LitPick Review
Elisa Silverglade Rader’s Meeting My Anxiety picture book describes a youth’s experience with her personified anxiety. The anxiety follows the girl around, bullying her and making her daily life harder. The girl discovers that she must accept and identify her anxiety to overcome and live alongside it. Accompanying the story are the instructions to a breathing exercise to be performed in the face of anxiety. Bright and exciting pictures follow the young girl’s journey throughout her school day, depicting the contrast between the angry Anxiety and the overwhelmed protagonist.
Opinion:
Elisa’s children’s picture book is an enchanting way of approaching a commonly-felt sensation. By putting a face to a feeling that can be hard to identify, Elisa encourages the reader to confront their anxiety with acceptance rather than fear, thus allowing the anxious person to be patient with themselves as they learn how to deal with their worries. The accompanying pictures perfectly capture how overwhelming and abrasive anxiety may feel, while descriptions of how anxiety affects people physically will help children identify the feeling and remain calm. This book would be most appreciated by readers twenty-five-years-old and younger.