12 Tips for Managing Stress and Anxiety

April 1, 2017
Gr 5-8-This attractive series will help tweens make smart, healthy choices and gain confidence. Covering a variety of topics, each volume presents 12 helpful tips aimed at improving one's overall physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Bold, clear visuals nicely complement the text, as do inserts containing pertinent statistics and bullet lists summarizing the information. The science behind the importance of sleep, eating, and exercise for bodily functions and optimal health are touched upon in an informative but not overwhelming way. Critical thinking topics are interspersed throughout, while fact sheets that summarize the content and provide new insight can be found in the back matter. VERDICT A visually appealing look at practical lifestyle changes to optimize personal health for middle schoolers.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2017
Grades 4-6 This slender volume from the Healthy Living series spotlights ideas for dealing with stress and anxiety. The 12 tips include exercise, visualization, time management, limiting caffeine, listening to music, talking with friends, keeping a journal, and getting sufficient sleep. Spalding presents each topic in a two-page spread featuring a few simply written paragraphs, two captioned photos, and two text boxes presenting related information. While the book brings up many pertinent factors related to the subject, the brevity of each discussion limits its depth. Space limitations lead to broad, general pronouncements without the background information and specific advice that most individuals need in order to implement changes in their lives. Still, for readers looking for ways to cope with stress and anxiety, the book offers brief introductions to suggestions that are worth pursuing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)