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THE WORRY BOX

Name: THE WORRY BOX
Author: Suzanne Chiew
ISBN: 978-1-68010-083-9

by Suzanne Chiew ; illustrated by Sean Julian ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2018

An alternative to worry dolls for anxious children.

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Murray learns to not let his worries get in the way of living life.

Murray Bear’s big sister, Molly, has agreed to meet her friend Oliver, a rabbit, at the waterfall to play. But Murray is afraid of the waterfall and doesn’t want to go. Molly gently addresses his concerns and then shows him her worry box, where she places slips of paper that list her worries. “When my worries are in the box, they don’t stop me from having fun.” Murray adds his concern to the box and then puts the whole thing in his backpack. Murray’s worried feelings are still apparent to readers as the two bears approach the rendezvous, but he has the courage he needs to enjoy playing…until Oliver’s friend Lily arrives and provokes more worries about making new friends. Murray puts them in his worry box and has a grand time, and he’s even able to help Lily when she has a big worry of her own. Julian’s animals are lightly anthropomorphized—they wear no clothing, but their home has books and art supplies, they sometimes walk on two legs, their fears match those of young children, and the facial expressions and body language will be familiar.

An alternative to worry dolls for anxious children. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-68010-083-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiger Tales

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR
by Suzanne Chiew ; illustrated by Caroline Pedler

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FRIENDS TO THE RESCUE
by Suzanne Chiew ; illustrated by Caroline Pedler

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WHEN YOU NEED A FRIEND
by Suzanne Chiew ; illustrated by Caroline Pedler

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HELLO THERE, SUNSHINE

by Tabitha Brown ; illustrated by Olivia Duchess ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2025

Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale.

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Actor, social media star, and entrepreneur Brown pens a joyful paean to positive thinking in her children’s debut.

Brown-skinned Tab rides a strawberry-themed bike, accompanied by a curly-haired black dog, Grady. Tab’s dazzling smile and wide eyes signal the upbeat theme echoed in the text, celebrating the sun’s warmth, which “fills everyone up with joy.” But Tab’s mood shifts, as it’s a “cloudy and gray” June day. Alert readers will spot the dog’s smiling countenance and note glimpses of sunny yellow butterflies and flowers. Mama’s reassurance that there’s “always a chance” for sunshine also underscores the optimism. Tab and Grady bike through suburban streets “to find the sun.” Along the way, the two stop to assist a neighbor building a birdhouse, loft a kite for friends Frankie and Fonte, and lend a hand to others, all while still having fun. Mama steers Tab toward an eventual understanding of the real source of joy: Though the sun didn’t appear, “I brightened everyone’s day!” The illustrations subtly underscore the message of this radiant story as touches of gold lighten the palette, which ends with sunny brilliance. Most characters read Black, though Tab’s community includes people who vary in skin tone, body type, and ability.

Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 11, 2025

ISBN: 9780063342262

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)