Ruby Finds a Worry shows that sharing your worries helps you manage your anxieties. Click for activities and comprehension questions.

Ruby has a Worry that follows her everywhere, but she discovers the best way to get rid of it is to talk about her worries. Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival gives you the opportunity to teach:
- You are not alone; everyone has worries.
- Ignoring your feelings can increase your worries.
- Sharing your worries helps you manage your anxieties, instead of bottling them up
- Our feelings don’t always present themselves in the same way.
You can also use the book to teach:
Scroll down for Ruby Finds a Worry activities, discussion questions and videos.
Ruby Finds a Worry Summary
Ruby is a curious and happy-go-lucky girl. She loves swinging as high as she can go and exploring her surroundings. But one day, she finds a worry, something she had never seen before. It wasn’t all that big, but despite ignoring it, it stayed with her all day.
No one else could see her Worry, so Ruby tried to ignore it. The more she ignored the Worry, it grew bigger and bigger. It followed her everywhere, stopping her from doing the things she loved. Soon the Worry was so ENORMOUS and overwhelming that it was all she could think about. What Ruby didn’t realise was this is the worst thing you can do with a Worry.
Ruby spotted a sad boy in the park who looked how she felt. The more she looked, she noticed something hovering behind him. He had Worry too! She asked the boy if he wanted to share his problems, and as the boy talked, his Worry shrank. When Ruby talked, her Worry got smaller and smaller until it disappeared. Ruby finally felt like herself again. Even though the Worry still appears now and again, she knows how to get rid of it.
Ruby Finds a Worry by Tom Percival
Illustrator: Tom Percival
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books (2018)
ISBN: 9781408892152
Take a look inside Ruby Finds a Worry



Book Series
- Perfectly Norman
- Ruby’s Worry
- Ravi's Roar
- Meesha Makes Friends
- Tilda Tries Again
- Milo's Monster
Related Books
- The Boy with Big, Big Feelings by Britney Winn Lee
- Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall
- The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright
- The Good Egg by Jory John
- After the Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again) by Dan Santat
- The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
- Anita and the Dragons by Hannah Carmona
- The Koala Who Could by Rachel Bright
- What If… ? by Anthony Browne
Ruby Finds a Worry Story Activities and Resources
I have created literacy graphic organizers for Ruby Finds a Worry. You can find them at my Teachers Pay Teachers store. There are many activities for each literacy area to differentiate depending on your student’s ability/age. They include activities for:
- Cause & Effect
- Character Traits and Analysis
- Making Connections
- Point of View
- Problem and Solution
- Retelling, Sequencing and Summarizing
- Inference and Prediction
*Click on these links to discover book recommendations on these topics.
Ruby Finds a Worry Activities and Links
- Bloomsbury: Ruby’s Worry activity pack
- Learning to Give: Ruby Finds a Worry Literature Guide
- Teaching Ideas: Ruby’s Worry Teaching Ideas and Resources:
- Tandem: Storytime Activity Guide: Ruby Finds a Worry
- Teaching with Picture Books: Free lesson plan, writing template and wordsearch
- Tom Percival Official Website
FREE Ruby Finds a Worry Activities
Would you like free graphic organisers for Ruby Finds a Worry?
I have a freebie that is part of a larger resource so that you can try it out in your classroom today!
Click on the form below to get access to the FREE activities.
Ruby Finds a Worry Read-Aloud Questions
Read-aloud sessions are a wonderful way for children to understand the connection between written text and spoken language. You can model reading habits, strategies, fluency, tone, and eye contact. You can also introduce different genres, authors and illustrators.
- Why did the author/illustrator include an actual representation of a worry?
- Why do you think Worry starts with a capital letter?
- What hasn’t Ruby’s Worry gone away forever?
- What strategies did Ruby learn to cope with her Worry?
- What lessons have you learned from Ruby’s Finds a Worry?
- How did the illustrations help you understand Ruby as a character?
- How do you feel when you share a worry with someone?
- What can you do if a friend has a worry?
- What do you think your worry would look like?
- What would have happened to the boy if Ruby hadn’t sat down to talk to him?
You can find a full set of discussion cards in the Ruby Finds a Worry Activity Bundle or as a separate pack.
Ruby Finds a Worry Video
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything through them, I will get a small referral fee, and you will support me and my blog at no extra cost, so thank you! You can find more information here.
Pin for Later!
