SARA GILLIGAN

A PAIR of primary school teachers has joined forces to highlight the damaging effects of anxiety in young children through their newly-published picture book.

Settle Petal is a teaching and family resource written by Gawler District College reception/year1 teacher Peta Tooley and illustrated by Salisbury Primary School teacher Emma Thompson.

Ms Tooley said her own experiences with childhood anxiety helped fill the pages of the duo’s first picture book, published by Vivid Publishing.

“Because I suffered shocking anxiety as a child, I remember the days I couldn’t focus, and couldn’t learn, because I could not clear my mind, and I wish someone had listened to me,” she said.

“This is about encouraging children to speak their minds and for adults to take the time to listen.

“At the back of the book are discussion points and suggestions for activities and follow- on lessons.

“This book is the first of a series of wellbeing books and only went on the market last Monday.”

Last year Ms Tooley took out the 2018/19 South Australian Early Years Teacher of the Year Award and was given a grant to engage in professional development.

“I went over to attend the world famous Reggio Emilia in Italy where I actually got engaged to Emma’s brother, and on that journey I felt a need for wellbeing resources for teachers and for  students,” she said.

“Emma is an extremely talented artist and it occurred to me she could draw pictures for my book.

“She brought the story to life.”

Mrs Thompson said the pair had developed a resource pack to accompany the book.

“The pack includes follow-on things to help children firstly identify their worries and then how to deal with them,” she said.

“It includes a ‘worry bird’, and a gratitude journal to help them focus on the positives in their lives and how they can help alleviate those stresses and anxieties.

“There’s 26 different resource pages in the pack, levelled at different abilities, and an emotions poster.

“It’s such an easy concept and so many children in my class have already been able to relate to it and open up about their worries.”

Ms Tooley and Mrs Thompson operate under the business name ‘Pem Picture Books’.

The Settle Petal book can be purchased on its own for $24.95, the book and resource pack together for $34.95 or the resource pack on its own for $14.95.

To make a purchase visit (https://pempicturebooks.bigcartel.com/) or via Amazon and follow @pempicturebooks on Instagram.