Chandra Ghosh Ippen | Children's Books Heal

You Weren’t with Me

Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Author

Erich Ippen Jr., Illustrator

Piplo Productions, Fiction, Feb. 12, 2019

Suitable for Ages: 3-7

Themes: Separation, Fear, Understanding, Love, Healing

Book Synopsis:

Little Rabbit and Big Rabbit are together after a difficult separation, but even though they missed each other, Little Rabbit is not ready to cuddle up and receive Big Rabbit’s love. Little Rabbit needs Big Rabbit to understand what it felt like when they were apart. “Sometimes I am very mad. I don’t understand why you weren’t with me,” says Little Rabbit. “I worry you will go away again.” Big Rabbit listens carefully and helps Little Rabbit to feel understood and loved. This story was designed to help parents and children talk about difficult separations, reconnect, and find their way back to each other.

What I like about this book:

Chandra Ghosh Ippen’s timely book addresses a wide variety of painful situations in which a child is separated from a parent: divorce, military deployments, parental incarcerations, parental drug abuse and immigration-related separations. Indeed it is a treasure! We need more stories like this to help jump-start the important conversations about challenging separations between children and parents. Only then can healing begin.

The animals characters make this book a perfect choice in dealing with tough issues. It isn’t a happy homecoming story, as both Little Rabbit and Big Rabbit have to learn to deal with their feelings and get use to each other. Little Rabbit is angry that Big Rabbit left, worries he/she may leave again and doesn’t trust it won’t happen again. The author gives Little Rabbit time to share his concerns before Big Rabbit responds and they find a way to reconnect.

Ippen’s illustrations are rendered in soft pastels and are priceless. The text is minimal with the illustrations carrying much of the story. There is an occasional burst of color that signals the feelings being shared. I especially like the physical distance and space between the rabbits throughout the story. Little Rabbit needs time and space until trust is established again. Slowly they move closer to one another. And the facial expressions are spot on for the feelings being communicated. Great collaboration between the author and illustrator.

Resource: This book is a resource due to the way it is written. It will encourage many important discussions. I think it would be fun to take some of the expressive illustrations and have children fill in their own dialogue.

Chandra Ghosh Ippen combines her love of story and cute creatures with her training in clinical psychology. She is the author of Once I Was Very Very Scared. She has also co-authored over 20 publications related to trauma and diversity-informed practice and has over 10 years of experience conducting training nationally and Internationally.

Erich Ippen Jr. was always interested as a boy to drawing cartoons and character designs. In his professional career, he has created visual effects for movies like Rango, Harry Potter, The Avengers, Star Wars and many other films. He is also a singer, songwriter, music producer and founding member of the local San Francisco band, District 8.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*Review copy provided by the author.

Once I Was Very Very Scared

Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Author

Erich Ippen Jr., Illustrator

Piplo Productions, Fiction, Jan. 12, 2017

Suitable for Ages: 4-9

Themes: Animals, Stress, Trauma, Abuse, Scary Events, Hope

Opening: “Umm…Once I was very, very scared,” said Squirrel.

Synopsis: A little squirrel shares with his forest friends a very scary experience. He discovers that he is not alone. All his furry friends share their scary moments, but they each react in different ways. Turtle hides in his shell and gets a tummy ache, monkey is sad, dog growls and barks, rabbit wants to run and elephant doesn’t want to talk about it. What will these friends do to feel calm and safe?

Why I like this book:

Chandra Ghosh Ippen has written a timely book for children who have experienced stressful and traumatic events, natural disasters, violence, and abuse. It is the perfect book to share with children who have family members involved in the aftermath of recent hurricanes. With the help of a cast of furry animal friends, the book encourages children to talk about what happens to them when they are scared.

Once I Was Very Very Scared goes into details about the physical symptoms the animals experience when something scary happens — tummy aches, sadness, uncontrollable thoughts, hiding, running, and not wanting to talk about it. With the help of a wise Porcupine, the furry friends begin to talk about how they feel inside when they are scared — angry, sad, ashamed, frustrated and embarrassed. The friends begin to learn new things to help them during scary times — talking to a parent, snuggling with Mom, listening to music, and playing with friends.

This books speaks to a common emotion of kids that they don’t always get to talk about. Adults assume kids go on an forget an event like a fire, an accident, a tornado or a parental argument. They don’t.

Erich Ippen’s lively and expressive illustrations give life to the conversations between the animals. They are richly textured, humorous at times and will appeal to children.

Resource: This is book is a perfect resource for parents, teachers, school counselors and therapists to use with children individually or as a group, depending upon the circumstances. For more information about the impact of stressful and traumatic events on children and how grown-ups can help, please visit the National Children’s Traumatic Stress Network.

Other Links: The author has written Trinka and Sam and the Rainy Windy Day, a three-part free coloring book disaster series great for home or classroom use. It is available in English, Spanish and other languages.

*The author provided me with an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.