Kelp is a little otter. One day, Kelp has an accident. He needs emergency medical help, and after the hospital, the world looks gray.
He doesn’t feel like playing anymore, not like before, Jessica Borzino writes and illustrates.
Kelp learns to heal with the help of his mother in the Apex mother’s new book, “The Garden of Growing Brave.”
Borzino developed the book after her then-2-year-old son had a medical emergency and developed post-traumatic stress disorder, she said in an interview with The Line.
She saw “the lights go off in his world.” There’s a happy ending: After play therapy, he made a full recovery.
“That experience sparked the inspiration of the book, and I really wanted to have a resource for other parents,” Borzino said.
While the story of the picture book is aimed at kids ages 2-8, a caregiver guide at the end of “The Garden of Growing Brave” explains the symbols in the book and tips for helping kids “move through big feelings, build emotional resilience, and allow healing to unfold naturally.”
She published the book in March through Amazon. Shortly after its release, it topped Amazon’s best-seller list in Baby & Toddler Books and Children’s Doctor’s Visits Books. Dr. David Outlaw, who recommends the book, has a copy at his internal medicine and pediatrics practice in Cary. It’s the first book for Borzino, who has worked in marketing, communications, and branding.
While the story of the picture book is aimed at kids ages 2-8, a caregiver guide at the end of “The Garden of Growing Brave” explains the symbols in the book and tips for helping kids “move through big feelings, build emotional resilience, and allow healing to unfold naturally.”
The symbols and guide came from firsthand experience and other research-based tools she was given as a parent throughout the therapeutic process.
A differentiating factor between this book and others, she said, is that it goes beyond just helping kids name their emotions to helping them work through them.
At a young age, caregivers are critical to help kids regulate their emotions. Instead of looking at big emotions as problems to be solved, Borzino said, parents can help kids through the emotions.
Borzino is hosting storytimes with the book around the area, and at the end of each storytime, she hosts “Bravery Celebrations.”
“That’s the best part for me, that’s what makes this all worthwhile,” she said.
Kids receive a “bravery badge” and chant, “I am brave.”
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