A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M. Holmes is a book that I often use in bibliotherapy to address the emotions attached to events which are difficult to talk about. The story does not specify the event, instead it leaves the "terrible thing" to our imagination.
I appreciate the illustrations and the simple way of explaining the process of counselling to children, and vicariously to parents/care-givers who are helping a child heal from trauma.
The main character is Sherman Smith, a raccoon. He, like many children and youth, has witnessed a terrible thing, and although he tries to push this terrible thing out of his mind, it plagues his emotions, his body and his brain. He discovers that art and talking can help alleviate the power of the event. At the back of the book are some instructions and information for those who support a child in this circumstance.
I recommend this book for a counselling library! I found this book both online through Abebooks and in a second hand shop in both hard and soft cover.
No comments:
Post a Comment