Learning About Mental Health Issues and How to Deal With Them Through Children’s Literature

By Allycia Susanti, Museum of Childhood Ireland

In recent years, the topic of mental health has received more attention because it’s gotten more recognition as a crucial part of human well-being and productivity, not only for adults but also for children. After all, adults are not the only ones who would benefit from having the tools or understanding they need to navigate life and all the turbulence and emotions that come with it. Literature can serve as a tool to introduce and explain complex issues regarding one’s feelings and mental health to children in a relatable and gentle way. 

Today, we’ll take a look at six children’s books that are centred on mental health and emotions. Although these books were written with a child audience in mind, they may feature sensitive mental health-related topics such as anxiety and worry, depression, loss and grief, and trauma; thus, parental guidance may be recommended in some cases.


“The Color Thief: A Family’s Story of Depression” by Andrew Fusek Peters and Polly Peters (2014)

The Color Thief features a story of a father’s fight against depression and how it impacted his family and their world. Told in the perspective of the child of a parent with depression, this book shares how one person’s struggles can be much bigger than themselves, and that perceiving the symptoms of depression could cause loved ones to wonder if they were caused by something they had done. In the end, this book also shares a valuable lesson about how change is always possible, and that seeking help and taking comfort in others is one of the steps toward healing. 


“The Princess and the Fog: A Story for Children with Depression” by Lloyd Jones (2015)

Much like the previous book, the Princess and the Fog shares a story of how depression, portrayed in this book as a dark and consuming fog, can sometimes manifest without warning or reason, and cause its sufferers to pull away from things and people they’re normally fond of. In the story, as the fog grew larger and larger, the princess no longer wanted to do the things she enjoyed, felt isolated even though she wasn’t alone, and ended up isolating herself from her loved ones. However, this book also shows us that acknowledging her struggles and talking about them to people she trusted were the first steps the princess took to finally feel a bit better, and that receiving help from more knowledgeable people such as the castle druid and the wise woman helped her understand herself and her condition better. In the end, even though she knew that it would take a lot of time and effort to make the fog go away, she realised that there were people willing to listen to her and comfort her; so even though the fog would come and go, “she knew where to turn.”


“I Miss You: A First Look at Death” by Pat Thomas (2000)

Loss is a difficult thing to face for adults and children alike, and this book discusses the topic of life and death in an informative and compassionate way toward children. This book teaches us that life and death are two sides of a coin, and that both life and death occur every single day. This book makes a point that death does not only happen to bad people, and that death comes to every living being at some point. Other than describing death in a gentle and age-appropriate way, this book also provides some comfort in showing that grief is a normal and valid emotion to experience after the death of a loved one. This book validates how one could feel regret or guilt about the things they could have said or done while their loved one was still around, as well as how at times one could feel empty and torn apart after a loved one’s death. This book also goes beyond by showing that at times, others may not be able to comfort us while we grieve, and it will take a long time for the feeling to become smaller. Additionally, this book briefly discusses how many people and/or cultures have different beliefs about what happens to a person after their death, and these beliefs can often provide comfort during a difficult time. Ultimately, I Miss You: A First Look at Death helps children think about death and the things that come after it in a realistic and honest way. 


“A Terrible Thing Happened” by Margaret M. Holmes (2000)

This book tells a story about Sherman, whose life eventually changes after witnessing a terrible thing. He started to have nightmares, be meaner toward his friends, and feel scared and worried. At times, he even wondered if the terrible thing he saw was his fault. He was very confused because he felt so many things at once, so he decided to get help. Sherman started to share his feelings with Ms. Maple, and she listened to him while helping him understand all the unpleasant, stressful things he felt. In the end, Sherman felt that letting his feelings out helped him feel stronger and much better. Ultimately, A Terrible Thing Happened is a book that shows us how a traumatic experience can affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviour in many ways.


“The Huge Bag of Worries” by Virginia Ironside (1994)

The Huge Bag of Worries is a short story about anxieties and worries. Jenny realises that all her worries, which were huddled together in a bag, kept getting bigger and wouldn’t leave her alone no matter what she did. And although she tried to ask for help from her mother and brother, they weren’t able to help because they didn’t relate to her or understand how she could be so worried about so many things when her life seemed completely fine. She also tried to simply ignore the bag, and even took her best friend’s advice to lock the bag up in a room and just leave it. In the end, Jenny became discouraged and thought she would just have to carry her big and heavy bag of worries everywhere with her, even until she’s older; until a wise old lady came along. 

The old lady listened to Jenny’s worries and knew that the best thing to do was to open the bag and sort through each worry, even though it’s scary. Jenny took her advice and sorted through all the things she worried about, and she realised that her worries weren’t as big as she originally thought, and some of them even disappeared just because she did so. This book ultimately tells a story of anxiety, how it develops, and how it can be helped. It also tells us that it is important to seek help, even though not everyone may be experienced or knowledgeable enough to give helpful advice.


“Up and Down the Worry Hill: A Children’s Book about Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Its Treatment” by Aureen Pinto Wagner (2000)

In this book, a child named Casey is constantly worried about getting things the right way because he is afraid that something bad will happen if he doesn’t. In the beginning, he had many ‘rituals’ that he was compelled to do so that he could stop worrying, such as scrubbing his hands over and over, climbing up and down the stairs, and other repetitive things. He noticed that he was different from his peers, who apparently didn’t worry or stress about things as much as he did. Eventually, his mother brings him to see Dr. Greene, a child psychologist, who diagnoses him with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or OCD. From there on, Casey learned that there were others like him, and even though the symptoms manifest differently in different people, Casey learned that they can be managed. Dr. Greene gave him many exercises and tricks to help manage his compulsions, and slowly, he was able to regulate his behaviour and thoughts. This book not only tells a story of a child with OCD in a relatable and digestible way, but also provides a few basic pointers and exercises so that children can also try to manage their compulsions and worries. 


Conclusion

Children’s literature can be a way to start conversations with children about mental health as well as provide a fundamental understanding of it. These books could foster a safe, stigma-free space or stepping stone for children to talk about the struggles they may be facing, as many children’s books about mental health are centred on the importance of acknowledging one’s mental health struggles and seeking help, all while validating the struggles and emotions one faces. When coupled with parental guidance and/or professional help, these books could also help foster many qualities of emotional maturity such as empathy, self-awareness, healthy coping mechanisms, and resilience, as books on mental health or books with emotion-based content could teach children to become more aware of their emotions and how to regulate their behaviour. However, although children’s books centred on mental health issues can be very beneficial in educating children on the significance and management of their own mental health struggles, they are not to be used as a diagnostics tool nor a replacement for proper medical evaluation or advice. They are simply a tool of reference that could help children gain important insight into their own state of mind and emotions.

References

  • Beazidou, E., Botsoglou, K., & Vlachou, M. (2013). Promoting emotional knowledge: strategies that Greek preschool teachers employ during book reading. Early Child Development and Care, 183(5), 613-626.
  • Bigelow, A. L. (2024). “I Just Have Big Emotions, Okay?!”: Exploring Emotional Literacy Through Picture Books.
  • Holmes, M. M., Mudlaff, S. J. (2000). A Terrible Thing Happened. United States: Magination Press.
  • Ironside, V. (1994). The Huge Bag of Worries. United Kingdom: Royal Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
  • Jones, A. L., Edwards, M., Bayliss, L. (2015). The Princess and the Fog: A Story for Children with Depression. United Kingdom: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
  • Peters, A. F., Peters, P. (2014). The Colour Thief. United Kingdom: Hachette Children’s Group.
  • Rachman, R. C. (2021). The Cloud over My Head and Other Stories: Children’s Picture Books on Children’s Anxiety. Kata Kita: Journal of Language, Literature, and Teaching, 9(3), 406-412.
  • Thomas, P. (2000). I Miss You: A First Look at Death. United Kingdom: Hodder Wayland.
  • Wagner, A. P. (2000). Up and Down the Worry Hill: A Children’s Book about Obsessive-compulsive Disorder and Its Treatment. United States: Lighthouse Press.