Mental Health in Children’s Books by Sarah Ann Juckes
Sarah Ann Juckes has written a powerful guest blog for us today. Her novel shines a light on a young girl caring for her mum with PTSD and her guest blog shares some insight into the story.
Mental Health in Children’s Books
Books give us all magic powers. In their pages, we can step inside the shoes of someone else, see the world through their eyes and learn to emphasise with them. They also enable us to see our own lives reflected in stories, giving us a safe space to work through difficult problems and learn important lessons.
As a children’s author, I feel a great sense of responsibility to wield these superpowers for good – particularly when it comes to the depiction of mental health. Statistics say that one in four people will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime – with some studies suggesting one in six children may experience this themselves between the ages of 5 – 16. Including the issues surrounding mental health in children’s books enables young people to learn more about them and empowers them to know what to do if and when they come across these issues themselves.
In my new Middle Grade novel, The Night Animals, 10-year-old Nora is struggling to deal with the ups and downs of life as a young carer for a mum who is struggling with PTSD. At the beginning of the book, we see Nora has pushed everyone away, telling herself that everything is fine and that she can make her mum better by herself. When rainbow-glimmering ghost animals appear to her in the dead of night however, Nora gradually learns to recognise that she needs help.
Nora’s journey is one that many young people will experience and it’s vital that the key message here is openness and empathy. As someone who struggles with anxiety, I’m all-too-familiar with the go-to response that goes hand-in-hand with a mental health problem – to shut down, push people away and tell yourself that everything is okay. Using books, we can show children that mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of and start conversations around feelings and worries. We can also show children how to get help when they need it from a trusted adult such as a teacher, librarian or family member.
For Nora in The Night Animals, she recognises that there is no magic wand to make a mental health issue go away. However, by being brave and opening up to brilliant people, she learns that help is available. And that – thanks to the power of stories – is a very magical thing indeed.
The Night Animals is published by Simon & Schuster and is available now. It is currently Waterstones Book of the Month.
Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Federation.