These days, anxiety is on the rise in all age groups, and toddlers are not immune. Children’s books publishers have responded to the spike by producing more books aimed specifically at helping kids cope with all this ambient anxiety.

Of this new crop of books, I prefer those that aren’t overtly therapeutic. The best ones do deliver tips and strategies for dealing with oversize worries, but they are sly about it. After all, just reading the right book with your toddler can be a calming experience

[ This list is part of Story Times, a project from our children’s book editor to recommend the best books for young readers across all ages. ]

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‘Poor Little Rabbit!,’ by Jörg Mühle

This brilliant board book invites a child to “help” someone else who’s hurting — which works wonders to induce a calmer state of mind. Little Rabbit has fallen down and scraped his arm, leaving a red mark. Your toddler is invited to “try blowing on it.” Uh-oh: On the next page, Little Rabbit wails, “There’s blood!” A Band-Aid (with bunnies on it, of course) appears. “Can you put it on?” comes next, but tears still stream down the distressed bunny’s face. And so on, until the bunny feels better — and, chances are, your toddler does too.