Ferida Wolff

In this bland but worthy original tale old, Babba Zarrah sees that young Nikolai has a hole in his shoe and, having no other wool, secretly unravels part of the blanket she spreads out when children gather to hear her stories to knit him a pair of warm socks. As she sees others in need, the blanket mysteriously continues to shrink until it’s gone. When the mystified neighbors at last put two and two together they band together and unravel parts of their own blankets to give Babba Zarrah the wool for a new story blanket. Odriozola populates the small village setting with solemn, moon-faced figures, dresses the comfortably rounded Babba Zarrah in elaborately patterned housedresses and depicts both the old and the new carpets as colorful patchworks. In the end Babba Zarrah spots a hole in a young listener’s sweater just as she’s relating a new story about a community where everyone shares with everyone else—so much for the new blanket. A low-key discussion starter. (Picture book. 6-8)

-Kirkus Review… (meer)

Worrying is natural and everyone will get there eventually. Growing up, anxiety and worrying was something I didn't even think about or really understand. I had some difficult times growing up and always stayed positive, and then one day it hit me like a brick wall. I didn't know how to cope, and a book like this would have helped me understand what was going on inside my brain. I'm glad there are more resources available now to help kids with these issues.

The book itself is a great resource and tool on top of just being a good book. I kinda had a good chuckle reading this book, because the annoying and strange dynamic of worry kinda feels like the weird monster that is representing it in this book. It was on the nose for how I would picture worry, so I'm quite impressed.

This book makes worrying seem so simple. It not only explains what worrying is but also different ways to cope with it. It explains it in an easy to understand way that I think young readers would be able to identify with. It gives a great analogy for worry and helps explain it in ways that just make sense. I would recommend using this book for middle graders, or grades two and up.

The art style was also unique. It felt crayon-y and kind of nostalgic. It was very intriguing and not a style I've seen a lot of.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tanglewood for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.… (meer)

In this wonderfully written and illustrated book the question of “Is A Worry Worrying You?” is addressed in a manner to engage children and address the problem. From explaining what a worry is and how it makes you feel the authors go on to explain how to deal with it. Some worries are big and some are small but this book encourages the child to think about the situation and to figure out a solution. I would urge anyone who has children or works with children to share this book with them. It just might help some of those worries go away. I received a copy of this book free to review.… (meer)