A Green Country man is using his skills as a counselor and illustrator to help children understand their mental health. Author Alex Stevenson joined News On 6 to talk about the book he wrote to help kids with issues ranging from sleep disorders to self-esteem.
His new book, The Anger Armor, was just published in March, and you can find more of his work here or on Facebook at House Cat Books.
Tatum: So do you have any books? i will do it. Yeah. All kinds of topics are covered, from sleep disorders to self-esteem. So many of the very important things we experience in the human experience, why do we choose this topic?
alex stevenson: that’s right. You just answered the question, but let’s talk a little more about how these are things that we all go through trouble with from time to time, and that we often don’t know how to talk to our children. So I set out to create a book that would help parents, and the adults in children’s lives, expand the conversation and educate, and help children find a little more normalcy.
Tatum: of course. And another topic you cover is the story of the first fire to the Cherokee. yes. There are several books written about the Cherokee people. Please tell us about these and why you chose them.
Alex Stevenson: So these are truly labors of love. One of my best friends, Brad Wagnon, is a Cherokee writer who is truly passionate about getting Cherokee culture and Cherokee stories into the hands and lives of children. So a few years ago we decided to start creating children’s books based on some of the Cherokee stories that already existed. That is very popular. And it was a really meaningful experience for both of us to see something like that continue and be accessible to kids.
Tatum: By the way, I also drew an illustration for this. Not only do you come up with these stories, but he also creates these two visuals. I think this is very impressive.We have the latest books available armor of angerPlease tell me about this book.
Alex Stevenson: Well, this was really important to me, so I wrote it because a lot of kids, a lot of adults, a lot of people struggle with anger. And the difficult thing about dealing with anger is that anger is a very effective way to solve problems. It gets people to listen and it gets people to leave us alone. Unfortunately, the solutions it provides are short-lived and cause a lot of damage. So I wanted to write a book about why anger seems to be so effective at getting things done. But why is that not the best way to solve the problem in the long run? Some Ways to Deal with Anger We talked in the book about how anger is the armor we wear to protect us. But over time, the girl in the book Aria begins to realize that the armor, which she thought was actually helpful, is actually causing people to move away from her. I noticed that there was.
Tatum: I like that. Even as adults, it’s often a difficult topic to confront. Do you think there is a format that is easier for children to understand, and a concept that they can really start thinking about at an early age, or maybe as they get older, they can express it with a different approach?
Alex Stevenson: That’s my hope, that’s my absolute hope. Yes, this book will be something that you can apply as an adult to what you learned as a child, but at the same time, it will be something that the adults reading it may also be able to gain some understanding from. That’s it. I have doubts and wrestle with anger that I too might gain something. Many of the ideas I use in the book are ideas I use in the therapy I do in my regular day job.These are things I’ve covered in therapy with people over the years.
Tatum: And it’s a great way to cover it in an easy and digestible way for kids too. I think that’s amazing. Perhaps the most important question is, now that you have people at home and you’ve introduced them to you and your work, where can they find your book?
Alex Stevenson: So all of my books are available on Amazon. If you search for Alex Stevenson’s books, we also have a Facebook page. This is a so-called “home cat book”. That’s the company I’m writing the book for. So if you look at Facebook or TikTok or pretty much any other social media, Domestic Cat Books is going to be the place where you’re going to find updates on books that are already out and book updates. They will appear in the not too distant future.
Tatum: Okay, great. Congratulations.
