The Soul Series
Explore and connect to your child's inner voice
The Soul Series is a collection of six picture books for children aged six-years and older.
They offer parents, carers and educators a new tool in their emotional toolkit. They help navigate conversations with kids around tricky topics and provide guidance to best facilitate sometimes challenging conversations.
When children have questions about their identity, individuality, big emotions, loneliness, spiritual diversity, life changes (like divorce) and even death – these books can be used to help families connect and heal together.
Written by a psychologist, this series provides structure for emotional guidance and development. They use language and metaphors drawn from evidence-based methods applied in a therapeutic context.
The Soul Series is not attributed to a particular religion. It creates a space to reflect on spirituality in its many forms and acknowledges diverse religious beliefs.
Know your Soul
Know your Soul is a children's picture book about individuality and listening to your inner voice. It explores the idea of a child's personality and inner monologue via the personification of the soul. It explores how your soul forms an important part of your identity making you unique and special.
“Your soul has no agenda but to help you every day. It cheers you on, it celebrates success in every way.”
Heal your Soul
This encouraging book helps children acknowledge that emotions are a part of life. Heal your Soul suggests that it is our choices and actions which repair, revitalise and renew us, allowing us to navigate through the storm.
“The one thing you can do to help you cleanse and heal your soul is take a helpful action, make a choice, and become whole.”
Connect your Soul
This children's picture book is about spiritual connections and mindfulness. It helps children identify feelings of loneliness and recognise that different cultures have diverse spiritual beliefs suggesting that we are always connected. It shares how these faiths help us feel connected to ourselves and others.
“Sometimes we feel lonely and as though we can’t be seen. But there’s a secret cheer squad… and they want to join your team!”
Release your Soul
This book helps open up conversations about what happens when people die.
Adults can use the guided questions at the end of the book to talk through several aspects of this sensitive topic in a way that builds trust and supports their child emotionally.
"There comes a time when living things must journey on from earth. To travel on and leave this place that we have known since birth."
Evolve your Soul
This book is designed to help children recognise that change is constant. It shares that bravery and introspection are required to help manage and adapt to new situations like moving house, divorce, changing schools or friendship groups. It supports children to manage change by evolving their Soul.
“There’s something great that happens with each person's special soul. It changes and adapts. It has a purpose to evolve.”
Celebrate your Soul
This children's book explores how everyone is different and unique. It shares how individuality can be recognised and celebrated. It helps children appreciate the uniqueness of their friends.
"A soul is like a fingerprint, each with a different mark. All people have a soul that gives them their own special spark."
Questions?
Who will be supported by the Soul Series?
Designed for children aged 6+ the books are authored to help adults and educators discuss these concepts with children together.
Each book targets a specific conversational need.
- Know your Soul is about understanding 'who am I?'
- Celebrate your Soul is about recognising individuality and its importance
- Evolve your Soul is about dealing with change
- Heal your Soul is about managing big feelings
- Connect your Soul is about responding to feelings of being alone
- Release your Soul is about opening up the conversation about dying
What topics does the Soul Series cover?
They aim to promote the concepts of self-awareness, individuality, personal growth, wellbeing, diversity and connection. Each book uses poetry and simple imagery to make these abstract concepts tangible. They use the concept of the “Soul” (which can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically) to explore these challenging topics.
How do the stories work?
The Soul Series is not a narrative, but set of messages and reminders to support the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of a child when tricky conversations emerge.
The purpose of the series is to teach children how to identify and navigate their own identity and use that knowledge to problem solve and achieve emotional maturity. We hope to set strong foundations for good mental health, self confidence and emotional stability.
The full series explores: How all children are unique; how to celebrate diversity; how to deal with change; how to manage when they feel deeply; how to be connected; and how to respond when people die.
At the end of each book is a series of guided questions to support the further discussion of these concepts with a trusted adult. The discussion is based on key self-development messages contained in the text.
Why would a parent or educator seek out the Soul Series?
A parent or educator may seek out any of these books when a child is:
- Facing a crisis of identity or simply wanting to explore who they think they are
- Wanting to recognise how they are similar or different to their peers and what makes them unique
- Struggling with change and the fear that new experiences and growth can bring
- Managing big feelings such as sadness, fear or anger
- Recognising their own spirituality and that of those around them
- Dealing with death or dying and discussing this situation when it arises
Why would a child want to read the Soul Series books?
A child may seek out the soul series, if they are curious about:
- What gives them a magic spark, what drives and motivates their choices?
- What makes them unique and different?
- How can they cope when life is always changing?
- How can they manage big feelings and emotions?
- What can they do when they feel lonely or misunderstood?
- What happens when we die; maybe they have had someone in their life who is unwell or passed away? How can we talk about this and make sense of it?
What type of book is the Soul Series similar to?
You may appreciate the Soul Series if you enjoyed any of these books:
- Aroha's Way by Rebekah Lipp and Craig Phillips
- The Invisible String by Patrice Karst
- The Little Soul and the Sun by Neale Donald Walsch
- The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- Conscious Stories by Andrew Newman (For example: The Hug who got Stuck)
Are the stories based on psychology or spirituality?
The stories contain messages from both and combine the disciplines.
The stories are based on psychological evidence-based principles and draw upon methods such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Solution Focussed Brief Therapy, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and the neuroscience of Cognitive Diversity.
They encourage the reader to recognise and respect different types of spirituality and how to lead a values-driven life.
The phrasing of many of the stanzas are created in such a way to support the adoption of the therapeutic approaches. The text is also designed to make the therapeutic techniques and methods (e.g imagining putting your emotions on a shelf) become memorable tools for children.
For example in Heal my Soul the phrase:
“It’s time to heal my soul, I give permission to myself; to feel the things and think the thoughts, then put them on the shelf.”
This stanza connects children to a strategy based on acceptance and commitment therapy.
About the Creators
Combining the powers of a skilled graphic designer and illustrator with a psychologist and educator, the Soul Series can become a reality. We hope that these books will be a useful resource for parents, carers and educators alike.
Rosie and Andrea first met when they were 8 years old. They share a life-long connection that make the magic of these self-help books possible.
Rosie Hart
A mum, educator, psychologist and lifelong learner, Rosie has developed a validating relationship with her own Soul! She has authored these self-help messages to positively impact the personal development of children and help parents (or educators and therapists) facilitate these discussions.
Rosie has worked for over 10 years as a psychologist, educator, facilitator, coach and learning designer. She supports individuals of all ages to connect to the cognitive diversity that exists within us all. That diversity contributes to our unique soul with the challenges and opportunities that our life experiences present.
Rosie works primarily as an educator. She teaches and supports others to adopt positive psychology principles throughout their personal and work life. Rosie has a proactive and growth mindset. This contributes and permeates through all the work she does.
She has taught in schools; presented at conferences and within organisations; delivered therapy; facilitated and educated hundreds of adults; and designed educational material. All with the same aim: Making the complex simple to help individuals unlock what makes them unique and how those insights help them to navigate life.
Andrea Jackson
A parent, graphic designer, illustrator, visual storyteller, and vast creative engineer. Andrea has developed a powerful relationship with her own Soul and is proud of her individuality and ability to chart her own course in life.
Andrea has worked professionally as a full-time graphic designer since 2007. Her client base ranges widely but includes private schools, disability and allied health sector clients, not-for-profits, universities and corporate clients.
She has produced branded content for NSW Police Legacy since 2010, all of which intends to target and support families who have experienced the loss of a serving or retired officer (commonly a parent or partner).
She has created designs, illustrations, infographics and award-winning publications for clients such as the Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation, WWF Australia, CLAN Child Health, the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, Age Matters Foundation, UNSW, Western Sydney University, Loreto Normanhurst, Australian Federal Police, Teachers Mutual Bank and GlaxoSmithKline to name a few.
She has beautifully illustrated these challenging concepts with simple, effective imagery and visual metaphors. These illustrations help children make sense of complicated life challenges, issues and themes.
Want to take a sneak peek?
Release your Soul is nearly ready. You can take a look today!