It’s Perfect Picture Book Friday!

And that means it’s basically the weekend! Hurray! 😊

Today I have a sweet book about managing worries!

Title: How Big Are Your Worries, Little Bear?

Written By: Jayneen Sanders

Illustrated By: Stephanie Fizer Coleman

Publisher: Educate2empower Publishing, November 28, 2017, fiction

Suitable For Ages: 3-7

Themes/Topics: worrying/anxiety, managing anxiety, listening

text copyright Jayneen Sanders 2017, illustration copyright Stephanie Fizer Coleman, 2017, Educate2empower Publishing

Opening: “Little Bear was a worrier.”

Brief Synopsis: [from the publisher] “Little Bear is a worrier. He worries about everything! But with Mama Bear’s help, he soon learns his worries are not so big after all. It just takes a willingness to share with a helpful listener, and an understanding that making mistakes is how we learn.”

text copyright Jayneen Sanders 2017, illustration copyright Stephanie Fizer Coleman, 2017, Educate2empower Publishing

Links To Resources: How To Make A Worry Box (pre-writers can draw pictures instead of writing); How To Make A Glitter Jar (shake and watch glitter settle to bottom, take deep breaths, say a calming phrase, sit quietly for the time it takes the glitter to settle.) Back matter in the book offers discussion questions for parents, caregivers, and educators, and extra hints to help children manage anxiety.

text copyright Jayneen Sanders 2017, illustration copyright Stephanie Fizer Coleman, 2017, Educate2empower Publishing

Why I Like This Book: Little Bear worries about everything. He worries about school, where he might not remember his ABCs, about soccer, where he might not get the ball in the net, and about monsters under the bed. His worries weigh him down until Mom helps him see that he can manage them. Everyone worries sometimes. Some of us worry more than others, though. Even adults struggle with anxiety. For children, who have less experience identifying and modulating their emotions, worry can be very difficult. This book, with its appealing Little Bear character and his very relatable worries, show kids that 1) they are not alone in having worries, 2) worries can be managed, and 3) there are people in their lives who will listen, understand, and support them. The back matter offers discussion questions for parents, caregivers, and educators, along with extra hints to help children manage anxiety. A calming read and an excellent resource, great for any bookshelf.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do 😊

For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.

PPBF folks, please add your titles and post-specific blog links (and any other info you feel like filling out 😊) to the form below so we can all come see what fabulous picture books you’ve chosen to share this week!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 😊

(And perhaps the Halloweensie guidelines will be up on approximately Monday or Wednesday, good lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise, but at the rate things are going, you may be competing for nothing more than bragging rights and a handful of miniature KitKats 😊)