Ruby’s Worry

One day, our heroine Ruby discovers a Worry (which is depicted by Tom Percival as a scribbled hovering ball with a furrowed brow who constantly watches over her). The Worry is small and barely noticeable at first, but grows a little bigger each day, permeating into everything and preventing Ruby from doing the things she loves (in one picture Ruby is shown being squeezed into a small corner of a garden swing by her now huge Worry). Ruby has begun to worry about her Worry – will this ever go away? Will she ever be happy again? The turning point in the story comes when Ruby notices that a boy in the park has his own Worry: she realises that she’s not the only person with one! She encourages the boy to talk about what is troubling him. As they talk their problems through, their Worries shrink and eventually disappear, leaving Ruby feeling like herself again. 

We absolutely loved Tom Percival’s Perfectly Norman and ‘Ruby’s Worry’ is just as brilliant at reassuring children who are struggling with difficult emotions. The very best picture books in our library are helpful, beautiful and engaging and this one definitely delivers on all counts.