Max and the What-If Monster

Max has a busy, buzzy mind. It hums while he brushes his teeth. It hums while he ties his shoes. Most of his questions are the fun kind - What if dogs could talk? - until Show-and-Tell day arrives and a different sort of question shows up.What if I mess up? What if somebody laughs?POOF! The What-If Monster appears - tall and swirly and wobbly, and made of nothing but worries.Max can't argue it away. But he remembers what Grandma told him: when your thoughts run fast, let your breath go slow. Then he tries something braver still. For every worried what-if the monster whispers, Max answers back with a hopeful one - until the monster is small enough to sit in his palm like a little marshmallow.A warm, funny read-aloud for ages 4 to 8 about anxious thoughts, big feelings, and the quiet courage of trying anyway. Bright, cheerful illustrations keep even the worried pages soft and inviting, and Max's simple breathing rhythm gives children a tool they can carry long after the last page.Inside this book: - A calming breath children can practice on easy days and hard ones- The What-If Flip - trading a worried question for a hopeful one- A note for grown-ups with ways to carry the story off the page- A draw-your-own brave what-if activity pagePerfect for bedtime, first-day-of-school jitters, classroom read-alouds, and any child whose worries ask a great many questions.