Dr Sara Williams shares her thoughts about children’s mental health and well-being in picture books with Tiny Owl, an independent children’s book publisher in the United Kingdom. We’ve also transcribed a few of her insightful comments below, but we recommend watching the video to see some beautiful artwork.
Tiny Owl: How important do you think picture books are when it comes to children’s mental health and wellbeing?
Dr Sara: I love talking about children’s mental health and books! I’m a biased audience, but I think they are incredibly important. Children of all ages learn through reading and pictures. So, the verbal quality and the picture quality of books are really critical for them to be able to understand the world around them.
[Tiny Owl and Dr Sara talk about three books: Felix After the Rain, Bloom and our favorite Grobblechops. Please see the video for some wonderful pictures and commentary.]
Tiny Owl: Are there any specific ages that children should be introduced to picture books that directly address mental health?
Dr Sara: I think children of all ages can benefit from learning about mental health through books. […] I think in this internet world that we live in books play an even more important role. So, being able to publish books, allow kids to step away from digital media, sit down with their parents, and learn in this old-fashioned but powerful way about mental health topics, I think is really critical. So the art is not lost.
Recommended reading
Visit Tiny Owl’s website. Picture books for everyone.
