I’m Worried, an OK illustrated book on being concerned or paranoid

Being worried is a challenging state of being for kids to process. We want them to be concerned and to be cautious, but worrying about anything and everything is counter-productive. I’m Worried by Michael Ian Black with illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi tackles the concept of worrying in a way that some kids will understand.

Potato is worried. Flamingo wonders why he’s worried and the five year-old girl who is friends with them both is happy and living life. Potato worries about everything. It worries about the future and volcanoes exploding or being pushed off of the table by the cat. The girl acknowledges that these things have happened or could happen and tries to reassure it that she doesn’t know the future. Nobody knows what’s going to happen in the future and sometimes all you can do is make the best of what you’re given.

The drawings in I’m Worried are bright, happy and certain to appeal to young readers. It’s also very sparse as each page is white with no background. This contrast will appeal to some young readers, but those kids that we read the book to might find it not stimulating enough. The opposite side to this is that the words-and the lesson of not being worried about everything stand out more.

I’m Worried does do a good job of balancing the benefits of being concerned with the paranoia of being worried about everything. If the reader is more introverted they’ll enjoy the book more because of its slower pace. For us this is a good book about the subject, but not the best one for most children.