In today's challenging world, anxiety is pervasive. And worry, uncertainty, and stress don't just impact adults; they affect children too. Nearly two decades ago, Magination Press—the children's book imprint of the American Psychological Association—published clinical psychologist Dawn Huebner's What to Do When You Worry Too Much. An illustrated, conversational guide that utilizes techniques of cognitive behavioral therapy to help young readers who are struggling with anxiety, the book went on to be a huge success. It led to a full series of What to Do titles—18 books to date—that tackle kids' common emotional and psychological challenges. Now, as Magination prepares to release revised and updated editions of all the books in the series, we spoke with Huebner and APA's editorial director Kristine Enderle about how these revamped titles will give a new generation of young readers the coping mechanisms they need to overcome difficult feelings.
What inspired the What to Do series?
Dawn Huebner: What to Do When You Worry Too Much (first edition) came out close to 20 years ago. I wrote it based on a handmade packet I had been giving my child clients to help them practice the skills they were learning at home. The book was an immediate hit, filling a critical need in the literature for engaging, user-friendly, psychologically sound materials for children struggling with anxiety. The decision to move from this one book to a series was easy given how well the writing style, format, and interactive elements worked. When updating this first book for the recently released second edition, all the best bits were maintained, including the interactive elements.
What impact do you hope the books will have on young readers?
DH: The first edition of What to Do When You Worry Too Much has sold more than a million copies in 23 languages. We expect the second edition to have a similar reach. As the tagline for this series says, the What to Do Guides help children live happier lives. This is, quite literally, true. What to Do When You Worry Too Much and the rest of the books in the series help children who would otherwise be seriously derailed by anxiety, kids unable to go to school, enjoy activities, fall asleep alone. The books put children back in charge of their own lives, teaching skills that will last a lifetime.
What's next for the What to Do series?
Kristine Enderle: If you can believe it, some of the original books were published when today's current buyers were youngsters. For this redo, we are modernizing the look and feel of the books and revising content to meet the needs of our original readers, who have grown up to be parents—or teachers, counselors, therapists, and librarians—themselves! Essentially, the entire series will be getting a makeover with new art and design and a bold new color palette. The series's approach—its conversational tone, interactive elements, and clear and actionable strategies—remains unchanged. We are revising and editing the content of a few more of the classic What to Do books, as well as repackaging some of the more recent titles to bring everything up to current standards. I am excited to say that we will be adding new books that cover social-emotional learning topics like confidence, self-esteem, and attention.
What can you share about the interactive elements of the books? How do they enhance the reading experience?
KE: The step-by-step coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, guiding metaphors, writing prompts, and drawing spaces pull readers into the pages and give them an opportunity to actively problem solve and be in charge of their worry. The books really are empowering and helpful and provide a means for developing self-soothing and self-care skills, which will help kids for a lifetime.
How do you determine the topics that you cover in the What to Do series?
KE: The first five books in the series covered the most common concerns seen by psychologists and pediatricians, concerns around worry, anger, sleep, negativity, and unhelpful habits. These are things parents and caregivers often seek help for—in order to help their kids—and for which cognitive behavioral therapy techniques are a helpful treatment approach. After the initial set, we published guides for more specific worries like separation anxiety and perfectionism and climate stress. We have found that if the root of the topic is worry, this series is perfectly designed to be helpful.
What supplemental resources are available to parents, clinical practitioners, and educators as they are reading the books with children?
KE: The Note to Parents and Caregivers outlines a method for working through the book with their child. Read a few chapters at a time, work through the activities, practice the skills, and quietly and patiently guide and support the child through the book. The books are designed to be read from front to back and will gently guide readers through a recuperative process.
