Mindful Bea and the Worry Tree

Bea is anxiously waiting for her friends to show up for her birthday party. The worries start to grow around her like tree branches.

She asks herself questions like, "What if my friends don't like the games?" Her stomach flip-flops, and she feels shaky. She tries to run away from the thoughts in the worry tree, but it doesn't work! Bea uses deep-breathing exercises and visualization techniques to calm herself down.

Includes a Note to Parents and Caregivers by Ara Schmitt, PhD, about the ways in which kids can respond to their anxious thoughts.

Gail Silver is the founder of Yoga Child and The School Mindfulness Project Inc., is a contributing writer to Lion’s Roar Magazine, a screenwriter of the animated film Planting Seeds of Mindfulness, and author of the award winning Anh’s Anger children’s book trilogy. Gail travels nationally and internationally to facilitate yoga and mindfulness based education. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Visit gailsilver.com.

Franziska Hollbacher is a children’s book illustrator who is studying multimedia art in Salzburg, Austria. Visit @franzi_illustrates on Instagram, @franzi_illus on Twitter, and franzi-illustrates.com.