Books About Fear and Worry for Kids: Gentle Picks for Brave Steps
By Dr. Anna Huang, PhD, practicing clinical psychologist
Last updated: November 5, 2026
When my daughter was an infant, she was not bothered by people in full-body costumes (like Mickey or Minnie) when we went to Disneyland. Once she became a toddler, she went through a stretch where she was terrified of them. It looked like a strange regression until I realized it actually meant she was more aware of the world. (I wrote more about that in a true Halloween scare.)
Your kid climbs three rungs of the ladder and stops. Nobody moves. Everyone behind them waits. Fear and worry are normal at this age, and they tend to show up right when a child's imagination outgrows the words to talk about it. A story lets a child watch a fear happen to someone else first, and come out the other side.
Below are eight books, sorted by tonight's situation. Full disclosure: one of them is ours. Every age range comes from a named source.
The quick list
| Book | Best for |
|---|---|
| The Big Slide (ours) | Frozen halfway up the ladder |
| Jabari Jumps | The wobble at the edge |
| Scaredy Squirrel | Worriers who like to laugh |
| Ruby Finds a Worry | A quiet worry that keeps growing |
| Wemberly Worried | Worrying about everything at once |
| What to Do When You Worry Too Much | Older kids, around 6 and up |
| The Dark | The dark, treated kindly |
| The Kissing Hand | Bedtime goodbyes |
Our book, The Big Slide, is a hardcover picture book for ages 2 to 5, in English Only, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Cantonese and Korean editions. Each of our books includes coloring sheets and an ebook.
When fear gets in the way of trying something new
Fear in preschoolers often looks like refusal. A child who will not climb the ladder is usually scared, and stubbornness gets the blame anyway.
The Big Slide
The Big Slide is ours, and it is for the child who climbs halfway up and freezes. Eden loves the playground but is nervous about the big slide. One deep breath, one step at a time, and she decides whether today is the day. My favorite page is the one where nothing bad happens while she waits. Ages 2 to 5, hardcover.
Jabari Jumps
Gaia Cornwall's Jabari has finished swim lessons and is ready to jump off the diving board. At least he tells everyone he is. I love that his dad does not push. He names the wobble and lets it be normal, and Jabari finds his own moment. Ages 4-8 per the author's site and Candlewick.
Scaredy Squirrel
Melanie Watt's squirrel has a plan for everything: emergency exits, a schedule with zero surprises. Then a real surprise happens, and he can handle it. Some worried children will not sit for a serious book about worry, but they will laugh at this one and absorb the message anyway. Publisher's recommended age: 4-8.
When a worry grows quietly
Some worries go loud and some go quiet. The quiet ones get carried around for days.
Ruby Finds a Worry
Tom Percival draws Ruby's worry as a small scribble that grows every page she ignores it, and shrinks the moment she talks about it. Worries shrink when shared. The one I'd start with for a child who goes quiet instead of loud. Ages 3-6 per BookTrust.
Wemberly Worried
Kevin Henkes' Wemberly worries about the crack in the wall, the radiator, and most of all her first day of school. What helps her is finding one friend who worries too. A warm pick for a child who names ten worries before breakfast. Publisher range: 4-8 (Greenwillow).
What to Do When You Worry Too Much
Dawn Huebner is a clinical psychologist, and she wrote this as an interactive workbook rather than a picture book. Different tool, different age. It gives school-age children concrete ways to handle worries that have grown too big, It is for 6 to 12 year olds per the author's site.
If a worry lasts for weeks or starts getting in the way of sleep or school, talk with your child's doctor or a therapist.
When the fear shows up at bedtime
Bedtime is when fears arrive. I wrote more about what toddler fear of the dark actually looks like and what helps, so here I will keep it to the books.
The Dark
Lemony Snicket and Jon Klassen personify the dark, and they make it honest, almost polite. The dark takes Laszlo to the basement and shows him the thing he needed. A quiet book that respects the fear rather than mocking it. Listed for ages 4-8 by the publisher (Little, Brown).
The Kissing Hand
Audrey Penn's raccoon mother kisses Chester's palm so he can press it to his cheek whenever he misses her. Chester is nervous about his first night of school, and families borrow the ritual for bedtime. One of the gentlest ways I know to send love into the dark with a child. Publisher range: 3-7, per Tanglewood.
How to read these together
Read it at a calm moment, not in the middle of the fear. If bedtime is the hard time, read the dark book in the morning. A child on a quiet afternoon can store the story up.
Let your child be the brave one in the retelling. Hand them the power: "You tell me what Eden did at the big slide." Retelling a brave story is rehearsal for the real thing.
Name the feeling, not the failure. Say "that slide looks big to you" instead of "you're being silly." A fear that is taken seriously shrinks faster than one that is argued with.
More for the feelings shelf: my longer list of preschool books about feelings sorted by feeling, a guide for when goodbye itself is the hard part, and our three-book bundle covering anger, fear and sadness for ages 2 to 5.
FAQ
What age are these books for?
Most picture books on this list fit roughly ages 2 to 6 as read-alouds. The exception is What to Do When You Worry Too Much, a workbook for 6 to 12 year olds per the author's site.
What is the difference between fear and worry in a young child?
A fear is about something present and specific, like the dark hallway or the tall slide. A worry is about something that has not happened yet, and it often repeats.
My child is scared of the dark every night. Where do I start?
Start with one book read during the day, plus a comfort your child controls, like a flashlight by the bed. If the fear is intense or lasts for weeks, talk with your child's doctor.
Are there books that teach kids to be brave without pushing them?
Yes, and that was my standard here. Jabari Jumps and The Big Slide both let the child decide when they are ready. Worth copying as a parent too.