Today I have a guest post to share with you from author Fiona Ingram. I'm also excited to see what she has to say about this topic. It's not like anything else I've share with you all here on the blog. I want to thank this fabulous author for sharing her thoughts with us as well. So get yourself a snack and something to drink. Let's see what this author has to say.
Can Books Help Kids Cope With Life?
Can Books Help Kids Cope With Life?
Can books help kids cope with life? Life issues are sometimes a challenge for kids to comprehend. Although most parents wish to shield their children from the tragic side of life, many times reality intervenes, and the parent may be powerless to adequately comfort their child when dealing with a sad or traumatic situation. Death, disease, divorce, moving to a new house, loss of a pet, bullying, experiences with alcoholic or abusive parents, and drugs form part of a long list of potentially negative life experiences. The death of a beloved grandparent, parent, sibling, friend, or an important adult can have a potentially devastating effect on a young person. Books can offer the kind of therapy that a child will appreciate and in a format that they can understand.
Stories, either fiction or non-fiction, enable children to identify with characters and sad or devastating events and relate these experiences to their own lives. Children are then able to recognize and understand how other people respond to frustration and disappointment. This helps children develop empathy and understanding of human behavior. It can also enable children to respond to discussing issues with a parent or responsible adult such as a teacher or therapist.
Today’s books also have opened discussions on a variety of previously taboo topics or at least topics that were avoided. These issues can include:
Stories, either fiction or non-fiction, enable children to identify with characters and sad or devastating events and relate these experiences to their own lives. Children are then able to recognize and understand how other people respond to frustration and disappointment. This helps children develop empathy and understanding of human behavior. It can also enable children to respond to discussing issues with a parent or responsible adult such as a teacher or therapist.
Today’s books also have opened discussions on a variety of previously taboo topics or at least topics that were avoided. These issues can include:
- bullying at school;
- negative comments regarding a child’s weight, appearance, or lack of athleticism;
- tolerance of differences among peers, such as income levels, religious beliefs, nuclear families vs. broken homes, etc.;
- a parent’s history with substance, emotional, physical, and sexual abuse;
- long term changes in living situations, such as the arrival of stepchildren or grandparents;
- issues such as homosexuality and lesbianism, especially where a parent decides to ‘come out’;
- unique abilities and challenges faced by peers or family members with special needs, i.e., autism or Down Syndrome, debilitating illness, or illness or trauma resulting in disability, etc.
Regardless of the issue tackled or the story composed, a book’s therapeutic effectiveness will be enhanced by:
- age-appropriate language;
- honest and realistic characterizations;
- an avoidance of explicit preaching while allowing the reader to make the moral connection through critical thinking;
- a good, well-written story with relevant illustrations
Books are essential guidelines between covers and the younger kids start reading, the better they will be equipped to deal with the many curve balls that will be flung at them. Of course, even the best written book embracing a particular problem is not a cure-all, and parents should take note that books cannot replace the expert advice of a health care professional where necessary. However, using books for emotional healing will often be a solid step in helping a child understand and accept the realities of life, even when harsh and unpleasant.
Continuing the adventure that ended in Britain just a short while ago, cousins Adam and Justin Sinclair, with their friend Kim Maleka, are now hunting for the third Stone of Power, one of seven mysterious stones lost centuries ago. The third stone might be located in an ancient city, hidden in the depths of the Mexican jungle.
When their small plane crashes in the jungle, Adam, Justin, Kim, and James are rescued by an uncontacted tribe. James, who is wounded, must stay behind as the kids, with only a young boy, Tukum, as their guide, make their way through the dense and dangerous jungle to find the city. River rafting on a crocodile-infested river and evading predators are just part of this hazardous task.
Of course, their old adversary Dr. Khalid is close behind as the kids press on in search of the lost city of stone gods. But he is not the worst of their problems. This time Adam will clash with a terrible enemy who adopts the persona of an evil Aztec god, Tezcatlipoca, and is keen to revive the ancient tradition of human sacrifice. Adam, Justin, and Tukum must play a dreadful ball game of life and death and maybe survive. Will they emerge alive from the jungle? Will Dr. Khalid find the third Stone of Power before they do?
Fiona Ingram is a children’s author, but up until a few years ago, she was a journalist and editor. Something rather unexpected sparked her new career as an author—a family trip to Egypt with her mother and two young nephews. They had a great time and she thought she’d write them a short story as a different kind of souvenir…. Well, one book and a planned book series later, she had changed careers. She has now published Book 3 (The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper) in her middle grade adventure series Chronicles of the Stone, with many awards for the first book,The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, and a few for Book 2, The Search for the Stone of Excalibur, and one already for Book 3! She also teaches online novel writing for aspiring authors and she finds that very satisfying. Relaxation time finds her enjoying something creative or artistic, music, books, theatre or ballet. She loves doing research for her book series. Fiona loves animals and has written two animal rescue stories. She has two adorable (naughty) little dogs called Chloe and Pumpkin, and a beautiful black cat called Bertie.
You can find Fiona at –
Website: www.chroniclesofthestone.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/FionaRobyn
Author Site: http://www.FionaIngram.com
Thanks again author Fiona Ingram for sharing your thoughts with us today.
