Just for Today (a Story about Worry, Self-Soothing, and Friendship) - by Charlotte Agell (Hardcover)

About the Book

Elba worries a lot so her friend Norris encourages her to join him in telling a story without any worry in it, but when their tale launches them on an unforeseen adventure, it is Elba who shows Norris they have the power to keep calm and make it right in the end.

Book Synopsis

For everyone who worries, or loves someone who worries, this charming story offers wisdom, comfort, and gentle humor. Perfect for fans of The Rabbit Listened, Ruby Finds a Worry, George and Martha, Find Your Calm, and The Little Butterfly That Could.

Some nights Elba counts the stars until the last one blinks out. Her worries won't let her sleep.

Norris knows that worry comes from telling yourself the wrong story.

"Just for today, can you try telling yourself a different story?"

"How?" asks Elba, who does love stories.

"Start like this: 'And they lived happily ever after.'"

"But isn't that the end?" asks Elba.

"I like to know where the story goes, so I always put that in first."

Together, the two friends create a new story, one without any worrying. But when their tale launches them on an unforeseen adventure, it's Elba who shows Norris that while a story can take unexpected turns, they have the power to create their own happy ending.

With warmth and sensitivity, Just for Today will help children and their grown-ups find peace during anxious times as it celebrates the power of a friend who can see, support, and love us through all our feelings.

Be sure to read further adventures of Elba and Norris in the stand-alone companion book Maybe Tomorrow?

Review Quotes

Praise for Maybe Tomorrow?:

"[Offers] hope that the world can be a beautiful place...an excellent purchase." --School Library Journal

"Demonstrate[s] the power of patience, listening, and simply showing up when loved ones are navigating difficult emotions. Ramírez González's illustrations... utilize bright, textured colors, simple rounded shapes, and subtle yet eloquent facial expressions to sweetly emphasize the characters' emotional journey. A poignant exploration of depression, grief, and friendship. --Kirkus Reviews

"Norris the alligator is optimism personified... Elba, a pink hippo, couldn't be more different...With Norris's gentle prodding and willingness to befriend her as she is, Elba reveals that she is mourning the loss of her dear friend, Little Bird...Norris seems to instinctively know how to help his new pal without encroaching on her emotional boundaries; his patient demeanor and her quiet emergence become the story's narrative. Ramírez González's sunny digitized watercolors echo this hopeful mood with a lightness and energy." --Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Charlotte Agell was born in Norsjo, Sweden, and grew up in Montreal, Canada. She is the mother of two grown children and is a retired public-school teacher living in Maine. Charlotte is the author and illustrator of several picture books, chapter books, and young adult fiction published in Canada and abroad. Her Scholastic Press debut, Maybe Tomorrow? was hailed by School Library Journal as a story that offers "hope that the world can be a beautiful place." Learn more at charlotteagell.com.

Ana Ramírez González worked as a visual development artist on Pixar's Academy Award-winning film Coco and illustrated the companion picture book Coco: Miguel and the Grand Harmony. She grew up in Guanajuato, Mexico, and lives in Oakland, California. Ana is also the illustrator of the picture books Kamala and Maya's Big Idea, A Sled for Gabo, and Maybe Tomorrow? Learn more at anaramirezgonzalez.com.