Scottish Adoption Book of the Month Jan 2016 - The Huge Bag of Worries

THESE REVIEWS ORIGINALLY APPEARED ON THE SCOTTISH ADOPTION WEBSITE AND ARE REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION

The Huge Bag of Worries tells the story of Jenny and her struggles with her increasing number of worries. Big worries, small worries, worries about all manner of things. No matter what Jenny tries to do, the worries just won’t go away and worse still, they keep growing...

Thankfully, help is at hand, in the shape of a kindly neighbour, who knows a thing or two about tackling a worry. Her words of wisdom and range of strategies soon help Jenny to lighten her load and finish up with a smile on her face!

This is a lovely children’s book, which would appeal particularly to those in the early years of primary school. It is enhanced by lively and witty illustrations, which help bring the story to life. The depiction of worries as furry creatures living in a bag also offers great creative options for working with children in a similar vein, to conceptualise and manage their own personal worries. The story has a reassuring message and the strategies offered by the neighbour are widely transferable and could be used by children again and again.

As a story, it stands alone as enjoyable read. For children struggling with worries on a range of levels, it is a terrific resource for supporting them to understand and manage these.

This months review comes from Naomi Head, a Senior Practitioner in the Placement Team.

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