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... I was just taking a train journey on a sunny afternoon when I felt a sudden and overwhelming sense of dread. For some reason, my heart was pounding as though I was about to jump out of a plane with only a plastic bag for a parachute. The feeling intensified when I realised I couldn't understand any of the train announcements, or anything that anyone around me was saying. All I could hear was an indecipherable gobble-de-gook. The whole thing lasted for about five minutes, during which I used up a lifetime's supply of adrenaline and was completely terrified. 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!). Maybe it's not going to be the whole solution, but it's always the starting point, and once you know where to start, who knows how far you'll go? Use this topic web to support teaching a unit of work based on the book Ruby's Worry. Learners will enjoy cross-curricular activities based on the themes within the story. There are ideas for activities in Literacy and English, Numeracy and Mathematics, Expressive Arts, Social Studies, Sciences, Health and Wellbeing and Technologies. The Curriculum for Excellence promotes interdisciplinary learning and this IDL grid is perfect to help teachers save time when planning.

Meet Ruby—a happy, curious, imaginative girl. But one day, she finds something unexpected: a Worry. It's not such a big Worry, at first. But every day, it grows a little bigger... And a little bigger... Until eventually, the Worry is ENORMOUS and is all she can think about. 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.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. 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.

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 think this is a lovely book which introduces worries very smoothly. It shows children that it's okay to worry about somethings and to overcome them all you need to do is talk to an adult about the worry and it will begin to get smaller and 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. 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. These words don't make us feel good. They're a bit like those bright yellow caterpillars that warn birds not to eat them because they're poisonous. In fact, just typing them out makes my stomach feel knotted, especially the last two... I guess that means I'm susceptible to stress.

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)?"

I have a freebie that is part of a larger resource so that you can try it out in your classroom today!If your child has a worry - and all children do have worries - this is the ideal book to encourage them to talk about it' Parents In Touch 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.

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. 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. This book is a great way to make children aware on how they can deal with their own worries and it shows them that they're not alone as everyone gets anxious or worried at some point of their lives. 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.

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!