Books as balm
I have thought about titles I have come across in my librarianship that have served a purpose when words have failed in tough situations. Titles that have spoken to me and I, in turn, have found invaluable when speaking to others.
Prescription pad literature
As parents, teachers and educators, what do we have in our arsenal that children can use to help them draw their own conclusions?
One word: books.
Things like behaviour, navigating relationships, separation, loneliness, bullying, anxiety or depression, and even the loss of a loved one. Things we prefer not to have to imagine children or young people dealing with. But we know they do.
Books can be the perfect prescription in these situations because each book is subjective to the person reading it. Readers can take from the book whatever it is they need at that moment. The words, the subject and the substance are all within their control to decipher how they see fit.
I believe there is a book to meet every need. That's where some of the following titles can help.
Recommendations
Be warned this is a list of my choosing.
These titles are a few from what I call my ‘Prescription Pad’. They are there because at different times, in different situations, they have spoken to me or to someone else who needed them. I'd happily recommend them to parents, teachers and librarians alike and have been doing so for many years.
A Big Hug Book series by Shona Innes and Irisz Agocs offer a gentle and direct approach to the emotional issues that children face. Written by a clinical child psychologist, they encourage youngsters to share and discuss tough topics with family and friends.
Life is Like the Wind is one of the books in the series. It introduces the concept of death to young readers by likening life to the ever-moving wind. When the wind is present, things move and fly and flutter about. When the wind goes away, things become very still.
Life is like the wind.
When life goes away, the body is very still
The body cannot move or feel
or do anything anymore.
Where does life go when it goes from the body?
From there, the authors explore the feelings we have when a loved one's life goes away. How we cope with missing them and how we can celebrate their memory. It also introduces the various things people believe happens to a life that has moved on.
The Bad Seed series by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald is a funny yet touching tale. It reminds us of the remarkably transformative power of will, acceptance and just being you.
Perfect for young readers, as well as anyone navigating their current world, The Bad Seed series proves that positive change is possible for every one of us.
The series includes titles like The Good Egg, The Couch Potato and The Smart Cookie. They all touch on different behaviours and personalities that people exhibit and how we can navigate them.
My Elephant is Blue by Melinda Szymanik, illustrated by Vasanti Unka is a great starter for conversations around anxiety and depression. It is a perfect story to help children explore and understand the experience of living under the weight of a big sadness.
When talking to Melinda about this book, she said that she woke up one morning and it felt like there was an elephant sitting on her chest.
The Fix-It Man by Dimity Powell, illustrated by Nicky Johnston is a poignant picture book. It explores how a child and her father rebuild their lives after the loss of her mother.
It's handy having a dad who can fix just about anything.
A young girl believes her father is the king of fixing things. But following the death of her mother, she discovers that broken hearts are not as easy to repair as damaged toys and cracked teapots.
Tiger needs urgent attention. He’s too broken to dance or to sing. We’ve run out of glue and I need some more fast because sticky tape is hopeless on bad dreams and teapots …
I was lucky enough to receive this book from a friend. The beautiful turns of phrase, and sweet accompanying illustrations, hit the perfect levels of melancholy, sadness and hope. This perfect balance means I still read it regularly, mostly to remind myself to stop and make sure I have plenty of glue and cups of tea.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness is a sad but beautiful story that came from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd. It takes you on a journey of anger management, dealing with loss and cancer.
The Monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
The story follows Conor trying to understand why the Monster is visiting him. As his anger and frustration grow, he comes to realise what it is the Monster wants. The truth.
Stickboy by Shane Koyczan is a beautifully written novel in verse exploring bullying, self-harm and loneliness. It is the journey of how a young boy faces the daily ritual of bullying, then the shock as he realises he’s becoming what he hates. A bully.
The fist stopped mid-air and dropped to his side; a dog being called home by his master.
Shane Koyczan is a Canadian spoken word poet who became widely known after his To This Day … for the Bullied and Beautiful TED talk. That talk and this novel sprung from his poem To This Day which chronicles his battle with bullying and the trials children face fitting in.
Books as balm
I believe all parents, educators and librarians out there need to be aware of what they can ‘prescribe’ when they come across someone in need, even if that person is themselves.
I am constantly on the lookout for more titles to ‘add to my pad’. So, if anyone has titles they use in tough times, I would love to hear about them.
Find out more
Reading for hauora | wellbeing
If you're looking for more books with a similar focus, check out the following:
National Library Services to Schools' curated collection of books focusing on stories of adversity, strength, hope and healing.
Children and youth book reviews from the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
Read for Empathy curated collections from The Empathy Lab UK.
To find children's and young adult (YA) books and reviews, use the National Library Services to Schools' Books and Reads tool.