1.
courageous heart
2.
Shadow Monster
3.
Find someone there
4.
beautiful tail
5.
The Last Whisper

Behind the Scenes: Understanding the Mind Deeper
How to Talk to Children About Their Hearts
1. A Courageous Heart: The Powerful Memories of a Survival Brain
2 Shadow Monsters: When you face them head-on, your anxiety and worries disappear.
3 Finding Someone There: Taking the Steps to a Relationship
4 Beautiful Tails: “You are a really good kid.”
5 The Last Whisper: What Loss Tells Us
Next steps

Think for yourself

Author's Note

★ ★ ★ "Leafie, A Hen Into the Wild" by Hwang Seon-mi, Kim Jong-won, and Kim Ji-hwan! ★ ★ ★

“It is difficult for children to explain themselves,
When adults have difficulty understanding children
Just remember that you need to tell a story.
“A book that captivates both children and adults”

Domestic children's experts first noticed and evoked sympathy and admiration
A fairy tale that serves as the foundation for understanding child psychology.

◆ “If a child suddenly struggles to control his or her emotions and behavior,
It's not because you or your child are 'bad'.
Absolutely not”
Now, to a child whose heart I have no idea about
A book for adults who still want to talk to you again.

Hayley Graham, a child and adolescent psychotherapist and trauma specialist recognized in the UK, has published her first children's book, "Shadow Monsters and the Forest of the Mind," which was first recognized by children's experts in Korea, including Hwang Seon-mi, author of "Leafie, a Hen Into the Wild," and Kim Jong-won and Kim Ji-hwan.
As children enter the upper elementary grades, it becomes difficult to have in-depth conversations about what is bothering them and what they are concerned about.
This is because, instead of talking openly to their parents about their worries and feelings, they gradually change to sharing them with their peers or keeping them as their own secrets.
Even if you realize that someone is struggling with a problem, it can be incredibly difficult to start a conversation in your busy daily life.
Even if the intentions are good, communication often breaks down, becoming awkward or leading to arguments rather than honest conversations.
In this way, both the child and the parent end up blaming themselves, thinking, “It’s because I’m bad,” or “It’s because I’m lacking.”


However, the upper elementary school years are a very important time for children and parents to have honest conversations as they approach puberty, and it is a time that cannot be wasted.
"Shadow Monsters and the Forest of the Heart" is a book for parents who are concerned about how to spend this time and how to have deep conversations with their children.
This book consists of five short stories, commentary, and a questionnaire that allows children to organize their thoughts.
In a unique format never before seen in Korea, the author provides expert advice on how to understand and heal the most common mental issues he encounters in the field: anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attachment, shame, grief, and trauma.
This will be a great tool for parents, teachers, and therapists who want to talk to their children one more time before they close the door and go into their own world, to help them understand and start a conversation.

◆ “I know you’re a good kid.”
Even though I was deeply hurt, I eventually overcame it on my own.
To the courageous children who know how to gently comfort their friends next to them.

Have you ever been unable to sleep because of thoughts of something upsetting? Have you ever been hurt by a friend who harassed you for no reason? Your friends in the forest are struggling with similar issues.
You can't sleep at night, you don't want to talk to anyone, and your mind is filled with thoughts like, 'Just leave me alone!'
What happened to our forest friends? Can they defeat the shadow monster within their hearts?

The five fairy tales featuring forest friends such as foxes, owls, hares, and stags are simple and predictable.
The kind and affectionate protagonist suffers alone from an inexplicable emotional problem, but meets a friend by chance.
The protagonist, who regains his hidden courage and strength while spending time with his friend, overcomes his wounds on his own and has a happy ending with his friend, having grown a little more.
However, in this short story, the protagonist's psychological state is delicately expressed in language that anyone can sympathize with and understand, and the words of comforting a friend, though simple, resonate so deeply that I find myself tearing up without even realizing it.

The rat knew, it just knew.
That this was all his fault.
If the rat had run faster, thought faster, or even not hesitated, this would never have happened.

'You're so stupid, you're so idiotic!'
With that thought in mind, the rat jumped up and ran.
I ran and ran until I fell into a hole under a rock and started sobbing.
(syncopation)
"I've seen it all.
Don't blame yourself.
None of this is your fault.
You have no problem.
“You are a good friend.”
“He’s a very good friend.
You saved me.
“You saved the little rabbit.”
_From the text

The author, who has been providing psychological counseling to numerous children and adolescents for over ten years, says this.
“Children who struggle with emotional problems are often very self-critical, fearful of the harm they might cause, and cautious, with a strong sense of responsibility.
These hard-working, conscientious perfectionists are caring and sensitive people who seek to protect others.
It is ironic that such children believe themselves to be ‘bad people’ or that there is something fundamentally ‘wrong’ with them.”
This book offers comfort and encouragement to children who are brave enough to overcome deep wounds on their own and considerate enough to notice and comfort their friends by telling them, "You're a good kid," and that they are doing well.
“Is love and happiness the only way to cross the time of a child?
As author Hwang Seon-mi writes, “Secrets and fears also shape people,” secrets and fears may be an unavoidable rite of passage on the way to adulthood.
But this book will be a good friend to you as you go through those difficulties so that you don't get too tired or hurt.

“You know what’s good about shadow monsters?”
“What is it?”
“If there is light, you will never survive.”
"that's right.
Or have a friend like you.”
_From the text