Books

Maybe I’m a Rainbow

Learning to identify and recognise emotions in oneself and others is an important part of a child’s emotional and social development. Children are often confused by their emotional experiences and are unsure what is happening to them.

“Maybe I’m a Rainbow” is a story that helps children explore the many different feelings they can have in a fun and colourful way. It helps children understand that it is normal to have both positive and negative emotions.

Assisting children in understanding their emotions and giving them the tools to manage these emotions effectively can help them feel in control in difficult situations and allow them to have healthy relationships.

The Angry Feeling

Anger is a feeling that many people, if not all, experience at some time in their lives. Children often struggle dealing with anger as it makes them feel uncomfortable and can cause them to act out. Acting out usually draws negative attention to them and this sometimes leaves them feeling even more angry and helpless.

Anger is often seen as a bad feeling, when in fact it is perfectly natural to feel angry. The trick is to know how to deal with it.

The “Angry Feeling” is a book that helps children to understand what anger is, how to recognise it and most importantly how to express it in an appropriate way.

The Worry Pot

Children are often faced with situations that are very hard for them to understand and which evoke difficult feelings within them. Sometimes children are overwhelmed dealing with these feelings and are left helpless, powerless and incredibly anxious.

“The Worry Pot” helps children understand what worry is and how it can affect them.

It gives children the opportunity to learn how to take back some control, freedom and peace of mind by using strategies that the “Worry Pot” offers.

The Monkey Bunch

Conflict is something that all children face at some time in their development. This is a normal part of growing up and building interpersonal relationships.

Dealing with bullying on the other hand is quite different. When a child is faced with a situation in which they are teased, hurt or abused by another child and feel that they are unable to defend them- selves, they are being bullied.

Many children that experience bullying are left feeling angry, sad, helpless and shamed.

“The Monkey Bunch” tells the tale of a bunch of monkeys who start out as friends and then are faced with a bullying incident within the group. It reveals the difficult feelings they experience and how they learn to protect themselves.

It is always useful for a child to have some idea of how to deal with conflict situations appropriately, as it gives them a sense of empowerment and confidence.

The Brave Little Birds

There are a number of children that have been exposed to abuse, whether it be by a stranger or someone known to them. The effects can be devastating to a child and can evoke fear that prevents them from disclosing.

“The Brave Little Birds” is a book which helps children understand how easily something like this can happen and how important it is to tell someone if it does.

The little birds experience of trauma and how they coped with it can be a useful tool in helping children deal with abuse, tell their story and normalise their feelings of fear and helplessness.

Something Scary Happened

Now days it is not uncommon for a child to have been faced with a traumatic event. This kind of experience often leaves a child overwhelmed with feelings they don't know how to deal with. Some children find itdifficult to speak about whathappened and by holding onto the pain develop physiological symptoms, emotional difficulties, social withdrawal or acting out.

“Something Scary Happened” is a story about a little girl who experiences a traumatic event, how she struggles with the effects and how she finds a way to heal from it.

The Confused Ducklings

The Confused Ducklings is a story about a family of ducks that experience a major change within their family. By exploring the ducklings experience of parental conflict, separation and loss children are able to identify with this situation and deal with the difficult feelings associated with the adjustment.

There are many families that experience divorce or separation and the impact can be quite devastating.

“The Confused Ducklings” can help normalise a child’s reaction to the change and allow them to feel less alone in the process.

It can also be a useful guide for parents who are unsure of how to prepare their children for their pending separation and how to assist them in adjusting.

The Lilly Floated Away

Losing someone or something important to you, whether through death or separation, can be very difficult to understand and accept, especially for a young child. They are often left confused, sad, angry and curious as to how and why it happened.

“The Lilly Floated Away” looks at the process of dealing with loss, and the questions and emotions it evokes in those left behind. It offers a simple explanation which can be built on as more questions are asked as the child gets older.

Butterfly Dust

In Butterfly Dust, Chloe grows up with the belief that putting others needs first is the right thing to do. However, over time she starts to feel overwhelmed by the burdens of others. Buzz helps her understand that as long as she continues this way she won't be able to enjoy the freedom of being young.

There are many children who display similar behaviour to Chloe whether its trying to rescue friends, parents or siblings. Although caring for others is encouraged by society everyone needs to learn to find a balance and recognise
when they are taking on more problems than they are able to handle.

Butterfly Dust is a story to help the burdened child learn how to find the balance between selflessness and self-care.

Grizz the Grizzly Bear

There may come a time in a childis life when a parent has to leave the family for a while. This absence may be due to work demands or long distance travel. It may be over a short or long period of time. For some children the absence of the parent can be very difficult to understand and adjust to.

Grizz the Grizzly Bear is a story about a little bear whose father has to leave during a drought to go in search of food. The father bear is gone for a long time and Grizz is very confused and saddened by this separation. Fortunately, Grizz meets a friend who teaches him ways to deal with the difficult feelings he is experiencing whilst his father is away.

My Growing Family

Families sometimes go through changes such as parental loss, separation or divorce. Having a new person join the family can be difficult for some children to accept. Some may welcome the new members and see it as a positive change. While. other children may feel angry, sad, confused, resentful or even jealous.

In My Growing Family the ducklings find it difficult to accept the goose and the goslings as part of their family. They are worried about losing their mom and feel guilty that their dad may be replaced. But after talking through their feelings and getting some advice they begin to understand that having a step family doesn't have to be a bad thing. They realise that everyone has a place in the family and that there is plenty of love for all of them.

Precilla The Pig

Priscilla the Pig is a story about a bully learning a very important lesson. Priscilla is faced with a different situation when she suddenly finds herself being the target of bullying. This experience helps her realise the impact of greediness, nastiness and rejection.

Children that bully others often lack a sensitivity to others feelings. Being nasty, pushy and rejecting gives them a sense of control and power. Priscilla was a bully and upset many of the pigs on the farm with her forcefulness and nasty words. But one day she is faced with a difficult situation when she finds herself being the target of bullying.

This is an important life lesson for Priscilla as she is able to experience the negative impact of bullying for herself.

Squirley and the Acorn

Squirley and the Acorns tells the tale of a squirrel who takes acorns that donit belong to him. When he is caught he lies about it to avoid getting into trouble. Squirley soon learns that the consequences of his behaviour are not so nice and that if he wants to be part of the squirrel community he needs to be honest and trustworthy.

Stealing and lying are not uncommon behaviours in children. The stealing can be related to conduct problems, attention- seeking or to fill an eemotional voidi felt by the child. Whatever the reason behind this behaviour it is important for children to know that stealing and lying have consequences. This story helps children understand that they have a choice between stealing and lying or honesty and trust.

Speedy and His Friends

Some children are active but are still able to recognise when its time to calm down. Other children find it difficult to settle themselves and are unable to
recognise when their behaviour is affecting those around them.

This inability may be due to poor boundaries, poor self management or due to more serious issues i.e. ADHD or Bipolar Affective Disorder.

Speedy and his friends helps the busy childi to understand the importance of self control and respect for others. It assists children in learning the skills
needed to function in social settings and to accept the possible need for medication at times.

Speedy and his friends also gives those children affected by the busy child an opportunity to have their feelings validated and to get insight into what the busy child feels.

The Flower Patch

Welcoming a new child into the family is a very exciting time for a family but it can also be a difficult time for siblings.

Although a sibling may be excited about the new addition, he or she may still have some difficulties adjusting to this change.

Some children like the eblue floweri become quite stressed and feel as though their place in the family is being taken. They may become angry, resentful, sad or confused at the perceived displacement.

The Flower Patch helps children to understand this change, validates their feelings and encourages them to see that change can sometimes be a good thing.

The Secret

Alcohol abuse is a problem in many families. It can occur regardless of culture, race or socio-economic status. When it does rear its head in families it has devastating effects on all involved, especially the children.

The Secret is a story about a family experiencing this chaotic and destructive problem. It gives insight into the
difficulties faced by the children and the suffering they endure.
The Secret shows children that they can find a way to feel
better, empowered and to have a more realistic
perspective of what they can and can't do.