Whimsy's Heavy Things by Julie Kraulis {Mental Wellness}

Whimsy's Heavy Things by Julie Kraulis offers readers another strategy for dealing with worries.  Readers meet Whimsy on a swing in her backyard and it's not the image you might envision of a child swinging.  Whimsy and the swing are touching the ground, her head is down, and there are four black circles/balls anchoring the earth around here.  She tries many things to get rid of her black ball heavy things; hide them, hang them, fly them, float them, and pretend they aren't there.  She becomes sad because the heavy things won't go away.  Then Whimsy realizes she might be trying to deal with too many heavy things and finds ways to make these worries smaller. 

Not only does Whimsy break up her heavy things into smaller manageable chunks, she is able to do something good with smaller pieces.  For example, she plants some heavy smaller chunks and grows a beautiful peach tree.  The last worry helps Whimsy do something faster and feel lighter.  Whimsy offers us all some sound life advice, "Because Whimsy had discovered that heavy things are just light things in disguise."

I love the illustrations and how each page embraces Whimsy and her struggles and really added emotional connections for me and Whimsy.  Very thoughtful details and color hues enhance this story.

"Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act." (mental health.gov) I hope you find this post helpful in supporting mental wellness. "Wellness is an approach to preventing illness and prolonging life as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases." (dictionary.com)  Let's be proactive in and out of our classrooms.