Hello, friends! Our book today is This Will Pass, written by J. Donnini and illustrated by Luke Scriven, a beautiful meditation on navigating life’s storms.

Crue is all abuzz, waiting for his favorite great-uncle Ollie to arrive for a visit. Ollie is a high-seas adventurer, and once arriving, announces that he is taking Crue on his first voyage to the distant destination of Mashore. While Crue is excited, he’s also worried: the sea is a dangerous and unpredictable place, with storms and accidents and massive monsters. Great-uncle and nephew set off, and it’s smooth sailing for a time, until a storm sends the boat tossing and turning. Crue is terrified, but Ollie teaches him how to calm himself and weather the waves and wind. The two make it out, and continue their travels. Yet once they reach Mashore, Ollie has one more surprise in store for Crue: he must captain his own way back home.

Lovely. Donnini crafts a beautiful allegory for facing a larger and unknown world – first at the side of a trusted mentor, then on one’s own. Yet instead of treating fear or worry as emotions to be ignored, readers are given tools like mantras and breathing exercises to help manage emotions and work through them. It’s an approach to anxiety that is both affirming and constructive, and becomes a wonderful strategy for kids’ emotional toolkits. Scriven’s gorgeous illustrations compliment this perfectly, never reaching truly terrifying territory yet still expressing honest emotions that young readers can recognize and identify with. The length is perfect for a storytime, and JJ really enjoyed this one, immediately retaining the “Be calm, it will pass” mantra introduced in the story. Overall, this is a fantastic way to explore anxious emotions with children, and we highly recommend it. Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)