WORRIED

The

WORRIED BOOK

The BOOK

This book belongs to:

For Garrett, Russ, and Deric, thank you for the wake-up call.

-- HP For Orla and Laurie, thank you for the inspiration!

-- JM

The Worried Book Published in the United Kingdom in 2025 by Graffeg Limited Text copyright © 2025 Howard Pearlstein Illustrations copyright © 2025 James Munro This edition published in 2026 by Red Comet Press, LLC, Brooklyn, NY All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2025939520 ISBN (HB): 978-1-63655-198-2 ISBN (EBOOK): 978-1-63655-199-9

First Edition Manufactured in China Red Comet Press is distributed by ABRAMS, New York

RedCometPress.com

The

BOOK Howard Pearlstein & James Munro

Red Comet Press

. Brooklyn

Hi! Thanks for reading me!

You are going to read me, aren't you?

Okay, good.

For a second, I was worried that you weren't going to read me.

But . . .

. . . what if you read me and don't like me?

What if you don't read me but use me as a . . .

instead?

What if you think I shouldn't be a book at all?

Maybe you should just . . .

. . . put me up on a bookshelf, nice and safe.

Phew.

That's better.

But . . .

. . . what if a monster sees me?

What if a monster sees me and picks me up?

Hold on.

Monsters aren't real. I don't need to worry about them.

But . . .

What if a monster sees me, picks me up, and eats me?

. . . what if I fall behind the bookcase?

What if I fall behind the bookcase and no one finds me for a million trillion years?

What if someone finds me in a million trillion years, reads me and . . .

doesn't like me?

Oh no! I mustn't cry.

Tears will make my

. . . and my pages

n ev

er

I wish I could stop worrying.

I wish I could be like you and . . .

r e or ev w

t ing u h o b yt ER! V a n E a y r

E

V

ER

Wait . . . what?

You sometimes worry about things too?

What do you worry about?

Ah, I see. So there are things you worry about. Thanks for telling me.

But you know what I'm thinking?

If you worry and I worry . . .

maybe other people worry too.

So maybe worrying isn't the problem after all.

Maybe worrying about

WHAT COULD

GO WRONG is the problem.

When I worry about what could go wrong . . .

my heart pounds . . .

my stomach hurts . . .

and my breath shakes.

I feel my worries all over me.

But you know what?

My worries always start right up here . . .

in my head.

They begin with a

few small thoughts . . .

(like, what if you read me and don't like me?) . . . an

d

th

en

th

ese

thou

ghts

ut of contr o n i ol sp

... until they become worries.

So if thinking about

what could go WRONG makes me worry . . .

. . . I could try thinking about what could go

RIGHT instead.

Hey, I like thinking this way.

Instead of worrying about . . .

w

h

at

c

l ou

d

W

g

o

R

..

O

.

N

?

G

I ask myself . . .

w

h

at

c

l ou

d

g

o

R

..

.

G I

H

?

T

Thinking this way makes me feel better.

Okay, so maybe I'm ready for you to read me now.

But what if you don't like me?

Wait, let's try that again . . .

What if you

DO like me?!

Howard Pearlstein Howard is an award-winning author whose picture books have been translated into five languages. He’s also an advertising copywriter behind campaigns for some of the world’s most popular brands, including Toyota, Verizon, and Mitsubishi. A California native, Howard now lives in Birmingham, Alabama. Howard has three daughters, Amanda, Jacquie, and Emily, who live across the country, and one wife, Debi, who still lives at home. howardpearlstein.com

James Munro James is an award-winning illustrator and animator, spending his days drawing for books, films, posters, and more. His worries include “What if my pencils go blunt and I can’t find a sharpener?,” “What if I accidentally dip my paintbrush in my tea?,” and “What if my children’s drawings are better than mine?”

He lives with his talented family in Liverpool, United Kingdom. mistermunro.co.uk

The

BOOK Howard Pearlstein & James Munro “Hi, I can’t wait for you to read me.

Wait . . . what if you read me and don’t like me?

What if nobody likes me?!”

Meet the most anxious book on the shelf.

But don’t fret, our nervous narrator discovers something truly helpful: Worrying is normal.

It’s how we handle our worries that makes all the difference.

Perfect for classrooms, bedtime, and anytime kids need some reassurance.

$15.99 US • $18.99 CN ISBN 978-1-63655-198-2

51599

9 781636 551982

RedCometPress.com Cover art © 2024 James Monro • Printed in China

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