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Monster Diaries #1.3
Harriet's Monster Diary: Awfully Anxious (But I Squish It, Big Time)
Meet Harriet, a lovable monster who is just sick at the thought of giving a report in front of her class! Her heart pounds, her chest gets tight, and her stomach twists in painful knots. She can't even bear to get started on it! What is she going to do? In the same humorous spirit of Diary of a Wimpy Kid comes Harriet's Monster Diary: Awful Anxiety (But I Squish It, Big Time) . Using the “furmometer” and ST4 techniques developed by Dr. Raun Melmed of the Melmed Center in Arizona, Harriet's Monster Diary teaches kids how to monitor how they feel and respond to stressful situations. Harriet’s hilarious doodles and diary entries chronicle her delightful adventures, misadventures, and eventual triumph in a funny, relatable way. It’s the one book that stressed kids will want to calm down to read! Harriet's Monster Diary also includes a resource section to help parents and teachers implement Dr. Melmed’s methods, plus ST4 reminders that kids can remove, color, and place around the house.
- GenresMiddle Grade
116 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2019
2 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 21, 2019
“I love manglemane lions, but that doesn’t mean I want to stand up in front of everyone and talk about them. That sounds absolutely terrible,” Ari confides in Dr. Rawun Melmed’s children’s book, Harriet’s Monster Diary: Awfully Anxious.
~ What ~
Part of Monster Diaries series, this one-hundred-and-sixteen-page paperback targets seven- to eleven-year-old children who want help overcoming anxiety. With no scary scenes, it would be best read to beginner readers based on some complicated words. Cartoon-like black and white illustrations are every few pages with a hand-written designed small font. The beginning has a note about ST4, an applicable anti-anxiety concept, while the ending includes instructions on making ST4 badges, a parent’s guide to stress and anxiety in children, and author, illustrator, and publisher biographies.
In this short tale, young monster Ari Hairstein enjoys going to monster school, especially when she is in Monsterology class. When the teacher assigns a report, she is excited to do it on the manglemane lions but devastated she must read it in front of the class. Acknowledging she worries about everything, the girl makes herself sick with anxiety about the upcoming task. With the help of her grandma, parents, and friends, she learns how to breathe deeply, stop to take time to think, and gauge how she is feeling when gives her report.
~ Why ~
This fun monster book is a clever way for a young child to learn about dealing with stress and anxiety. I like how Ari had to come out of her shell to share her problem with others. Learning the ways to breathe, the ST4 acronym of Stop Take Time To Think, and how to make a four-color temperature gauge of feelings are helpful ways to deal with anxiety.
~ Why Not ~
While the book focuses on stress during a school situation, it does not address other problems where young children may experience anxiety. Some may not find the scenario applicable and be confused that the “monsterizing” of words are not real. The multi-syllable words that may frustrate beginner readers, but it also is a way to learn new words.
~ Wish ~
While I think this read would be good for a shy third or fourth grader who has issues standing in front of the class, I wish it mentioned other situations of Ari’s friends dealing with anxiety. As a Christian, offering the idea of praying to God for calmness and peace would be appreciated. I did not care for the font as sometimes it looked like words were incorrectly spelled.
~ Want ~
If you have a pre-teen who is awkward or uncomfortable in standing out in social situations and want to help them feel accepted and less nervous, this would be a positive way to encourage them.
Thanks to Familius and the author for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.
~ What ~
Part of Monster Diaries series, this one-hundred-and-sixteen-page paperback targets seven- to eleven-year-old children who want help overcoming anxiety. With no scary scenes, it would be best read to beginner readers based on some complicated words. Cartoon-like black and white illustrations are every few pages with a hand-written designed small font. The beginning has a note about ST4, an applicable anti-anxiety concept, while the ending includes instructions on making ST4 badges, a parent’s guide to stress and anxiety in children, and author, illustrator, and publisher biographies.
In this short tale, young monster Ari Hairstein enjoys going to monster school, especially when she is in Monsterology class. When the teacher assigns a report, she is excited to do it on the manglemane lions but devastated she must read it in front of the class. Acknowledging she worries about everything, the girl makes herself sick with anxiety about the upcoming task. With the help of her grandma, parents, and friends, she learns how to breathe deeply, stop to take time to think, and gauge how she is feeling when gives her report.
~ Why ~
This fun monster book is a clever way for a young child to learn about dealing with stress and anxiety. I like how Ari had to come out of her shell to share her problem with others. Learning the ways to breathe, the ST4 acronym of Stop Take Time To Think, and how to make a four-color temperature gauge of feelings are helpful ways to deal with anxiety.
~ Why Not ~
While the book focuses on stress during a school situation, it does not address other problems where young children may experience anxiety. Some may not find the scenario applicable and be confused that the “monsterizing” of words are not real. The multi-syllable words that may frustrate beginner readers, but it also is a way to learn new words.
~ Wish ~
While I think this read would be good for a shy third or fourth grader who has issues standing in front of the class, I wish it mentioned other situations of Ari’s friends dealing with anxiety. As a Christian, offering the idea of praying to God for calmness and peace would be appreciated. I did not care for the font as sometimes it looked like words were incorrectly spelled.
~ Want ~
If you have a pre-teen who is awkward or uncomfortable in standing out in social situations and want to help them feel accepted and less nervous, this would be a positive way to encourage them.
Thanks to Familius and the author for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.
March 24, 2019
I loved the comic style of this book that is similar to the style of Diary of a Wimpy Kid! They provide very user friendly tactics for kids about anxiety and mindfulness and it’s such an easy read for kids that love comic books! All kids could use the ST4 method and parents/teachers could easily adopt it with their kids that suffer from anxiety! Being an anxiety-ridden adult myself this is something that could be useful for everyone!
June 28, 2019
Big fan of this - cute Diary of a Whimpy Kid-esque graphic novel that takes place in a world full of monsters. The story follow Harriet, a monster in middle school who is struggling with anxiety surrounding projects and public speaking. Throughout the book she learns coping strategies to help with her anxiety and successfully employs them. The format of the book is really approachable, especially since so many kids age 6-12 right now only want to read graphic novels.
February 25, 2024
it was okay. I didn't finish it
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews