Together Things

Her mother says you can’t see her daddy’s hurt because it’s inside his head … One in five adults experiences depression in their lifetime, but young children are often left in the dark when their mother or father suddenly can’t play like they used to. Together Things will resonate with the thousands of young children who know what it’s like to live with a parent experiencing mental illness, helping them to understand — in an age appropriate and sensitive way — that it is okay for them to feel mad or sad about their parent’s illness, but that, while their parent is getting better, they may have to do different things together to preserve their relationship, such as reading stories or drawing pictures, instead of the imaginative play their parent cannot currently envision through the haze of mental illness. Through wonderous illustrations and a compelling story, young children can understand the importance of mental health discussions and that sometimes they must adapt their interactions while the people in their lives focus on their mental health.

Author Biography

Michelle Vasiliu has been a teacher and youth-worker among many roles working with children. She is now an award-winning children’s and YA author who writes sensitive, serious, sometimes sad stuff. She likes to help her readers understand and make sense of their world. Gwynneth Jones drew all through her maths book at school, so left to study art at TAFE and then majored in Plant and Wildlife Illustration at university. Since then, Gwynneth has been imagining, drawing and exhibiting.