Everything Is OK by Debbie Tung is actually a 4.5 as the ending felt a bit pushed (as if she needed 200 pages so she repeated herself a few times some of the concepts and ideas, but was just using different wording). Otherwise, Everything Is Okay is a very loving letter about herself to herself and how she shares that with us.
We follow the narrator as we travel with them learning about their anxiety and depression. We find the relatable ideas of trying to be perfect so you deserve love; trying to do all the things so you can be considered worthy; and overdoing it so your body rebels. But your brain (the one thing that knows you better than yourself)
knows how to hurt you into thinking you deserve nothing good, you are a failure, you cannot complete simple tasks, and so forth. One of my favorite parts is how Tung tells us, she is not “sick enough” or “depressed enough” to be considered “sick” or “depressed” so why should she have these “bad days?” Afterall, people have it much worse than her. And luckily for our narrator, she has some friends and family (even if not everyone is on the same page, the at least eventually find the same book) that are willing to stand by their side as they travel through several months of this sea-saw-swing they find themselves on.
Tung creates interesting illustrations that capture the feeling, tone and message of the story perfectly. If the text did not smack you upside the head, the art does. If the words are not ones you have heard (from others, or yourself) the art you know. The journey that has a seemingly unobtainable end, plays out for all to understand, even you have not dealt with the issues before yourself. This is a great way to see the mind of a loved one as well as your own.
Best for teens to adult, but if you have a younger child, it might be something you can read together, or make yourself available if they have questions for.