ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Awnie's House ???? Kids Book Read Aloud: DON’T FEED THE WORRY BUG Coping with Anxiety by Andi Green
It’s Annie, and I’m so happy you’re here to read with me. Are you ready for a fun story? Do you ever feel worried about things? In this story, we’ll meet Wiz, who worries a lot. Let’s find out if he can stop worrying as we read “Don’t Feed the Worry Bug.” If you have the book, grab it so you can read along!
On a sunny day in the park, Wiz, a little monster, was sitting on a bench. He started thinking about all the things he had to do. He had homework, laundry, and needed to bake cookies for the Worry Wood dance. Then, Wiz began to worry about other things: Did he leave the light on? Where were his friends?
As Wiz worried more, he heard a soft buzzing sound. It was the worry bug! This bug loves to eat worries, and the more you worry, the bigger it gets.
The worry bug buzzed around Wiz, making him think of even more worries. Did he feed his fish? Did he send his mail? With each new worry, the bug grew bigger and happier. Wiz tried to ask the bug to leave, but it stayed because Wiz kept worrying.
Wiz couldn’t sleep because of all his worries. By morning, the worry bug was huge! It filled his kitchen and made a lot of noise. Wiz decided he had to do something. He went to the library to learn how to get rid of the worry bug. He worked with friends to make a big net and had fun doing it. While he was busy, he didn’t worry at all, and the bug got smaller.
When Wiz stopped worrying, the bug became tiny again. The bug complained, “You haven’t worried, so I haven’t been fed!” Wiz told the bug to leave because he had things to do and fun to have. The bug tried to make him worry again, but Wiz didn’t let it. He knew that if he worried, the bug would come back.
Wiz learned that if he focused on other things and didn’t worry so much, the worry bug would go away. So remember, don’t feed the worry bug, or your worries will grow!
I hope you enjoyed our story today! See you next time!
Worry Bug Jar: Create your own “Worry Bug Jar” at home. Find a small jar or container and decorate it with stickers or drawings of bugs. Whenever you feel worried, write or draw your worry on a small piece of paper and put it in the jar. At the end of the week, look at your worries with a parent or teacher and talk about how you can make them smaller, just like Wiz did!
Worry Bug Hunt: Go on a “Worry Bug Hunt” around your home or school. Look for things that might make you or others worry, like a messy room or unfinished homework. Work with a friend or family member to solve these worries together. For example, you can clean up a messy area or make a plan to finish your homework. Notice how solving these worries makes you feel better!
Worry-Free Fun Time: Think of an activity that makes you happy and helps you forget about your worries, just like Wiz did when he made the net with his friends. It could be drawing, playing a game, or reading a book. Spend some time doing this activity and notice how it helps keep the worry bug away. Share your experience with your class or family!
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hello, my reading friends! It’s Annie. I’m so glad you’ve come to read with me. Are you ready for a story? Do you ever worry about things? In this book, we’ll meet Wiz, and he worries about a lot of things. Let’s see if he can overcome his nemesis as we read “Don’t Feed the Worry Bug.” If you have a copy, go get it so you can read along with me.
[Music]
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“Don’t Feed the Worry Bug: A Worry Woo Tale” by Andy Green.
On a bench in a park on a bright sunny day, Wiz, the monster of worry, let time slip away. He looked at the clock; it was quarter to when Wiz started to think about all he must do. He had homework and laundry; he needed clean pants. He must bake some cookies for the Worry Wood dance. Then Wiz started to wonder: Did he leave the light on? Was his backside too poofy? Where had all his friends gone? And his worries kept growing until he heard a soft buzz that made goosebumps appear, for he knew what it was. There was only one creature that made such a sound around monsters that worry. It could often be found. Some call it the worry bug, and this is for sure: If you feed it a worry, it will always want more.
Buzz, buzz! Wiz heard as its noisy wings flapped. It flew up and down as he shuddered and clapped. It flittered and fluttered around Wiz’s ear, and in the blink of an eye, more worries appeared. Did he feed his fish, Ted? Did his dog get a bone? Did he send all his Woo mail? Did he bring his bike home? Should he go to the movies? Would he get a good grade? Will the weather be nice for the Woo Town parade? And with every new worry that came Wiz’s way, the worry bug shouted, “Hip hip hooray!” For the more that Wiz worried, the more the bug grew. It nibbled and munched on his worry-filled stew.
Wiz said to the worry bug, “Perhaps you should leave,” he asked quite politely and even used “please.” Yet the worry bug stayed, for the two of them knew that Wiz would still worry; that’s what he would do. As day turned to night, Wiz got ready for bed. The worry bug yawned and laid next to his head, but its buzzing kept Wiz from going to sleep. So he tossed and he turned and he tried to count sheep: one, two, three, while thoughts of “what if” could be, “maybe,” and “might” made Wiz worry more. He was worried all night.
When morning arrived, Wiz looked up and gasped. The worry bug had grown! It had happened so fast. It used to be tiny and an annoyance, quite small. Now it covered his kitchen, the ceiling, and wall. The bug’s belly gurgled, full of worries. It was no longer something Wiz could sweep under the rug. Its buzzing went on, and Wiz started to fret about all of the things that hadn’t happened just yet. No cookies were baked, the laundry had piled up, and Wiz hadn’t done homework in such a long while. “Enough!” Wiz exclaimed. “There must be a way to get rid of a worry bug; it can no longer stay!”
So Wiz went to the library to read and take notes about catapults, cranes, wagons, and goats. He plotted and worked out a worry bug graph, then called in the experts, the worry bug staff. Together they studied this big growing beast and built a bug net out of Wiz’s bedsheets. They were having such fun; Wiz was worried no more, and soon he was baking and doing his chores. But just when Wiz thought his work was complete, the worry bug buzzed, “I need something to eat!”
Wiz looked at the bug; it was once again small. For a while, while Wiz had been busy, he hadn’t worried at all. “You’ve ignored me all day,” the tiny bug said, “and you haven’t been worried, so I haven’t been fed.” Then the bug stomped its feet and buzzed all the more. Wiz took a firm stand and showed it the door. “I’ve got things to do! I must work! I must play! I’m not going to worry, so go on your way!”
Buzz, buzz! Wiz heard as the bug flew about, still trying to make one last worry come out. It flittered and fluttered around Wiz’s ear, yet Wiz wouldn’t give in, and it soon disappeared. Wiz knew very well that this wasn’t the end; the bug might be back if he worried again. But Wiz would be ready should he hear that buzz, buzz, to say no to the worry bug, simply because Wiz had learned that his worries got bigger each day when he allowed the worry bug to nibble away.
So to all of you worriers, Wiz wants you to know: Don’t feed the worry bug, or your worries will grow.
The end.
Wiz learned that if he thought about other things and didn’t focus on his worry so much, the worry bug left him alone. I hope you enjoyed our story today! See you next time!
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This version removes any informal language and maintains a friendly tone suitable for a children’s story.
