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Written by Jion Sheibani
Illustrated by Jion Sheibani
Part of the The Worries Series
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A heartfelt, humorous mindfulness manual for fans of funny fiction
February 2021 Book of the Month
Written and illustrated by Jion Sheibani, Sohal Finds a Friend is a sweet side-splitting story that will provide much comfort to little worriers as they enjoy an adventure in the company of an endearing boy and his furry friends. It’s a brilliant way to help children understand their anxieties and express themselves - think Pixar’s Inside Out in book form.
Sohal is one of life’s worriers and dreads bedtime, when “the darkness would grow and grow, until it filled every part of his body”. His dad’s suggestion of calm breathing doesn’t help, and his mum’s suggestion of counting sheep is useless too, for in Sohal’s mind they’re transformed into mutant alien sheep fleeing a giant robot wolf! But everything changes when he draws the monsters that plague him and…THEY COME TO LIFE! With Hurt, Fail, Anger, Big, and Alone for company, Sohal’s attention is diverted to worrying about them - what will everyone at school think? – but it’s not long before The Worries help him understand and control his own worries, while providing a whole lot of fun.
Funny, with thoughtful themes that foster off-the-page dialogue, this is a warm-hearted winner for 5+ year-olds.
You can find more books on this theme in our Anxiety & Wellbeing collection.
Just over a quarter of children say they feel anxious frequently or all of the time, and this increased by 8% between 2019 and 2020*, making stories about helping children to deal with their anxieties even more important than ever.
Everyone feels worried sometimes. But what if your worries came to life and started following you around? Sohal worries about a lot of things - the dark, mutant sheep, not having any friends - you name it, he worries about it! So one night he draws his worries to make himself feel better - and somehow they look a lot less worrying once he's scribbled them down . . .
Imagine Sohal's surprise when he wakes up the next morning, and finds a set of funny furry friends at the end of his bed! His worries have come to life, and it's not long before Hurt, Fail, Anger, Big and Alone have turned his world upside down. Now it's up to Sohal to work out how to keep his worries under control - and have some serious fun while he's at it . . .
In addition to our Lovereading4Kids expert opinion some of our Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title. You can click here to read the full reviews.
Inside Out meets Adam Kay in this humorous and heartfelt story about meeting, managing and accepting your worries. Full review
I liked ‘The Worries’ because the book was funny and sometimes made me laugh out loud. You should read this book because it helps you to understand how to share your worries with others, and it reminds you that everyone worries about something. Full review
Perfect for little people with big emotions. Full review
A fun story full of pictures to help children manage and talk about their worries. Full review
An amazing book. Full review
ISBN: 9780241438619
Publication date: 14/01/2021
Publisher: Puffin an imprint of Penguin Random House Children's UK
Format: Paperback
| ISBN: | 9780241438619 |
| Publication date: | 14th January 2021 |
| Author: | Jion Sheibani |
| Illustrator: | Jion Sheibani |
| Publisher: | Puffin an imprint of Penguin Random House Children's UK |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 144 pages |
| Suitable for: | 5+ readers, 7+ readers |
| Genres: | Adventure Stories, Fantasy / Magical, Humorous, Personal Social Health Economic |
| Recommendations: | Books of the Month, Reviewed by Children |
| Collections: | Anxiety & Wellbeing - 50 Books to Help Children Cope, |
Jion Sheibani grew up in Brighton and now lives in Paris with her family. She is a self-taught illustrator and studied English literature at Oxford University. One of her very first jobs was as an intern to Green Party MP Caroline Lucas in the European Parliament, and working on green issues definitely influenced Jion's first picture book, Lily & The Polar Bears. Jion was a teacher at Sciences Po and ENSAE in Paris before opening her own language school for children. She says: “I hope that The Worries will help other children (and parents!) to think of anxieties ...
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