I will show you that I’m thinking of you
Behavioural empathy
| Author | Tatjana Gjurković, Tea Knežević |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Jelena Brezovec |
| Original Title | Pokazat ću ti da mislim na tebe |
| ISBN | 978-953-8008-88-7 |
| Format | softcover |
| Pages | 24 |
| Size | 22x22 cm |
| Age range | Early learning (2 – 6), Beginning readers (5 – 7) |
| Category | Empathy |
|---|---|
| Tag | Empathy series |
WRITTEN BY EXPERTS IN CHILD PSYCHOLOGY
Carl has two best friends in kindergarten, David and Peter. Peter couldn’t come to kindergarten one day because he was sick. Carl was thinking about him a lot; he missed playing with Peter and he was empathising with him. He was having a hard time because Peter was having a hard time. A little bee gave him a good idea to show Peter that he was thinking about him. Carl made him a drawing and brought it to Peter’s house on his way home from kindergarten. They both immediately felt better and couldn’t wait to see each other again and play in kindergarten.
Empathy is defined as understanding or feeling the emotional experience of another. It is expressed in direct contact with another person who is going through uncomfortable emotions or an uncomfortable experience, but we often empathise with someone who is not physically close to us, someone we don’t even know, but we see their difficulties or troubles.
In that situation, we can do something specific to show the other person that we’re thinking about them, that we care, that we sympathise, or that we miss them. Most often it will be a sign of affection like a message, conversation, little gift, or a good deed. That type of empathy is what we call behavioural empathy. When we see that a child is being compassionate or is empathising with someone, it’s okay to encourage them to somehow show it to the other person. It is up to all adults to help children find an appropriate way to do it.
Experts mostly describe empathy as a partly inherited trait, and partly as a consequence of upbringing and life experience. They also agree that upbringing focused on empathy should start from the earliest age. Children learn from us, they observe us and react to our direct incentives, so it’s crucial to give empathy a great importance in children’s upbringing.
In this story, children will meet an empathetic boy Carl, who, while in kindergarten, missed his friend Peter who had to stay home because he was ill. To show that he was thinking about him and wishing him a fast recovery, Carl made a drawing for Peter and brought it to him on his way home from kindergarten.
At the end of the picture book, there are advice for parents and caregivers with guidelines for how to act when a child’s behavioural empathy is too strong or too overwhelming, or is not expressed enough.
Author: Tatjana Gjurković
Tatjana Gjurković has a master’s degree in psychology, she is certified psychotherapist, certified child play therapist (RPT), Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA), Teacher and Supervisor of Transactional Analysis (TSTA). She works individually with children and adults and holds educational programs for specialists in fields of child play therapy and transaction analysis. She is author of a book “Play Therapy with children” and 28 therapeutic picture books. She continuously promotes the importance of mental health in children and adults through Centar Proventus which she co-founded with her colleague Tea Knežević.
Author: Tea Knežević
Tea Knežević has master’s degree in psychology, she is certified psychotherapist, certified child play therapist (RPT) and Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA). She provides play therapy with children, psychotherapy with adults, parent consultations, and conducts numerous training courses for professionals in Centar Proventus which she co-founded with her colleague Tatjana Gjurković. She has written 28 picture books with therapeutic stories for children. In addition, she is the author of several manuals related to psychological resilience, gifted children, and anger management.
Illustrator: Jelena Brezovec
Jelena Brezovec has a master’s degree in social studies. For a long time, drawing was just a hobby, until 2008 when she became a co-founder of the publishing house Evenio and decided to study digital illustration, with the focus on children’s illustration. So far, she has illustrated more than 40 picture books and many other publications. She is the winner of the Grigor Vitez “Bird” Award, a special praise from the children’s jury. She has illustrated the most popular children’s book series in Croatia – Mrljek & Prljek. Her illustrations have been part of many exhibitions throughout Croatia. She lives and works in Varaždin, Croatia.
