Wemberly Worried

Does your child worry excessively or have anxiety? Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes is about a girl named Wemberly who constantly worries. She worries about everything morning, night and throughout the day. At home, she worries that the tree would fall on her house or if there is a snake in the radiator. At the playground, she worries about the playground equipment being too loose, too high or too rusty. She especially worries about her favorite doll, Petal who she loves very much. Her worries keep her from enjoying life and having fun. There is humor within the story as well such as grandma wearing a sweatshirt that says “Go With The Flow” which made my kids giggle. Wemberly begins to overcome her anxiety when she bonds with another girl in her class that has similar worries.

I really enjoyed this book because it discusses anxiety in a simple way that many children can identify with. All children worry sometimes, but other children tend to worry a lot more than others. This can be difficult for both the child and parent. A book such as Wemberly Worried can be a great way to begin a discussion about your own child’s worries. Ask your child “What do you worry about and why?”. Share your own experiences of your own worries as a child or an adult. Discuss what “worry” and “anxiety” mean so that a child can label how they are feeling and be able to express themselves.

A great carryover book to Wemberly Worried is When My Worries Get Too Big.

Wemberly Worried