Description

A gentle but powerful picture book that validates childhood anxiety and gives families a simple, repeatable mantra: "Be calm, it will pass."

Featured in CBCBook's The Heart Remembers Spring 2026 Showcase

A 2023 Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year

"Unlike many picture books that seek to comfort young audiences by assuring them that their apprehensions are unfounded, Donnini's quiet prose shows readers that worry is a feeling as valid as any other . . . the world is an increasingly worrisome place, and books like this one, that offer simple acknowledgement of this fact, are just as essential as those that offer elaborate escape. Timely assurance of the impermanence of life's difficulties." --Kirkus Reviews

A young boy and his great-uncle set sail for the magical island of Mashore, but storms and uncertainty stir fear along the way. With each wave, Uncle Ollie offers the same steady reassurance: "Be calm, it will pass." A gentle, affirming picture book that validates anxiety while offering children a simple, empowering message about resilience and emotional regulation. Includes an author's note for caregivers.