It’s wedding season! How many weddings are you going to this year? 

The Twirly Wiggly Dance by Farrah Riaz & Navya Raju is the story of Intisar who has one very important wedding: Auntie Mahira’s. And she has a very big job to do! She’s going to dance in the group performance.

I have been anticipating this book since I first heard about it (it featured in my Exciting Upcoming Picture Book Releases the minute I heard about it's released date). Before I had even set eyes on it in real life I knew that this would be a powerful and evocative book that would support children with difficult emotions. So when I was asked to join the blog tour, I immediately said yes despite the fact that I told myself I was not doing any blog tours this year. What I'm trying to say by that is that it takes an exceptional book to make me change my mind. And this is an exceptional book!

I think, more so than ever, we need to find ways to support our children with their mental health and with dealing with the "big emotions" but we also have to accept that one of the ways we deal with our emotions is not by dismissing them or trying to conquer them but in a more quiet way by accepting that they are there and giving them space to breathe. Inspired by a quotation from Holocaust victim, Etty Hillesum (I'll insert that quotation at the end), Anne Booth has created a story that sensitively personifies sadness showing them that it is not a feeling to be feared, hidden or denied. Instead you need to give it a shelter of it's own.

 

A small boy creates a shelter for his sadness, a safe space where Sadness is welcome, where it can curl up small or be as big as it can be, where it can be noisy or quiet, or anything in between. (In fact, for me it reminds me of how I care for my children - giving them space to grow, or lie down or curl up small or the opportunity to be very very loud, or very very quiet - always following their lead; I don't, however, make them live in an outdoor shelter or build them bonfires and leave them unsupervised - just to be clear!) The boy can visit the shelter whenever he needs to, every day, every hour, or hardly at all. And Sadness and the boy sometimes will talk, or cry or just sit saying nothing. The boy knows that some days Sadness may come out the shelter, and together they will look out at the world and see how beautiful it is. Or that sometime he will be too busy to visit Sadness but that's ok too as he's built it a good shelter and it's safe inside there. And together they can navigate through the world holding each others' hands.

A Shelter for Sadness is a perfectly pitched picture book to help children explore the importance of making space and time for their own sadness, when they need to, and is especially poignant in the current climate of uncertainty and loss. 

With striking illustrations that are deeply evocative and rich as well as being laced with a playfulness and tenderness, David Litchfield has brought to life a Sadness that we can relate to, where we can see that Sadness is part of being human and that it can exist alongside the happiness and beauty in the world without taking up all the space and blotting out all the colour. Even if Sadness is the biggest thing in your life and requires all your focus and attention, the illustrations show that beauty and colour still exist in the world when we are ready and able to look for it outside the shelter. I also love the very subtle changing of seasons in the artwork as your turn through the pages of the book, which is a gentle reminder to children (and adults) that Sadness is with us through all seasons and does not disappear with changing weather and that that is ok.

I have long adored David's artwork and I was delighted that as part of the blog tour he agreed to let us seen inside his sketchbook for A Shelter for Sadness. It's fascinating seeing how a book comes to life and I love some of this artwork that otherwise would have been left inside a closed notebook. Thank you so much for sharing and if you want to see more of the blog tour check out the banner below.

As the importance of good mental health, empathy, and kindness  are being highlighted like never before, especially for children, this book will help them develop those skills and support them in becoming emotionally literate with the skills to cope with difficult feelings and approach others with gentleness and understanding. It's a very powerful book.

I said I would share the quotation by Ester 'Etty" Hillesum (15 Jan 1914 - 30 Nov 1943) and it feels poignant to close with it:

'Give your sorrow all the space and shelter in yourself that is its due, for if everyone bears grief honestly and courageously, the sorrow that now fills the world will abate. But if you do instead reserve most of the space inside you for hatred and thoughts of revenge - from which new sorrows will be born for others - then sorrow will never cease in the world. And if you have given sorrow the space it demands, the you may truly say: life is beautiful and so rich.'

Hope that this book might bring you comfort and support if you need it, and start important conversations in your home,

Kim and the bairns xx

Disclaimer: This book was sent by the publisher for review. Words and opinions are my own. Please read our Review Policy  if you want to know more. If you click on the image of the book below you will be sent to Amazon.co.uk using an affiliate link.  This means that if you choose to purchase on Amazon.co.uk, I will receive a small sum (around 20-90p per book) from Amazon at no extra cost to you. I understand that you may not want to use an affiliate link, but if you like reading our blog post please just think of it as a small tip for a tip-off to an awesome book. And know that your support means I can buy more books! For more information check out our For Readers Section.

The Worrysaurus by Rachel Bright & Chris Chatterton

I know that BookBairn isn’t an adventurous personality and her tendency to worry about what will happen sometimes stops her from doing things like going down the big slide, or going on fairground rides. So I know she understands the butterflies in the tummy of the Worrysaurus. It’s a beautiful day and the Worrysaurus has planned a special picnic. Really planned it. Every eventuality. But it isn’t too long into his adventure that the butterflies start to creep in. What if he doesn’t have enough to eat? What if he gets lost? Or trips and falls? What if it starts to rain? Fortunately he gets some advice from his mummy, and puts into place his strategy for calming his anxiety so that he can get back to having fun. This is a charming rhyming story which is light hearted and approachable for little worriers. The illustrations are bright and the Worrysaurus so adorable and lovable that he’s bound to enter your hearts. Definitely a new favourite in our family.

Ruby's Worry by Tom Percival

Ruby is worried. She has a worry that follows her around everywhere. She tries to ignore it but everyday it gets bigger. No one else can see Ruby's worry so Ruby tried pretend that she can't see it either. But the Worry is always there - stopping her from doing the things that she loves. Ruby worries about the Worry. which only makes it worse. Until one day Ruby notices a boy sitting alone who looks exactly like she feels - sad. And then she notices something hovering next to him. Could it be that he has a Worry too? And maybe they can find a way to shrink their worries together. This is a reassuring and sensitive book to open a conversation with children about worries. But it's also a lovely story about about friendship. Beautifully illustrated and with very clever use of colours, this is a great read to enjoy together.

The Worry Box by Suzanne Chiew & Sean Julian

This lovely story stars Murray Bear, who has a lot of worries. So many, in fact, that it's stopping him from exploring and going on adventures with his friends. With the help of his sister, Milly, Murray makes a special box to keep all his worries in and sets out to explore, adventure and make new friends. With soft illustrations and adorable characters that children will relate to, this is a brilliant story to encourage children to talk about their worries and fears. A much-needed book for classroom and school libraries!

My Monster and Me by Nadiya Hussain & Ella Bailey

This picture book places telling someone, about sharing your “monster”, right at the heart of taking control of your worries. This is the story of a little boy whose worry monster follows him everywhere he goes. It’s there when he gets dressed, when he plays with his toys, it gets in the way of him playing with his friends. But his monster is very good at hiding from his family so his parents sand older siblings don’t notice that it is there. But when he opens up to his grandmother, there is a big change in monster. And whilst monster might never go away completely it becomes so small that the boy can carry him around in his pocket. And if ever it feel like getting out of that pocket he knows how to make it go away. His monster is part of him, and it’s natural to have some worries but with support he can make sure his monster behaves. Beautifully illustrated, and with monster that looks more playful and mischievous than frightening, this book is a powerful tool to show children that they needn’t be afraid of their worry monster but they shouldn’t let it boss them around. 

A Little Bit Worried by Ciara Gavin & Tim Warnes

The main character in this is perfect for children coping with anxiety or struggling with new experiences and they way the story is constructed it will also give empathy to those who are more confident and outgoing. It’s the story of Weasel who is caught in a big, angry storm, so he builds a fortress to hide in. But inside his fortress one day, he discovers Mole, who loves to play in the wind and splash in the rain. And Mole helps Weasel to overcome his fears and find joy, whatever the weather! I love the way that this book isn’t dismissive of those self-protective behaviour we have but rather encourages a more mindful approach to the fearful things we can’t control. The illustrations bring to life the characters through a clever use of expressions and the clever use of the changing weather to portray the changing mood and emotions of the character is a subtle way to share with children that after the rain comes the sunshine.

The Problem with Problems by Rachel Rooney & Zehra Hicks

Have you ever met a problem? Problems are creatures. They come in all sizes. Some even wear disguises! Each one is different but all of them want to cause trouble. They certainly can be tricky creatures. But the key is to keep quiet calm, don’t let them trouble you. There are so many things you can do to send them on their way! This lovely picture book brings to life ‘problems’ in a way that very young children can understand and helps them explore the problems with problems and the solutions! This is an ingenious book which has very cleverly personified problems in a way that makes them feel approachable, ignorable, solvable. The illustrations are bright and cheerful! Making you feel bright and cheerful as you read and choose to tackle your problems head on. A wonderful addition to your bookshelf and a great conversation opener about children’s problems and mental health!

Almost Anything by Sophy Henn

This is a wonderful story about self-confidence and stars a whole cast of woodland creatures. George, the rabbit, thinks he can’t paint, bowl, dance or skate like his friends and he’s too afraid to try. Bear makes him a magic hat to give him the courage to try and when he does it turns out he can skate, and dance and read and a whole host of other things! But then George loses his hat, and his confidence with it. How will he be able to join in with his friends? If he can't do all the new things he has learned how will he have fun? So Bear tells him the truth: the magic didn’t come from the hat, it came from inside. Now doesn’t that sound like a magic picture book? When you feel like everyone else can do something but you can’t it can leave you feeling lonely and left out. And in this book little ones will see that all they need is a little bit of confidence to try, resilience if they fail, and friends to help them find their own magic to succeed. And if all else fails - a paper hat might do the trick!

Sometimes I am Worried endorsed by Dr. Janet Rose and illustrated by Marie Paruit

This fantastic book is full of tactile lift the flaps and turn wheels show what it feels like inside our bodies when we are worried and how our body might react as well as things we can do to ease that discomfort. I love how kid-centric these books are and how direct and to the point - just here is what it’s like to be worried and here is what it might feel like inside. They can lift the flaps, slide the tabs and turn the wheel to explore what a worry is, why they might worry and how they can stop their worries from becoming too big and we love the sliding scale on the final page! On the cover it says “for sharing and talking” and this is just perfect for exactly that!

I hope you find these supportive for your little worriers and that they start a conversation about your bairns' worried. If you are looking for more of our very favourite books to support children's mental health check out my Amazon shop and click on the section for Children's Books about Mental Health.