The Worry Wrinkle

A really strong message for kids who may be fearful of change and growing up. Again, the text and illustrations work really well in tandem. Lots of talking points arise for the reader and the listener. Good job.

A lovely plot with a beautiful lesson. Very well written and illustrated.

Adorable story and illustrations!

Beautifully illustrated, written and an endearing storyline which many children (and adults) will be able to relate to. The pace was fast and immediately jumped into the storyline, ensuring the child is kept engaged and interested. Congratulations!

Well animated both in tone and character. It's a good children's story.

A lovely story with a great message. And Joey is instantly relatable. The illustrations are beautiful and I congratulate you on producing an adorable childrens' story. Perfect bedtime reading.

A sweet, uplifting message paired with engaging illustrations. Loved this.

"A wonderfully animated children's story with engaging characters and beautiful illustrations. Joey is instantly relatable, and the heartwarming message makes this perfect bedtime reading. Congratulations on creating such an adorable book!"

This social-emotional learning picture book features a clever visual metaphor (anxiety manifesting as physical wrinkles) that children can easily understand, with good commercial appeal for parents and educators seeking anxiety management resources. However, the writing is overly didactic with characters explicitly stating the lesson multiple times rather than allowing readers to discover it through Joey's experience, and the resolution feels unrealistically tidy for a topic as complex as childhood anxiety.

Actionable Advice: Show Joey's journey rather than having characters explain it - instead of Millie and classmates directly stating "when we don't talk about worries, they turn into wrinkles," let Joey discover this through experience by having him first try to hide his wrinkles (which makes them worse), then tentatively share one small worry and watch one wrinkle fade, building his confidence to share more. This creates a more engaging narrative arc while teaching the same lesson through demonstration rather than instruction, respecting young readers' intelligence and making the anxiety-management process feel more authentic and gradual.