Wagon of Worries
Ruthie Godfrey
Ruth Godfrey (2025)
ISBN: 978-1952402630
Reviewed by Elizabeth Upshur (2026)
Ruthie Godfrey’s Wagon of Worries is a picture book about a young Christian girl named Mable who has several collections of things that she loves and treasures; cute things like seashells, hair clips, and books she likes to read. But one day, her life is interrupted by first one, then two, then dozens of worries and anxious thoughts.
As Mable thinks about bad things happening in her life, she sees more opportunities to focus on them, making her even more anxious about the future. Poor Mable’s shoulders begin to stoop as her outlook on life changes. Her worries attract even more worries about her friends, food safety, the environment…Mable finds that there are so many things that are out of her control as a young child. Her worries even start keeping her up late at night as she imagines the worst possible scenario happening in her life!
Mable’s Sunday morning children’s service provides an opportunity to get rid of some of her worries, but can she get rid of them all? The illustrations by Helen Ayle help bring this story to life with depth and sensitivity, creating a strong moral story with memorable moments.
The cover shows our protagonist Mable on a path in the rain, dressed in bright pink, yanking and pulling with all her strength on a red wagon. Rather than holding her puppy or fun toys, the wagon is a veritable mountain of grey coins, each one a worry that stresses Mable out and is causing her to feel as gray as the rainy day she’s struggling through on the cover. I love Helen Ayle’s illustrative work in this book. Mable’s pup, in particular, has a fantastic combination of alert lines and fuzziness to the tail that gives him a fun personality.
I would have loved to see the bonus page as the actual end page so that the ending is a little smoother, but otherwise, I found the flow and the structure of the book to be good. Mable grows as a character and shows critical thinking in how she considers her worries and how she can cast her cares upon the Lord in order to feel peaceful, balanced, and happy again. I also love the added layer of the coins or treasure being hoarded as an allusion to Matthew 6:21. Overall, a beautiful story and a good read.
At a Glance: A Christian picture book about childhood anxiety and learning to trust God with fears. When a young girl’s worries multiply and begin to weigh her down, she discovers a faith-based path toward peace, resilience, and a healthier perspective on the things she cannot control.
Best for Readers Who Enjoy: Christian children’s books, books about anxiety and worry, faith-based emotional growth, learning to trust God, coping with fears, Sunday school stories, social-emotional learning, reassuring family read-alouds, biblical life lessons, gentle character-building stories