All Birds Have Anxiety

December 19, 2016
Building on All Cats Have Asperger Syndrome and All Dogs Have ADHD, Hoopmann uses stock photographs of dozens of birds to convey aspects of life with anxiety. The project relies heavily on anthropomorphism—namely reading worry, frustration, and fear in the faces and body language of eagles, penguins, and other birds, none of which are identified. “When stress builds up, anything can set off anxiety, such as: a change of plan, something new, a comment, a thought. Stuff,” writes Hoopmann beside an image of a horned owl, its wide, orange eyes meant to signal extreme alarm. The text and images are well paired, but 50 pages of stressed-and-depressed-looking birds and their “symptoms” (“Wide-awake thoughts churn in our minds”) is a lot to wade through before Hoopmann begins to suggest ways to combat anxiety in the final third of the book. Ages 4–up.

February 1, 2017

K-Gr 3-Hoopmann explores the complicated subject of anxiety, including many of its causes and symptoms and different coping mechanisms, in this compact, accessible title. The book is composed of colorful and often humorous photographs of various types of birds, accompanied by simple sentences about day-to-day life with anxiety. For example, a page about feeling nervous in crowds is paired with an image of a large colony of penguins. This lighthearted approach helps make a complex topic child-friendly and easy to understand. Readers are provided with an overview of the daily feelings and challenges associated with apprehension. Suggested solutions are also presented. Hoopmann encourages readers to face what scares them and see it as something that can be managed. By offering an empathetic and relatable look at anxiety, this resource can help promote mental health awareness among children and their families.

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