Aroha's Way

Aroha's Way is a bestselling picture book for children around uncomfortable emotions; fear, apprehension, worrying thoughts and nervousness with ways to manage them.

Come along on a journey with Aroha, as she wards off nervousness, fear, worrying thoughts and apprehension, with simple, yet effective tools that everyone can use.

From award-winning New Zealand author and illustrator, Craig Phillips, creator of The Adventures of Jack Scratch and Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts (winner of the Russell Clark Award for Illustration at the New Zealand Book Awards 2018).

"Aroha's Way is a beautiful, descriptive and relatable book – an important book – helping children to normalise, understand and even develop their own tools for dealing with their feelings." - Jenny Palmer, Author of Feel a Little.

This beautiful picture books takes children on a journey through emotions associated with anxiety and shows simple yet effective ways to help manage them. Aroha shows children a tool that she uses for each emotion which includes; movement or exercise, belly breathing or diaphragmatic breathing, mindfulness and connecting with others and sharing our worries.

At the back of the book, there is a section for parents and/or teachers to explore the tools in more depth. This section expands on the beautiful poem and opens up conversations with our children. Asking questions around those emotions to make it easier for children to recognise the emotion, and then a simple way to manage it.

About the Author

Craig Phillips has worked as a professional illustrator for the US and Australian publishing industries for twenty years. His work has been included in art anthologies such as The Society of Illustrators Annual, the Spectrum Fantastic Art Annual and Luerzers 200 Best Illustrators Worldwide, and has been exhibited at the Museum of American Illustration. Phillips also worked on Neil Gaiman's American Gods in 2017. His first solo work, titled Giants, Trolls, Witches, Beasts: Ten Tales from the Deep, Dark Woods won the NZ Book Award's Russell Clark Award for Illustration, a Gold Ledger in the Australian Ledger Awards, a Notable Book in the CBCA Awards and was also a finalist in the Aurealis Awards.