Hey Warrior! – A Book For Kids About Anxiety

Book Review: Hey Warrior! Written by Karen Young & illustrated by Norvile Dovidonyte.
Arabella Hambro is a NatureDoc Practitioner who specialises in anxiety. She practises from Brancaster in Norfolk, and by Skype.
If a child of yours gets anxious, does it make you anxious too? Anxiety is infectious. But luckily, so is calmness. Hey Warrior gives parents the tools to help their children understand and cope with anxiety.
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Past attempts to solve anxiety are put to one side and the book becomes the new focus and the solution. Beautifully illustrated, Hey Warrior manages to wrap a powerful self-help manual, including an explanation of the science of anxiety, in a children’s bedtime book suitable for kids aged 5-10, and parents of any age!
The clever way in which Karen normalises anxiety is evident from the start. One of my favourite quotes from the book is ‘Anxiety can happen to anyone – teachers, doctors, rock stars, parents, gardeners, dancers, astronauts, weight lifters, lion tamers – lots of different people.’ I love this because it immediately makes the reader feel accepted. The key point is no one is immune to it. Tackling issues such as anxiety early on in a child’s life can be crucial to help them deal with life’s challenges moving forward.
The book goes on to talk about how anxiety forms itself in a part of the brain called the amygdala. The story continues with the amygdala becoming a protective friend, ‘a super hero’. Giving it a name, immediately makes it friendly allowing the reader to feel comfortable. The book takes you on a journey about what to expect when going through an anxious period. Seeing, through clever descriptive text and wonderfully imaginative illustrations, the way in which anxiety can form itself makes the reader feel in control and at ease with their feelings.
Books such as Hey Warrior can be a useful tool for parents, teachers and carers to broach otherwise difficult topics. A great starting point to help young people when a conversation might otherwise appear awkward. This book is a real gem and would be a great book to keep in the school library or classroom to show those children who are struggling within a school environment that there is hope.
The use of positive language is brilliant, empowering the reader move forward and take control of their brain health. A highly recommended book that everyone should have a copy of on their book shelf… even rock stars! I absolutely love this book and it is something I recommend to clients of all ages within my clinic as part of a comprehensive health plan to support mental health.
Happy reading!
Hey Warrior! is available at NatureDoc.Shop
P.S. Check out this brilliant Hey Warrior! video to accompany the book, it also gives you a preview of some of the beautiful illustrations inside.
https://www.facebook.com/heysigmund/videos/711500255716727/
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