A is for Anxiety

Does your child have a friend, family member, or classmate who has anxiety? Would you like your child or the children in your classroom to understand more about anxiety? Are you looking for an engaging way to start a dialogue about anxiety? I wrote this book to help solve these challenges.

A is for Anxiety is a children's picture book in an ABC format. With delightful illustrations, this book teaches typical feelings that many people with anxiety share. It also reviews some simple strategies to help manage anxiety. A child with anxiety narrates this book from his (or her) point of view. I intentionally left the character's gender up to the discretion of the reader. A is for Anxiety provides an entertaining way to start a simple educational discussion about anxiety. I invite you to read this story interactively with your child. You can discuss the feelings this child has in this book. Encourage discussions of how you or people you love might be like the child in this book. You might compare and contrast how the child in this book is similar or different from a person you know with anxiety.

This book provides terrific opportunities to discuss how to be a friend of a child with anxiety. As a pediatric physical therapist, I work with children who have anxiety. Others often misunderstand the actions and behaviors of people with anxiety. I believe knowledge helps break down barriers and encourages kindness and patience. Assisting children to understand anxiety at a young age is powerful. Reading this book has the potential to change your child's perceptions of people with anxiety.