What to Do When Climate Change Scares You: A Kid's Guide to Dealing with Climate Change Stress by Leslie Davenport, illus. by Irma Ruggiero (Magination Press, $16.99, ages 6-12, 9781433844829, September 3, 2024)
What to Do When Climate Change Scares You offers age-appropriate coping tools for six- to 12-year-olds experiencing eco-anxiety. This workbook uses evidence-based activities and practices along with approachable illustrations and language to distill this complicated topic for young minds. In addition to identifying and working with eco-emotions, kids are encouraged to find ways to participate in creating a healthier world without placing the burden on their young shoulders.
What to Do When You Panic by Lenka Glassman, illus. by Janet McDonnell (Magination Press, $16.99, ages 6-12, 9781433844843, February 4, 2025)
This interactive self-help book uses scientifically proven techniques to help children when they are overwhelmed with panicky feelings and stress. The book, utilizing approaches preferred by many psychologists and school counselors, guides kids through a strategy for calming panic and settling feelings of spiraling fear and anxiety. Relatable examples, lively illustrations, and step-by-step instructions are all based on cognitive-behavioral techniques, making this an excellent resource for empowering children to help themselves.
Upcoming New Editions of What-to-Do Guides for Kids
What to Do When Your Temper Flares: A Kids Guide to Overcoming Problems with Anger: Second Edition by Dawn Huebner, illus. by Irma Ruggiero (Magination Press, $16.99, ages 6-12, 9781433845147, January 7, 2025)
What to Do When Your Temper Flares, Second Edition, guides children and caregivers through the cognitive-behavioral techniques used in the treatment of anger. With engaging examples, lively illustrations, and step-by-step instructions, this updated edition of the award-winning book teaches children a set of "anger dousing" methods aimed at cooling angry thoughts and controlling angry actions, resulting in calmer, more effective kids. This interactive self-help book remains the complete resource for educating, motivating, and empowering children to work toward change.
What to Do When the News Scares You: A Kid's Guide to Understanding Current Events by Jacqueline B. Toner, illus. by Janet McDonnell (Magination Press, $16.99, ages 6-12, 9781433845239, April 2, 2025)
Children are often bombarded with information about the world around them and events that include violence, extreme weather, disease outbreak, or discussions of more dispersed threats that can be frightening and overwhelming. While scary news is an inevitable part of life, this book can support and guide efforts to help the headlines seem a bit more manageable for young people. In the updated version of 2021's What to Do When the News Scares You, caretakers and children can read and complete activities that will help put overwhelming events into perspective, provide context, and remind children--and their caretakers--that reporters often make efforts to add excitement to a story, making threats seem more imminent, universal, and extreme.
What to Do When Mistakes Make You Quake: A Kid's Guide to Accepting Imperfection by Claire A.B. Freeland and Jacqueline B. Toner, illus. by Janet McDonnell (Magination Press, $16.99, ages 6-12, 9781433845277, June 3, 2025)
If children--or their caretakers--have trouble accepting mistakes, try to be right all the time, or worry about being less than the best, What to Do When Mistakes Make You Quake may be the perfect read. While it's natural to be afraid of making mistakes, some kids are so afraid of making mistakes that they may hold back from challenges or blame others for their own errors. This updated version of the 2015 book is an interactive resource that can guide kids through the emotions underlying a fear of making mistakes using strategies and techniques based on cognitive-behavioral principles. It reminds adult readers to emphasize effort more than outcome, model self-acceptance and loss gracefully, demonstrate a sense of humor, and to always comment on why you're okay when you make a mistake.