Book Review: “Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective” by Elizabeth Olsen and Robbie Arnett
Recommended reading age: 4 to 9 (though kids of all ages can enjoy reading this with their families)
What Makes This One of the Best Children’s Books
Most fans of Elizabeth Olsen know her best for vanquishing aliens and battling wizards as a central character in the Marvel universe, which rocketed her to stardom as the Scarlet Witch in various Avengers films and Disney Plus series “WandaVision.”
But now, Olsen wields her power of the pen to rescue children’s emotional wellbeing in her uplifting and highly useful children’s book, “Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective.”
Coauthored with Olsen’s husband Robbie Arnett, this book follows compassionate cat Hattie Harmony as she takes it upon herself to help her furry friends work through their stresses and worries. For each animal she aids, she walks them through genuinely effective practices for children – and even adults – to use in calming down and facing their fears.
I firmly believe this book can become an essential part of families’ toolkits for addressing the many worries that surface in a child’s day. It also aligns with the education field’s increasing prioritization of social-emotional learning, which focuses on helping kids to identify and manage their emotions.
Hattie the worry detective has all sorts of healthy coping strategies up her trench-coat sleeves. When her porcupine friend admits a crippling fear of the many unknowns on the first day of school, Hattie hands her a butterfly net and they bound after insects. She offers this as a delightful demonstration of using active movement for a distraction and stress reducer in the midst of anxiety.
When other animal friends approach Hattie with their paralyzing worries, she educates them on using deep-breathing exercises and a stress ball to calm their nerves. Even Hattie herself must conquer nerve-wracking moments, and she invokes positive affirmations to boost her confidence.
Not only does this book provide a simple blueprint for self-soothing skills, but it even offers an empowering chant for kids to adopt: “worry worry, go away – there’s no time for you today!”
How My Child Reacted to This Book
My preschool-age son wore a big grin throughout this whole book. He seemed enamored with the animal characters and laughed at the many silly moments, especially the butterfly chasing. When I asked him to attempt some of the coping skills, such as breathing exercises, he surprised me by doing so.
I predict this book will become more useful to him as he grows a little older and becomes more capable of using these strategies on his own.
Conversations to Pair With This Book
“Hattie Harmony: Worry Detective” provides an ideal opportunity to speak with kids about some of their lurking worries and how to manage them.
After reading it with my son, we discussed some of his ongoing fears (like bike riding and talking to other kids), and simple ways of dealing with these, such as talking through it with a grown-up and taking deep breaths. I also quizzed him on various ways we could apply the strategies in the book – and he particularly enjoyed brainstorming different active movements he could try. When we play together, I also sometimes act out his toys using these strategies.