It's OK Not to Be OK

This book is targeted towards young children and focusses on primary school. I am a teacher, and I have read quite a few books on mental health and children in my years, and this is definitely one of the best.
It had great illustrations to break up the chunks of writing, and will help keep children focused and on topic. It had some great advice, that wasn't patronising or vague (which I have found a lot of other books tend to do)
It covers a range of mental health conditions, as well as bullying and discrimination.

It also has some tasks for students to do in order to re-evaluate things.

Really impressed by this book!!

It's OK Not to Be OK: A Guide to Wellbeing is an excellent resource for those with younger children or use in schools and libraries. Its message is loud and clear from the title, but I must admit I wasn't expecting the amazing amount of information presented throughout. However, I am pleased to report that it is set out in a child-friendly manner as I know myself that kids can find large chunks of text daunting to read, as can many adults.

It goes a long way to letting know children they are not alone with these issues and introduces mental health problems and their causes before moving on to exploring anxiety, depression, OCD and eating disorders and even offers some resolutions or helpful hints such as mindfulness and the importance of a positive mental attitude, to look after our mental health in such a demanding and fast-moving world.

It's written entirely for children to understand and has colourful and vibrant backdrops with images (by Jessica Smith) that complement the text perfectly. It's informative, easy to understand and concise yet considered. I highly recommend it for parents looking for an introductory book for their child and both school and public libraries. As it is written by a doctor you really feel you are getting the best information on the topics without overwhelming young ones. Many thanks to QED for an ARC.

This is a good introduction to mental health for young readers. It provides basic information about some of the more common mental health problems, including anxiety, depression and eating disorders. There are also sections on bullying and discrimination.

While encouraging readers to seek help from a trusted adult if they are struggling, there are also plenty of ideas to boost their own mental health. These include self care, diet, exercise, managing stress, challenging negative thoughts and mindfulness.

Tips for parents and caregivers and lists of resources (apps, websites and helplines) are included at the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - words & pictures for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 3.5 stars.

This isn't just a book for children, this is a book for everyone. It deals with the importance of not hiding our worries and taking care of our mental health. It covers such a wide range of topics in its 65 page,s such as self-care ideas, depression, anxiety, stress, OCD, body image issues, bullying, but also kindness and mindfulness.

It normalises the feeling of struggle because struggling is normal. Mental health is as important as physical
health. We all struggle with both and this book helps you realise that it indeed is normal and common and there's nothing to be ashamed of.

Among informative paragraphs, you can find neat suggestions such as journaling ideas, self-care suggestions, activities to do as well as questions that serve as self reflection. It also contains some fun facts inserted that helps children either visualise or understand the educational information given on the page. It is also very beautifully illustrated.

Parents and teachers also get tips, as well as additional resources and apps to use. This would be great teaching material!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – words & pictures for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I think that this book is so important for younger audiences, many young children struggle with their emotions and feel like they have to be happy at all times and on demand and this book helps to teach them otherwise. It's such an important book and I hope so many children get to read this.

This book is absolutely fantastic and can be used in many ways for all sorts of situations. The book addresses mental health issues, but it presents issues in a way which normalises symptoms and offers practical advice and solutions to help the reader understand how to address the problem.

The book uses a really clean, child friendly font and does not have too many words on a page. The illustrations are wonderfully uplifting and work well with the simple explanations: so accessible to many children at a variety of ages. I also think it would be helpful when used by adults to support explanations and discuss difficult issues: teachers in PSHE lessons and parents at home with their children.

Not only does the book address personal difficulties that a child might be feeling (bullying, ADHD, OCD, anxiety, depression - to name a few) but it also celebrates what it is to be wonderful and unique (Kindness, Being You, Gratitude, etc)

In such uncertain times, this is a wonderful book to have to pass to any child in your life who is feeling unsure about any aspect of their life. The book is a great balance of sensible suggestions for self-help and analysis, tips on how break any negative cycles of behaviour, and also when to talk to others around you (peers or adult).

Wow! Really impressed at the level of care that has gone into bringing this book together. One I will definitely be stocking in my school library!

A fantastic, colourful highlighting the importance of mental health for young people. The information is in manageable chunks and really breaks down the best most important parts of mental health for young people to understand. I am definitely ordering a physical copy for my bookshelf, we all need a copy in our home!