Scary Stuff by Dr Sarah Allen (Youthworks Media)

What do you do as a parent when one of your kids is grappling with anxiety or is prey to so many fears that he or she is in danger of being swamped? How do you help them move forward with confidence in the God who loves them, when life – or their thoughts – can so often seem out of control?

Enter Christian GP Dr Sarah Allen, who specialises in helping people with anxiety. She particularly wanted to support kids through their fears by showing them what the Bible teaches about our trustworthy and powerful God, in whom and with whom they are safe. So, she wrote Scary Stuff.

Here's the best thing, though: the book is written for primary-aged kids. It's much more common to see resources for helping teenagers with anxiety, panic attacks, trauma responses and so on but younger children deal with all these issues too, and Scary Stuff seeks to meet them at their point of need.

Allen has broken the book up into 10 chapters, each an age-appropriate Bible study to read with a "coach" (most likely a parent), that contain questions to discuss and answer individually or together. Most focus on a psalm or a story from the gospel, tackling issues such as security, loneliness, control – or the lack of it – as well as forgiveness, challenging negativity and trauma.

There's a good deal of weighty theology, yet it's dealt with in a simple, encouraging way so that kids, with their coach's help, can learn and grow without being overwhelmed. The language is light-hearted and friendly with plenty of funny comments in the margins, and there are also cartoons with Calvin the cat, who is learning what God has done for him and how to conquer his fears at the same time as the "super kid" readers.

The message is that although life and the world around us seems out of control, it is all under the strong hand of our heavenly Father. And yes, even really scary stuff such as storms, sickness and death all obey the command of Jesus.

Allen provides explanations for new "nerdy" words (such as justification and omniscience), adds in some history here and there, plus information about terms used in the Bible passages – for example, what a "rod" and "staff" are in Psalm 23.

There is time for kids to discuss things with their coach and options for a break in the middle of each study if they need it. There is also a place at the end of each chapter to pray and remember what they have learned about God, and about themselves as his children.

I particularly appreciated the verses at the end of each chapter under the heading "Passages to Help and Heal", because kids' fear, pain and trauma are so very real, and these verses show that our God is consistent in his love and commitment to us. There is also a range of appendices that help kids consider whether or not they're Christian, and provide adults with explanations about anxiety disorders, panic attacks, trauma, abuse and how to shift the perspective in an "anxious family system".

Is scary stuff still going to be scary? Of course it is. But Sarah Allen is helping parents to show kids that our trustworthy God is bigger than all of it.