By Manka Kasha Small Knight and the Anxiety Monster by Manka Kasha is on sale now. I was an extremely anxious child. Saying “hello” or “thank you” to adults, phone calls, interacting with other kids—all these day-to-day activities were my personal hell (and, who am I kidding, in many ways they … [Read more...] about How Picture Books Can Normalize Anxiety and Make Kids Feel Understood
mental health
Reading Widely Was the Best Research I Did for Writing
By Julia Drake The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake is on sale now. While I was on a book tour for my debut novel The Last True Poets of the Sea, a person attending an event asked me a question that began, “Did you do a lot of research?" Why, yes, I thought, and gleefully began to … [Read more...] about Reading Widely Was the Best Research I Did for Writing
How Laura Taylor Namey Wrote a Book About Grief After the Loss of Her Grandmother
By Karis Rogerson Laura Taylor Namey describes herself as someone who was always a writer, if not an author. She was a teacher before transitioning to full-time writing, and though she says she was good at the job, it didn’t bring her joy the way writing does. “I’m obsessed with writing,” she … [Read more...] about How Laura Taylor Namey Wrote a Book About Grief After the Loss of Her Grandmother
Why Fiction for Younger Readers Needs to Talk About Suicide
Content warning: Graphic mentions of suicide/self-harm and discussions of mental health, bullying, racism, and suicidal ideation By Rukhsana Khan When I was eleven, I nearly committed suicide. I’d said something so silly during sex ed. class, I thought my life was over. I remember it … [Read more...] about Why Fiction for Younger Readers Needs to Talk About Suicide
5 Kidlit Authors Talk About Writing About and Living With Mental Illness
By Karis Rogerson When I read Emery Lord’s When We Collided in February 2017, I found myself, for the first time, truly understanding what it meant to see your mental illness represented in fiction. Since then, I’ve found a similar mirror in books like Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib … [Read more...] about 5 Kidlit Authors Talk About Writing About and Living With Mental Illness
Writing Responsibly About Mental Health and Suicide in Children’s Fiction
By Rocky Callen Content warning: Mention of suicide and discussions of mental health conditions and suicidal ideation It was a day in spring. I was standing in my kitchen. My husband and daughter were loudly playing in the living room. And I stood over the stove just watching the burners turn … [Read more...] about Writing Responsibly About Mental Health and Suicide in Children’s Fiction
