Listening with My Heart
Happy Bibliotherapy Thursday! We dedicated this space to books about domestic violence last month, so we’ve had several pretty emotionally heavy selections in a row. To brighten things up a bit, this week we’re featuring one of our favorite children’s books: Listening with My Heart by Gabi Garcia. This beautifully written and illustrated book is a fantastic tool to help children learn how to practice self-compassion.
In Listening with My Heart, we meet a girl named Esperanza on the day of her class play. Though she’s nervous about performing well in front of everybody, she calms her nerves by focusing on helping others. She is a kind and compassionate friend to animals and people alike. But during the play, she trips and forgets her lines. Esperanza is heartbroken and embarrassed, and withdraws into herself as she struggles with negative thoughts and overwhelming emotions. But a sweet gesture from a new friend helps her realize that she isn’t extending the same kindness and compassion to herself that she does to others. She tells herself what she would tell a friend: That accidents happen to everyone and she didn’t ruin the play. She then spends the rest of the day doing her favorite things that make her feel better: riding her bike, painting a picture, and cuddling her mom and new kitten.
The last few pages of the book feature several activities to help children recognize negative self-talk and practice self-compassion. As always, these exercises have no age limit, and parents may find them helpful to do as well!
You can find Listening with My Heart in English and Spanish at these retailers:
Morning Light doesn’t receive compensation for sharing book recommendations, nor do we receive a commission if you choose to buy the book. We just love them and think some of our clients may find them useful!