Teaching them that it's okay to worry and that it helps to talk about worries is an important lesson for them--and perhaps for us too. The resolution could have been awful and Berenstain-like. But a parent doesn't solve this. A teacher doesn't solve this. Instead, Ruby meets another child, realizes that he has a worry too, and gets him to tell her about it. In turn, she tells him HER worry, and both worries begin to shrink. Kids will get this, and I like Ruby's empathy. 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.

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. This is a book that will be useful in any primary classroom or library as it talks about how Ruby comes across a worry...and that worry begins to get bigger and bigger the more she tries to ignore it. Soon the worry gets so big that it is getting in the way of her sleeping or doing the things she loves - what could she do to make her worry go away?Tom Percival, the author and illustrator of Ruby’s Worry, taps in children’s emotional needs in his latest picture book, Ruby’s Worry. In today’s busy world, young children are presenting with anxiety issues and are often unable to discuss their worries. Tom Percival has recognised this and has composed a children’s picture book that opens up the vital channels of communication around this sensitive subject area. Ruby's "worry" is seen initially as a small yellow creature--like a dust ball. But the "worry" grows and grows and GROWS until it takes up half the school bus, and many rows in a movie theater, and it's a fun story, just as a story!. 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)?" 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.

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!).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. Ruby’s Worry is about a typical little girl, Ruby. This sweet little girl enjoys the swings and exploring, but Ruby’s world begins to change when she finds a worry following her. At first the worry is just a small fuzz ball, but as the story progresses, the worry grows. As the worry expands, Ruby begins to feel very sad and concerned. To return to her former carefree self, Ruby finds a conversation and the friendship of another child the key to removing her worry ball from her life.