Review Detail

Opal the ostrich suffers from anxiety and it presents itself in the form of a noodle neck. Her neck will wiggle and it becomes difficult to hold her head up. This year, it’s her turn to pick up the holiday tart from the bakery which is a very important and intimidating task. The whole way to the bakery, Opal sees friends but can’t help but feel like everyone is mad at her. This makes the task even more difficult but she keeps encouraging herself to keep going. She doesn’t want to let her anxiety get the best of her.

The illustrations are bold with dark lines and simplistic in detail. With how prominent anxiety is in children these days, this is a great tool to teach children how to work through those hard moments. While it may feel like the world is watching, our minds tend to get carried away in an anxious state and this isn’t the case. I love how the author uses animals to help hold a child’s interest. Another fun addition is a chameleon that’s hiding throughout the book and children can enjoy going back and spotting him.


Final Verdict: Anxiety is a sensitive topic with children but this book brings humor to it and helps children see that they can overcome it. While we see how scary anxiety can be, they can learn from Opal’s strength.