Skip to main content

The Best Books About Anxiety For Kids: An Age-by-Age Guide

We’ve rounded up the best books available to educate, empower, and inspire kids of all ages on how to develop the skills they need to handle their anxious brain, stop panic attacks, better their mental health, and learn about mental illness.
the best books about anxiety for kids
Updated: December 1, 2022

Editor’s Note: We know raising kids can be hard. That’s why we’re dedicated to making your life easier with the latest and greatest parenting advice and products. We wanted to let you know that if you chose to purchase one of the items featured in this post, we may receive a small commission for it.

Worry is an almost inevitable part of life, but learning how to handle anxiety so we can think clearly is an important skill to have! Children can also suffer from stress, panic attacks, worry, and anxiety, and feel even more overwhelmed without the tools to properly manage their emotions.

More: 15 Books to Help Kids Overcome Their Fears

Luckily, there are many self-help books out there available to educate, empower, and inspire kids of all ages how to develop the skills they need to handle their anxious brain, stop panic attacks, better their mental health, and learn about mental illness.

Take a look at our top picks of books for kids living in an age of anxiety, all available for purchase on Amazon:

Our Top Picks

Ages 3 to 5:

Ages 6 to 9:

Preteens

Teens

Books About Anxiety for Kids Ages 3-5

The Don’t Worry Book
The Don’t Worry Book
Product Price
$14.29

Bright colors and bold lines make understanding worries kid-friendly in this book, which is meant to let them understand that we all worry sometimes. Children will be reassured that even if they are feeling pressures, there are solutions on the road to feeling safe, with fun along the way.

Wemberly Worried
Wemberly Worried
Product Price
$7.99

Through storytelling and impressive art work, the author tells the tale of Wemberly the mouse who worries, most notably about the first day of school. Luckily, a teacher introduces Wemberly to a fellow worrywart, and the two soon learn how much fun it can be to learn at school, and spend less time feeling anxious.

Ruby Finds A Worry
Ruby Finds A Worry
Product Price
$12.85

This kid-friendly entry point to the topic of mental health and emotions is about Ruby, an otherwise happy and imaginative young girl, who encounters Worry for the first time. It’s not until she befriends a boy to discover that everyone deals with worries, and that she can get rid of them!

Books About Anxiety for Kids Ages 6-9

Me And My Fear
Me And My Fear
Product Price
$12.29

This empathetic exploration of what happens when a young immigrant girl finds herself in a new country and school is a heart-warming story of how to manage fear so it’s small enough to fit into your pocket!

When Worry Takes Hold
When Worry Takes Hold
Product Price
$11.59

Worry is represented as tangible scribbles in this metaphorical story about how Maya journeys to find Courage, represented by sparkles, through calming belly breathing. This read will teach children that even though Worry isn’t completely gone for good, it can be overcome.

What To Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide To Overcoming Anxiety
What To Do When You Worry Too Much: A Kid’s Guide To Overcoming Anxiety
Product Price
$8.29

Children and parents are guided through cognitive behavioral based techniques in this interactive book to help better understand anxiety. This self-help pick is an excellent resource, complete with how-to steps, writing and drawing prompts, and a note to parents by psychologist and author Dawn Huebner, PhD.

Books About Anxiety for Preteens

A Smart Girl’s Guide: Worry - How To Feel Less Stressed And Have More Fun
A Smart Girl’s Guide: Worry - How To Feel Less Stressed And Have More Fun
Product Price
$9.79

From AmericanGirl comes this worry-focused installment in their Smart Girl’s Guide. With tips and tricks on overcoming fear and taking charge of your worries, young readers will learn proven techniques for handling their anxiety to help them become the most confident version of themselves! This book is also filled with quizzes, activities, and personal stories from real girls.

Outsmarting Worry (An Older Kid's Guide to Managing Anxiety)
Outsmarting Worry (An Older Kid's Guide to Managing Anxiety)
Product Price
$11.99

Worry and anxiety can go from zero to 100 very quickly, making it all the more overwhelming to handle. This pick teaches pre-teens the specific skills which they can use to face worries and fears through proven techniques with an emphasis on shifting their mindset from feeling worried to having better self-esteem.

Guts
Guts
Product Price
$7.89

Raina worries that she’ll throw up after a bad stomach flu, but her worry soon extends to other areas of her life. She begins to wonder whether something else is wrong with her, and her parents connect her with a therapist who helps her confront her fears and handle the intersection of mental health, social anxiety, and her newly-diagnosed Irritable Bowel Syndrome. This graphic memoir about the author’s own personal experience serves as a compassionate and hilarious reminder that counseling and therapy can be valuable tools to overcome your anxiety.

Books About Anxiety for Teenagers

My Anxious Mind: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic
My Anxious Mind: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic
Product Price
$12.59

This book offers teens cognitive behavioral strategies to handle anxiety, leaving them feeling more empowered and confident. Written by two licensed psychologists who specialize in anxiety disorder, teens will learn the best practices to manage stress, decide if medication could be right for them, manage stress, and more.

Anxiety Relief for Teens: Essential CBT Skills and Mindfulness Practices to Overcome Anxiety and Stress
Anxiety Relief for Teens: Essential CBT Skills and Mindfulness Practices to Overcome Anxiety and Stress
Product Price
$16.19

Teens today have a lot on their plate, and it can be overwhelming to juggle it all. This book will show teens cognitive therapy-based skills and techniques rooted in mindfulness to assist them with learning how to end anxiety, and help reverse negative thought patterns. Readers can enjoy quizzes, self-assessments, effective exercises, and practical strategies which will assist in handling a range of emotions.

The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens: CBT Skills to Overcome Fear, Worry, and Panic
The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens: CBT Skills to Overcome Fear, Worry, and Panic
Product Price
$14.97

Based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), teens will be able to identify the source of their anxiety, and determine how to best take proper control. This book, designed to help you identify your "monkey mind,” AKA the primitive part of the brain where anxious thoughts arise,  is filled with cartoon illustrations that are simple yet powerful, and teach strategies for handling even the most difficult of situations.

The Anxiety And Phobia Workbook
The Anxiety And Phobia Workbook
Product Price
$23.95

One of the bestsellers on the subject for over thirty years, this workbook by Edmund J. Bourne is packed with skills to assess and treat anxiety, aimed to help readers of all ages develop the skills to take charge of their life. The latest sixth edition includes step-by-step plans for treating panic disorders, agoraphobia,obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), worry, and fear.

Looking for more book ideas? Check out our other book recommendations here.

Jacqueline Weiss

About Jacqueline

Based in Los Angeles, Jacqueline is a freelance writer and social media strategist. She… Read more

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe