Because there are only a few books available that specifically feature a parent who lives with a chronic illness, we’re branching out to books that focus on other types of illness, books that focus on children with illness, and books that talk about feelings. Hopefully these reviews will help you determine whether any of these books might be a good fit for your family discussions!
Ruby Finds A Worry
by Tom Percival
Kelly Peters received a copy of this book as a gift from Mamas Facing Forward. She was not compensated for this review and all opinions are her own.
Tom Percival has another “big bright feelings” book in the story of a young girl who is experiencing her first real worries and how she deals with it, in “Ruby Finds a Worry.”
The story, which is very accessible for young kids in the 5-8 age range, is that of young Ruby. One day, she discovers that she is being followed by a “Worry,” which is depicted as a yellow blob that follows her around. At first, it is so small that Ruby hardly notices it, but as she tries to ignore it, it grows. Then, Ruby does the “worst thing you can ever do with a Worry – she was worrying about it” and it grows to take up half of the bus, an entire row at the movies, and most of her kitchen! No one else can see it, and that worries Ruby, too.
One day, she notices a boy sitting at the park who looks just as sad as she feels, and he also has a Worry with him. Ruby approaches him with empathy and asks him what is on his mind, and notices that as the boy shares his Worry with her, his shrinks. So, Ruby talks about her Worry, and hers shrinks too, until both of their Worries are gone. They both feel like themselves again. The resolution is that, of course, everyone has Worries sometimes, but that how you get rid of them is to talk about them, and they never stick around for long.
The book doesn’t specifically address having a parent who lives with chronic illness, but it does stress that worries go away with speaking or sharing about them. It’s possible that this message may not connect with a chronic illness family, because we can’t always make our worries disappear by talking about them (in fact, sometimes that raises new worries, especially when dealing with medical issues). But, it is a great book for younger kids who might internalize worries – it could help them open up to their families.
It is a brightly and beautifully illustrated story, from Ruby’s point of view, and I feel like it would connect with children well.
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