I am a big fan of anything by Susan Perrow (and am fascinated by the idea, and efficacy of, therapeutic stories in general). There is some overlap between her books, and some are more focused on writing your own stories than others, but I've gotten a lot out of her work.
Great job from you and Ashley for compiling all these interesting titles. Books on mental health were not the book of choice for us back when I was a kid. Everybody always went for action packed adventure books, or for me books that focused on fun facts about the world. It's definitely great to see books like these get more attention and hopefully help the next generation to understand mental health and their feelings. I think the book that caught my eye was Ashley's suggestion, The Comfort Book by Matt Haig, I've heard a lot of great things about Haig's books and also the book cover is also a nice and appealing.
My husband and I often talk about all the books -- and conversations and strategies and tools -- that address mental health and social-emotional learning that are available to our kids that absolutely did not exist for us. I love that there's greater awareness of these things -- and of course, that there are more books about all of it 😂
I agree that Haig's cover is nice and appealing! I've heard great things, too, though I have only ever read his fiction.
This is a great list! I shared this post with my FB group of parents. As a mom to a kiddo with anxiety I am always looking for books to normalize and start conversations because I have found that to be the most helpful tool in calming an anxious mind. Ordered the first 3 Alvin Ho books! Thank you!
Kyo Maclear's work is amazing!! A great selection here, Sarah and Ashley!
Thanks, Alison! And I fully agree about Maclear. Her (adult) book Birds, Art, Life: A Year of Observation is stunning.
It's a beautifully wrought, resonant memoir, yes!
What a helpful post!! I'm particularly interested in Therapeutic Storytelling! Sounds lovely and warm. Thanks for this wonderful collab!
I am a big fan of anything by Susan Perrow (and am fascinated by the idea, and efficacy of, therapeutic stories in general). There is some overlap between her books, and some are more focused on writing your own stories than others, but I've gotten a lot out of her work.
Great job from you and Ashley for compiling all these interesting titles. Books on mental health were not the book of choice for us back when I was a kid. Everybody always went for action packed adventure books, or for me books that focused on fun facts about the world. It's definitely great to see books like these get more attention and hopefully help the next generation to understand mental health and their feelings. I think the book that caught my eye was Ashley's suggestion, The Comfort Book by Matt Haig, I've heard a lot of great things about Haig's books and also the book cover is also a nice and appealing.
My husband and I often talk about all the books -- and conversations and strategies and tools -- that address mental health and social-emotional learning that are available to our kids that absolutely did not exist for us. I love that there's greater awareness of these things -- and of course, that there are more books about all of it 😂
I agree that Haig's cover is nice and appealing! I've heard great things, too, though I have only ever read his fiction.
This is a great list! I shared this post with my FB group of parents. As a mom to a kiddo with anxiety I am always looking for books to normalize and start conversations because I have found that to be the most helpful tool in calming an anxious mind. Ordered the first 3 Alvin Ho books! Thank you!
I totally hear you. One of my children -- I won't say which, to protect their privacy -- struggled with anxiety for years. Reading helps!
And thank you so much for sharing with your FB group -- that word-of-mouth is truly priceless.
What a lovely collaboration.
Thank you! If I recall, it was Ashley's (wonderful) idea.
Thank you for this! I think i’ll be revisiting this list in the fall for the adult books ❤️
Love the descriptions and the book topics. Thank you for this!
Glad you enjoyed this, Lacey!