist (mental health).
From our 7 year old: “I liked when they made a net with the bedsheets. I recommend this book to your kids!” (He said this to me, I’m a child therapist (mental health).
April 28, 2020
Great book about worrying
A lot of us can relate to “the worry bug” and it’s great for kids to have something they can put a face to. The illustrations are fantastic with so much character and fun. I loved the Dr Seuss-like rhyming and rhythm. Great book!
A lot of us can relate to “the worry bug” and it’s great for kids to have something they can put a face to. The illustrations are fantastic with so much character and fun. I loved the Dr Seuss-like rhyming and rhythm. Great book!
November 5, 2024
Absolutely wonderful!
What a wonderful book - a fun rhyming story that teaches children about managing their emotions. Worries will grow if they are not faced and if you don’t allow yourself to be distracted. Gorgeous illustrations.
What a wonderful book - a fun rhyming story that teaches children about managing their emotions. Worries will grow if they are not faced and if you don’t allow yourself to be distracted. Gorgeous illustrations.
September 25, 2017
Cute!
The characters are adorable! I would buy the stuffed animals if I could find them. Great story for helping young ones!
The characters are adorable! I would buy the stuffed animals if I could find them. Great story for helping young ones!
July 9, 2019
Adorable and practical for kids!
Loved its simplicity! My son easily grasped the concepts in the story and was very entertained! Great read for bed time!
Loved its simplicity! My son easily grasped the concepts in the story and was very entertained! Great read for bed time!
March 23, 2020
Great book!
This was a cute story with a powerful message for young learners to not worry!
I would highly recommend it!
This was a cute story with a powerful message for young learners to not worry!
I would highly recommend it!
April 4, 2020
Great book.
Love both the text and illustrations. I will be sharing this book with my class. Self help for little people.
Love both the text and illustrations. I will be sharing this book with my class. Self help for little people.
May 27, 2020
Wonderful Way to Process a Difficult Emotion
Very well written, love the rhymes. Fun, yet effective way to teach a way of handling a tough subject that cripples.
Very well written, love the rhymes. Fun, yet effective way to teach a way of handling a tough subject that cripples.
May 30, 2020
Love this
We absolutely love this book. It is a great way to help kids understand the emotion of worries. Great read!!!
We absolutely love this book. It is a great way to help kids understand the emotion of worries. Great read!!!
June 5, 2020
Great for kids
Although this is meant for kids it would also help adults suffering from worry. I can tell u my grandson loved it
Although this is meant for kids it would also help adults suffering from worry. I can tell u my grandson loved it
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May 6, 2021Great colorful illustrations and tells students not to worry so much because the more you worry, the more your worries will grow. Great message and the illustrations really make the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews