Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree

by Gail Silver, Franziska Hollbacher (Illustrator)

Overview

Bea is anxiously waiting for her friends to show up for her birthday party. When the worries start to grow around her like tree branches, she uses breathing exercises and visualization techniques to calm herself down.

Bea asks herself questions like, “What if my friends don’t like the games?” Her stomach flip-flops and she feels shaky. She tries to run away from the thoughts in the worry tree, but it doesn’t work! Bea uses deep-breathing exercises and visualization techniques to calm herself down.

​Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers by Ara Schmitt, PhD about the ways in which kids can respond to their anxious thoughts.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433829543
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
Publication date:	04/16/2019
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Gail Silver is the founder of Yoga Child and The School Mindfulness Project Inc., is a contributing writer to Lion’s Roar Magazine, a screenwriter of the animated film Planting Seeds of Mindfulness, and author of the award winning Anh’s Anger children’s book trilogy. Gail travels nationally and internationally to facilitate yoga and mindfulness based education. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Visit gailsilver.com.

Franziska Hollbacher is a children’s book illustrator who is studying multimedia art in Salzburg, Austria. Visit @franzi_illustrates on Instagram, @franzi_illus on Twitter, and franzi-illustrates.com.

What People are Saying About This

Amy Saltzman

This very sweet and playful book offers children (and parents) deep wisdom for befriending anxiety, or as I like to say “having your feelings without your feelings having you”. Put simply this is the practice of bringing gentle awareness to emotion without allowing emotion to overwhelm us and have us say or do things we regret. With simple, rhyming, humor, the book offers readers of all ages the invaluable skill of breathing through moments of emotional intensity.

Hunter Clarke-Fields

Meaningful life lesson in such a fun and relatable story! The kids really liked Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree because they could relate so well to this lovable character and her worries. It doesn't dwell on instruction, which can become boring, but offers its lesson gently, making this a readable, engaging book that normalizes kids worries. I'm so thrilled to have this on my bookshelf!

Carla Naumburg

Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree checks all the boxes, for both parents and kids. It's relatable, engaging, and fun to read out loud—a requirement for a book that is sure to be in heavy rotation! This book is both a great story and a useful source of simple, effective strategies, including mindful breathing, heading outside, and slowing down and taking a break when you're feeling anxious or worried. The additional guidance at the end of the book will help parents and children utilize Bea's strategies throughout the day. I highly recommend this book for any family dealing with anxiety or stress, which, if we're honest, is all of us.

Lisa Flynn

Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree is a beautifully written, empowering book for children in which the main character, Bea, experiences all-too-common anxiety making even a traditionally fun and exciting experience (her own birthday party!) feel worrisome and overwhelming. Recalling how her mindful breathing can help, she pauses to calm her mind and body then moves on to enjoy her party. With its whimsical illustrations, lyrical word choices, and clear guidance for parents and caregivers, this book belongs on the bookshelf of all classrooms, homes and pediatric counseling offices.

Allison Morgan

A common challenge that inflicts so many of our children and a very simple, practical and effective way to turn it all around. Gail Silver calms anxiety with breath and focus, powerful tools that we all have but are not typically offered as a remedy. Children will love how Bea calms her nerves and shifts her anxiety one breath and one thoughtful moment at a time. Parents will love sharing this with their children to open up the conversation about anxiety while also sharing great strategies.

Editorial Reviews

01/21/2019

Anxiety can feel like it takes on a life of its own; for Bea, a child with springy curls and a disgruntled expression, it literally does: “Like a seed from underground,/ it sprouts alive, unleashed, unbound.” The tendrils of a willow tree curl around her as she worries about her birthday party and what-if questions run amok in her mind. When the doorbell rings, the tree’s “gnarled roots” come through the window, and Bea makes a beeline for the back door. After practicing mindful breathing, she joins her party guests. Höllbacher expresses Bea’s anxiety through streaking, crowded lines and wobbly shapes. Worry is sometimes inevitable, Silver suggests, but learning basic relaxation techniques (explored further in a note to caregivers) can go a long way toward empowering readers. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

The latest gem from award-winning author, Gail Silver…This book is able to take a tough topic like anxiety and discuss the issue in an accessible fashion.

BookTrib

Children who struggle with anxiety will be able to relate to Bea and find some of the strategies helpful. It can help a child realize they are not alone and that others have the same worrying thoughts.

Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center

The latest gem from award-winning author, Gail Silver…This book is able to take a tough topic like anxiety and discuss the issue in an accessible fashion.” —BookTrib

“Worry is sometimes inevitable, Silver suggests, but learning relaxation techniques… can go a long way toward empowering readers.” —Publishers Weekly

“Addresses anxiety with mindfulness….brought to life in the watercolor-and-ink illustrations as long fronds of a malevolent willow tree that leave poor Bea in tangles….informative for parents.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Children who struggle with anxiety will be able to relate to Bea and find some of the strategies helpful. It can help a child realize they are not alone and that others have the same worrying thoughts.” —Oregon Coast Youth Book Preview Center

“Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree checks all the boxes, for both parents and kids. It's relatable, engaging, and fun to read out loud—a requirement for a book that is sure to be in heavy rotation! This book is both a great story and a useful source of simple, effective strategies, including mindful breathing, heading outside, and slowing down and taking a break when you're feeling anxious or worried. The additional guidance at the end of the book will help parents and children utilize Bea's strategies throughout the day. I highly recommend this book for any family dealing with anxiety or stress, which, if we're honest, is all of us.” —Carla Naumburg, PhD, LICSW, author of Ready, Set, Breathe: Practicing Mindfulness with Your Children for Fewer Meltdowns and a More Peaceful Family (New Harbinger, 2015)

“This very sweet and playful book offers children (and parents) deep wisdom for befriending anxiety, or as I like to say “having your feelings without your feelings having you”. Put simply this is the practice of bringing gentle awareness to emotion without allowing emotion to overwhelm us and have us say or do things we regret. With simple, rhyming, humor, the book offers readers of all ages the invaluable skill of breathing through moments of emotional intensity.”
—Amy Saltzman, MD, author of A Still Quiet Place: A Mindfulness Program for Teaching Children and Adolescents to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions

“Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree is a beautifully written, empowering book for children in which the main character, Bea, experiences all-too-common anxiety making even a traditionally fun and exciting experience (her own birthday party!) feel worrisome and overwhelming. Recalling how her mindful breathing can help, she pauses to calm her mind and body then moves on to enjoy her party. With its whimsical illustrations, lyrical word choices, and clear guidance for parents and caregivers, this book belongs on the bookshelf of all classrooms, homes and pediatric counseling offices.”
—Lisa Flynn, founder of ChildLight Yoga and Yoga 4 Classrooms, author of Yoga 4 Classrooms Activity Cards; Yoga for Children: 200+ Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises, and Meditations for Healthier, Happier, More Resilient Children; and Yoga for Children—Yoga Cards: 50+ Yoga and Mindfulness Activities for Kids

“A common challenge that inflicts so many of our children and a very simple, practical and effective way to turn it all around. Gail Silver calms anxiety with breath and focus, powerful tools that we all have but are not typically offered as a remedy. Children will love how Bea calms her nerves and shifts her anxiety one breath and one thoughtful moment at a time. Parents will love sharing this with their children to open up the conversation about anxiety while also sharing great strategies.”
—Allison Morgan, Founder of Zensational Kids

“Meaningful life lesson in such a fun and relatable story! The kids really liked Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree because they could relate so well to this lovable character and her worries. It doesn't dwell on instruction, which can become boring, but offers its lesson gently, making this a readable, engaging book that normalizes kids worries. I'm so thrilled to have this on my bookshelf!”
—Hunter Clarke-Fields, author of Raising Good Humans and host of the Mindful Mama Podcast

From the Publisher

2019-01-28

A new picture book addresses anxiety with mindfulness.

Bea loves to dance, sing, and explore the outdoors. But Bea is also prone to anxious thoughts, which are brought to life in the watercolor-and-ink illustrations as long fronds of a malevolent willow tree that leave poor Bea in tangles. She's planned a big party, but on the day of the event Bea can think only of everything that might go wrong. Her repeated attempts to control the cascade of worried thoughts are thwarted each time a guest arrives: "DING DONG!" Seeking relief, she escapes into the yard, where she is finally able to slow down and find space to breathe. When Bea discovers the party balloons are not blown up, readers might think this will confirm her fears of failure, but instead, the rhythmic breathing required to blow up the balloons further aids her calming and allows her to enjoy the party with her friends. Unfortunately, the inconsistent rhyme scheme and sometimes-confusing use of speech and thought bubbles distracts from the story and muddles the message. While the backmatter content from pediatric psychologist Ara Schmitt is informative for parents, other, better resources exist for sharing mindful breathing techniques with children as well as for providing literary mirrors to children struggling with anxiety. Bea and most of the other characters present white.

A disappointing outing for the psychology specialists. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews