Jack is worried about playing the trumpet for his first concert. Although he loves playing the trumpet and is excited about playing his first concert, he can’t seem to quiet his jitters. Young readers will connect to Jack’s nervousness and support him as he overcomes his fears.

In my opinion, this book is a 10 book. Jack's Worry is about a little boy named Jack who plays the trumpet and has an upcoming concert at his school. He wakes up one morning with worries about performing in front of his mom. Jack worries that he might make a mistake while playing the trumpet and that his mother won't love him anymore if he does. I thought that the personification of "worrying" was depicted excellently. Sam Zuppardi describes "worry" as something that always catches up. "Worry" is illustrated as a big gray "blob" which I think perfectly captures the characteristics of what worrying can do to you. Worrying can feel like a gray cloud that doesn't seem to leave you alone until you face it. Jacks cloud of worry increases as it get's closer to the concert. Jack tries in many ways to get rid of "worry" by doing things that make him happy but only ends up making it worse. Jack's character is believable. Not just children, but adults, can closely relate to this feeling of worry. This book sends an important message to students; worrying won't go away until you set it free. Jack chose to find closure from his worrying by confiding in his mother who provided positive feedback and reassurance. I liked that the author also included Jack going to school and seeing that his other classmates had "worry" following them around as well. Zuppardi was extremely realistic with this book. In the end, Jack made some mistakes at the concert but still enjoyed himself without any worries. I love the message this book sends to children; worries will prevent us from enjoying and making the most out of life. Instead of worrying, we should enjoy and have fun, even if we make some mistakes. It's important to teach kids at a young age that they're only human and making mistakes is just a part of life.

This story is about a boy named Jack who had such a big worry weighing on him that he didn't want to do the thing he loved to do most, play his trumpet in the concert. The day of the concert Jack's worry grew bigger and bigger and her became more and more frustrated. Eventually his mother asked what was wrong and he told her that his worry was that he was afraid he would mess up and his mother wouldn't love him anymore. His mother reassured him that its okay to worry sometimes and that the point of the concert is to have fun and even if he does play terribly she would still love him exactly the same. The central message of this story is that everyone worries sometimes and we shouldn't let our worries hold us back. ( )

I appreciate how this respectfully acknowledges how children can be confused and troubled by what worries them. This could easily be shared as a read-aloud and accompanied by discussion. In terms of color, illustration and design it resembles the "No, David" series...odd! ( )