About this deal
Ruby's Worryis a sensitive and charming new picture book all about a young girl dealing with anxiety. Author Tom Percival tells us why it's so important for children to be able to talk about their fears... Kudos to Tom and his illustrations. They really make the story come alive. However, I just was not that impressed with the book. Was it a little too long? Maybe. Would kids get the message? Probably. It just was not for me. Ruby Finds a Worry just does not have the flow and rhythm that I enjoy in most kids book. I have anxiety. More importantly, I parent a child with severe anxiety. If I had read this to her when she was younger, it would have made her so sad. Talking about her worries does not make them go away. We have tried that. In fact, if she starts talking about them, it sometimes magnifies them and she can't think about anything else. This book would have made her worry even more that she was not normal because talking about her worries doesn't fix them. I read this book to a class while on placement during a lesson discussing feelings. This book is about a little girl called Ruby who was a young happy girl. One day she began to feel worried, she was able to see this worry and it grew bigger and bigger as days went on. No one else was able to see her worry not even her friends or teachers, pretty soon it was the only thing she was able to think about. But one day she went for a walk and saw a little boy who also had a worry. Both Ruby and the other children discussed their worries and they got smaller and smaller. In the vein of Me And My Fear and When Sadness Is at Your Door, Ruby Finds a Worry manifests a feeling into a wordless, omniscient being that essentially stalks the main character. Sometimes that's how big emotions weigh on us: relentless, darkening every part of your life. And the more you think about it, the more noticeable its presence becomes!
But when Ruby befriends a young boy, she discovers that everyone has worries, and not only that, there's a great way to get rid of them too...Ruby has a worry. But when she attempts to ignore it, it only grows bigger. No matter what she does, it is always with her in school, on the bus, and even in the movie theater. Obviously, it is dominating her life. Eventually, she learns that everyone has worries and that sometimes the best thing you can do is talk about them. I love the adorable illustrations in this story and am so happy to see this important message available for children who suffer from anxiety (and for those who need empathy for others who suffer). The artwork in this book was created digitally using Kyle T. Webster’s natural media brushes for Photoshop and a selection of hand-painted textures. Explore more fantastic Early Level Mental and Emotional Wellbeing resources here! You'll find a variety of written activities, PowerPoints, games, display posters, and more. What will my child learn participating in this topic?
It wasn't much fun. Shortly after that, I realised that you can't ignore anxiety, or any other problem in your life. It sounds obvious, but when you're in a position of denial, about anything, you can never be truly happy. I feel it's important for children, and their parents, to be offered books that might help them navigate their emotional journeys. We encourage our kids to eat healthily and get enough exercise, so it makes sense that we also help them to understand their emotional wellbeing and focus on exploring ways to improve mental health. Reading "Ruby Finds a Worry" gave me so many exciting feelings. I wish books like this were around when I was a little girl. To me it means so much to see a dark brown little girl with curly, bushy afro puffs and braids as the main character of a book. As an educator, I would like to read this book with my class during of one our morning meetings. I think this will help me to get a sense of what my students are feeling and to observe their expressions. To begin, I will start a conversation by letting them know that I, their teacher, has worried, (still worries), and then ask them questions like: "What are feelings?, "What are emotions", and, "Has anyone ever felt worried?" "What was it like? What did you notice or observe about your self?" Can you describe your feeling(s)? "What did it/they look like (color, size, shape, etc)?"Ruby has a Worry that follows her everywhere, but she discovers the best way to get rid of it is to talk about her worries. Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival gives you the opportunity to teach: Adorable art with a well-intended story, but the simplistic solution , ironically, made me worry a bit. All kids have worries. A lot of them think they are alone. The worries can grow if you try to ignore them. Knowing you are not alone can help. This is all true, and this is all the great part of the book. But Ruby finds another child who also has a worry (great!), and they talk about them (wonderful!), and the worries go away (you were so close!). One day Ruby gets a worry, and as time goes on the worry grows and grows until she can't focus on anything but the worry. Ruby thinks she's the only one with a worry until she meets she sees a boy at the park who also has a worry. And talking to him she discovers how to make her worry smaller. I am planning to read this with my class and use it to spark a discussion about how worries won't go away if we just avoid them and ignore them, as well as talking about ways that worries can be resolved such as talking to a friend or trusted adult. In our school we are really trying hard to make sure that every child has the opportunity to share things that are worrying them, so each classroom has a communication box so children can write a note to their teacher, even if they don't feel comfortable or don't have the opportunity to talk about their worry in person straightaway. This book is really perfect to support this, as well as reinforce the message that we cannot do anything to help unless we know that it is a problem.
Mental Health is a major problem at the moment with the cases of children with mental health issues on the rapid incline, it is vital that mental health is spoken about to children. Truly great book for children to feel comfortable with sharing their feelings. Ruby’s worry is based around a little girl who was a small worry which then begins to grow. She seeks for a way to to get rid of the worry. But it was the nineties, so you have to give me a break. Now, you might think that it's rare for a teenager to feel so relaxed, and you'd be right - it was a complete fabrication.
I didn't specify what Ruby is worried about in the book because ultimately, it doesn't matter what the actual problem is - the solution will always be found by opening up about your worries and talking them through with someone, ideally someone thoughtful, sensible and sensitive!
I relate to Ruby hardcore. Growing up, I also used to think that I was the only one with these worries that wouldn't go away and I couldn't really talk about it because that just wasn't what you did. Nice art and story, even if the solution to worrying is super simplified, causing much scoffing from my wife who has spent a great portion of her life engaged in worries. Children love the story 'Ruby's Worry'. It is a wonderful book that promotes talking about feelings. Teachers and pupils will discuss how we feel in different situations and scenarios and how talking to others about our worries can help. Children will be able to see links between different subjects, which leads to deeper, more valuable learning. It is very important for a child's health and wellbeing for them to recognise how they feel and what to do if they feel they need help with their mental health. Who is this topic web for? Meet Ruby—a happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. He grew up in a remote and beautiful part of South Shropshire. On reflection this seemed rather more remote than beautiful, owing to the fact that he lived in a small caravan without electricity, mains water or any sensible form of heating. He thinks that he’s probably one of the few people in his peer group to have learnt to read by gas lamp.Tom Percival has cast a sympathetic and appealing character in Ruby, his lead in Ruby’s Worry. Ruby is placed in a range of situations throughout the story that many young readers will be able to directly correlate to their own experiences. Ruby possesses qualities of joy, happiness and energy, in conjunction with her sad moments. This makes Ruby’s story very authentic and I hope that readers will see that their feelings are substantiated through this valuable storybook character. My daughter and I both loved this book. It's such an important subject and will help children understand that worries can be normal, other people have them too, but they can also get out of hand if you don't deal with them properly. No one else could see her Worry, so Ruby tried to ignore it. The more she ignored the Worry, it grew bigger and bigger. It followed her everywhere, stopping her from doing the things she loved. Soon the Worry was so ENORMOUS and overwhelming that it was all she could think about. What Ruby didn’t realise was this is the worst thing you can do with a Worry.