Don’t Worry, Felix

Don’t Worry, Felix

Yohann Devezy & Katharine Alice

Zoe Bennett

New Frontier, 2024

32pp., hbk., RRP $A36.99

9781923145054

The day for Felix to start big school has finally arrived and he is so excited he almost forgot to put on his lucky socks.  But once it came time to get in the car, he noticed something strange.  There was a large red balloon in the back seat with him and his heart started thumping, his stomach was twisting and his toes wiggling while all the time, the balloon got bigger and bigger, so big that he couldn’t get out of the car.  

And it followed him throughout the day, stopping him from doing all the things the other kids were doing and that he had been looking forward to.  Luckily, after school he shared his problem with his dad who taught him a special trick for when the balloon got too large to manage…

The appearance of a red balloon is going to be a common occurrence over the next few months for many of our little ones, and even not-so-little, as they face the prospect of starting either big school or a new school.  While it might take the appearance of something other than a balloon, nevertheless, the anxiety itself is real -even if there is bravado and trash-talk disguising it – so this is an opportunity to share this story and not only let our students know that red balloons are common, but also there are strategies that can shrink them and even burst them altogether.  As Felix discovers, others have balloons too…

Someone asked me recently why I thought that good mental health was such an issue for this generation and it took some conversation amongst the group to decide that, amongst other things, there are such expectations put on children these days, such as being told they will love big school,  that they worry that if they don’t reach those aspirations they will be failures and be unloved, and also, with so much of the stigma that was previously attached to not coping having been removed, and now it is OK to not be OK, there are more conversations and awareness of those on the edge. But we also acknowledged it is a complex issue with many personal triggers, so one size does not fit all.  Therefore , as teachers and parents, we need to acknowledge that our kids may be in trouble,  help them understand that everyone is just as unsure as they are and teach them ways to deal with feeling overwhelmed, especially as the starters and solutions are likely to be different for each individual.    Dad’s trick works for Felix but there are lots of other strategies that can be employed until the right one for the particular child is found.  Books and stories like this are excellent starting points, and with a new round of school orientations taking place, it is an important one to have on hand.