+2 A heartfelt project for the next generation: a children’s book about courage, feelings and support
Wenn Papa nachts alleine tanzt
Becky wundert sich über die laute Musik in der Nacht – hat Papa getanzt? Mama erklärt ihr, dass Papa vor lauter Ideen nicht schlafen konnte, sich aber nun krankgemeldet hat. Becky hat sich inzwischen an seine Stimmungsschwankungen gewöhnt. Besonders die fröhlichen Phasen mag sie, weil Papa dann unternehmungslustig ist – doch er muss auf ausreichend Schlaf achten.
A heartfelt project for the next generation: a children’s book about courage, feelings and support
A heartfelt project for the next generation: a children’s book about courage, feelings and support
A heartfelt project for the next generation: a children’s book about courage, feelings and support
A heartfelt project for the next generation: a children’s book about courage, feelings and support
A heartfelt project for the next generation: a children’s book about courage, feelings and support
Über die Künstlerinnen
Nora Hille lebt mit ihrem Mann, zwei Kindern und den beiden Katzen einen fröhlich-turbulenten Familienalltag. Als Autorin und Botschafterin für mentale Gesundheit schreibt sie, um kleine und große Menschen mit ihren Texten zu berühren und zu ermutigen. Besonders gerne mag sie Lesungen mit Kindern – und Bananenmus mit dunkler Schokolade. Theresa Viehhauser ist Illustratorin mit einem feinen Gespür für ausdrucksstarke Bilder, die sowohl die Ernsthaftigkeit des Themas als auch Zuversicht vermitteln. Ihr Motto: Andere inspirieren und ein Lächeln ins Gesicht zaubern! Wenn sie nicht zeichnet, tüftelt sie an neuen kreativen Projekten oder genießt die Sommerluft im Garten.
Some encounters accompany us for years and leave a lasting impression – I have just such a valuable collaboration with Nora Hille. Since the publication of our FemalExperts online magazine, she has been at our side as a columnist for mental health. With her profound, clever and always empathetic manner, she has brought the topics of mental resilience, self-care and emotional strength into our magazine and everyone in the editorial team always clicks on her latest email at lightning speed, full of anticipation as to what insights we can now take away from her exciting contributions.
Now Nora is taking a new path: with When our soul needs help she is publishing her first children’s book – a heartfelt project that not only empowers children, but also makes an important contribution to society. The special thing about it: 160 children from a local elementary school were involved in the creation process. They gave feedback on the text and spoke courageously about their own problems and emotional hardships. This is another reason why the book is aimed at children in grades 3-6. All the stories are sensitively illustrated with color drawings that convey the emotions in a touching and understandable way. This means that younger schoolchildren can also benefit from this book when reading aloud with a trusted person in 1:1 contact.
Why mental health is so important for children
Mental stress does not stop at childhood. Studies show that more and more children and young people are suffering from anxiety, depression and emotional stress. At the same time, mental health often remains a taboo subject – especially for the youngest. This is where Nora Hille comes in with her book: In five lovingly told short stories, she shows that it is important and courageous to talk about feelings and get help. The stories address topics such as grief/depression, parental separation/fear of loss, body image/emotional eating, pressure to perform/panic attacks and bipolar disorder – without scaring, but with a lot of sensitivity and hope.
An author who knows what she’s talking about
What particularly impresses me about this publication: Nora Hille not only contributes her extensive knowledge of mental health – she also writes from her own experience.
She has been living with bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for 28 years. She has already written the encouraging narrative non-fiction book When light conquers darkness and is an ambassador for mental health.
Her aim is clear: children and their caregivers should learn early on that mental health is just as important as physical health.
Books that can bring about change
As the editor of an online magazine for female empowerment, I know how much we women in particular have to deal with issues such as mental strength and self-care in adult life (keyword: mental load). But I also know that a lot of it starts in childhood and this is where we can lay the foundations for our later resilience as adults and overcome the stigma that is still far too often associated with mental illness.
How early children learn to talk about their feelings, how they experience support – all this shapes them for the rest of their lives. That is why When our soul needs help is not just a children’s book, but also a wake-up call to us adults: talking helps. Listening helps too. And sometimes it takes books like this to remind us of that.
Pictures that give confidence: illustrator Theresa Viehhauser
I don’t want to neglect an important aspect at this point, because a children’s book lives not only from its words, but also from its pictures.
And this is exactly where Theresa Viehhauser comes into play, because Zaradiso Verlag and Nora have brought an extraordinarily talented illustrator on board for their children’s book, who is a master at providing serious topics with a visual language that not only conveys depth, but also warmth and hope. Her illustrations make difficult subjects tangible without glossing over them – a gift that is particularly invaluable in children’s book illustration.
Theresa’s aim is to impart knowledge with her pictures, but also to give courage, and we would like to join her in this. When Our Soul Needs Help is her third children’s book – and I am delighted that Nora not only provides us with content-rich contributions and exciting books, but also with inspiring personalities like Theresa. I am very sure that this book will touch many children and their families.
A few personal words at the end
Dear Nora, in case we don’t tell you enough: you are an incredibly important part of our team, we greatly appreciate our collaboration, your wealth of experience and your tireless commitment.
As the editor of our magazine, I would like to congratulate you on behalf of our entire team on your book and wish you many readers, young and old, who feel understood, take courage – and perhaps experience for the first time how liberating it can be to talk about your own soul.
And for all those who want to take a look at the book right now, we have good news, because it is being published today (March 30, 2025) to coincide with the “International Day of Bipolar Disorder”, which we would also like to commemorate in this context. More information and ordering options are available at: https://zaradiso.shop/Wissen-Lernen/LERN-MEDIEN/Kurzgeschichten/Wenn-unsere-Seele-Hilfe-braucht
About the author
Kinga Bartczak advises, coaches and writes on female empowerment, new work culture, organizational development, systemic coaching and personal branding. She is also the managing director of UnternehmerRebellen GmbH and publisher of the FemalExperts magazine .
