Illustrated by Betty C. Tang
4 stars
The first day of school has arrived, but with it comes Isla’s worries. With her Mami by her side, Isla practices mindfulness, visualization, and positive thinking to battle her anxiety and blow the worry balloon away.
Beautiful illustrations. Nice visual representations of how Isla’s feelings influence how she perceives the world around her and her power to change her perspective.
A nice resource for discussing worries and ways to manage them.
At the back of the book is a section on building your own Worry Tool Bag. It discusses tools such as mindfulness, yoga, exercise, visualization, and talking about your worries and feelings. A nice explanation of anxiety and some ways to help manage it in kid-friendly ways. There is also an Author’s Note where Mancillas discusses her own family’s experiences with anxiety and depression, and her motivation for creating the book.
A nice read that explores mental health and taking control.