BOSTON, Mass.--Dr. Donna Housman has launched the first two books in her children’s book series that supports young children’s mental health by helping them address and process difficult emotions through storytelling. The ECSELent Adventures series features fun, relatable, and diverse animal characters who experience various life challenges, such as loss and exclusion, as a way to foster positive, age-appropriate conversations about difficult topics.
Each book includes Tips and Guiding Questions for the reader to help connect the topics to children's experiences while exploring the many emotions that come from challenging situations.
Otter siblings Hemmy and Shemmy, ambassadors of the ECSELent adventures series, debut in the first book, “Gilly and the Garden,” which sensitively addresses loss and grief through the death of a beloved pet. Koala bear Theo is the main character in “Theo’s Deliciously Different Dumplings,” which celebrates diversity and inclusion after Theo is bullied for being different from others on the first day of school. “Gilly and the Garden” was released in September, and “Theo’s Deliciously Different Dumplings” is now available.
“Children aren’t immune to life’s challenges and tragedies, and by helping children understand and process difficult topics and emotions, we can help foster and support their mental health,” said Dr. Donna Housman. “The ECSELent Adventures book series promotes the building blocks of emotional intelligence, which goes hand-in-hand with education for character and moral development.”
As a clinical psychologist with more than 35 years of experience, Dr. Housman began her career working with children and adolescents on issues such as anxiety, depression and suicide. Believing that it is far easier to prevent than repair, she founded Housman Institute, a training, professional development, curriculum and research organization. Her globally recognized evidence-based emotional, cognitive and social early learning approach, begin to ECSEL®, promotes healthy brain development and a positive sense of self from birth.
Dr. Housman is a founding executive board member and treasurer of the Massachusetts Association for Infant Mental Health, a subchapter of the World Association for Infant Mental Health. She has trained thousands of early childhood educators, children and families in her ECSEL approach while being a consistent source of vital counsel and guidance for families and educators. Peer-reviewed research from her begin to ECSEL® approach has been published in international journals.
Related: The Ultimate Guide for Talking to Kids About Tough Topics
