Happy October and Picture Perfect Book Friday.
Title: Go Away, Worry Monster!
Author: Brooke Graham
Illustrator: Robin Tatlow-Lord
Publisher: EK Books
Birth Date: October 13, 2020
Suitable for ages: 4-9
Topics: worry, anxiety, empowerment
Brief synopsis: As Archie lies in bed on the night before first day of school, he's got some worries to tackle. Will the Worry Monster overpower him and keep him from falling asleep, or will this young lad figure out a way to put his worries to bed once and for all.
Opening page: Late one night, Worry Monster climbed in to Archie's bed.
Resources: Watch the book's trailer {here}.
Read a review and/or order the book {here}.
Check out some strategies for reducing anxiety {here}.
Why I like this book: I recently saw a quote that worry is about imagining what you don't want to happen, and it resonated with me. Remember the What Ifs? before a major milestone like a first day of school, your first bike ride, a first date? We tend to want to troubleshoot, to keep things we don't want to happen at bay. The amygdala gets hijacked and we flip our lids. And that's what Archie is doing in this story of struggle and survival. As an aside, my lid flipped this week when I was almost rear-ended on the highway and I used the strategy of wiggling my toes to put it back on. 😅
As an adult reader, Archie is a bit predictable to me, but children will relate to his worry correlating with the Monster getting bigger and bigger; it's a very real conflict, especially since "he's a big boy now" and he wants to be able to take care of this problem himself.
Take a picture walk through the book prior to reading it. Examine the different faces that Archie makes and discuss his feelings. Discuss the What Ifs?; ask the reader what other worries Archie might have Connect the text back to them by inviting them to talk about a time they were that worried.
What was that experience like?
Did what they worried about happen?
How did it all turn out?
Compare and contrast the book with You've Got Dragons by Kathryn Cave
using a Double Bubble Map.
Then have your learners draw a picture of their own Worry Monster,
to normalize their worry, anxiety, and fear.
Use Flipgrid or Voice Thread to grab a recording of their go-to tools and strategies to self-soothe and send their Worry Monsters packing. Then attach it to a QR code and post it in the hallways. Or link it in a newsletter to share with your class family.
Try some mindfulness exercises to empower your students to
bring focus and calm to their stressed bodies and brains.
Next, click {here} to go to Susanna Hill's Blog for the other PPBF picks.
Love how your activity ideas incorporate digital tools! Thank you. More than ever, kids needs ways to learn about and express their feelings.
ReplyDeleteThis immediately made me think of Wemberly Worried, my alter ego. Will have to find this book and see how it compares. Thanks for the rec! And I love your cool double bubble activity.
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