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Anna Housley Juster, Cynthia Cliff
Your amygdala works hard to protect you from danger, but what about when it gets things wrong? This amusing character-driven narrative helps children learn to calm their amygdala and control their fight-flight-freeze impulses.
The amygdala is the brain's alarm system that alerts for danger, but sometimes it gets things wrong and needs help calming down. In this picture book, young readers receive kid-friendly information about the amygdala from the amygdala, how it can sometimes get confused, and simple ideas to calm and train it.
The amygdala in How to Train Your Amygdala makes complicated concepts accessible to children so they can understand their bodies, practice impulse control, and boost their self-regulation. 'You have probably never seen me before, but I am right here in your brain. There is an amygdala in everyone’s brain. It’s true! All humans have one. Many other animals do too.'
Throughout the book, the amygdala and the reader practice anxiety-calming and mindfulness strategies such as deep breathing, visualisation, and progressive relaxation. With anxiety on the rise among children, learning how to calm the amygdala is a critical life skill.
Additional content at the back of the book includes an amygdala's training playbook for kids and more information for adults to help reinforce the book's message.
How to Train Your Amygdala is a 2024 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite winner.
"How to Train Your Amygdala provides children with an easily accessible explanation of the amygdala and what it does for your body. Unlike many children's books, How to Train Your Amygdala gives children a clear and accurate explanation for their feelings, helping to demystify for them why they feel certain ways at certain times. It also provides clear and actionable strategies for coping with overwhelming emotions. The guide for adults is an excellent support for assisting one's children in using techniques to help regulate their emotions."
- Erin O'Connor, Professor, Program Head of Early Childhood Education at New York University, co-host of the parenting podcast Parenting Understood, and Chief of Education at Cooper
"I'm thrilled that Anna's wonderful book How to Train Your Amygdala is available to children, families, and educators. Anna's expertise in child development and experience as a mental health clinician are apparent on every page of this beautiful book that guides both children and adults on a fascinating journey. The strategies on how to reduce anxiety and help young children navigate stressful situations are incredibly valuable and should be shared far and wide."
- Sue Gaon, Vice President, Lakeshore Learning Materials
"How to Train Your Amygdala is thoughtful and well written. It illustrates the brain, anxiety, and self-help options that are accessible to children. I shared the book with my niece who struggles with anxiety, and she was actively engaged in the material and practiced the strategies as we read. She especially loved the kitten. I highly recommend this book for parents and children as a helpful tool toward emotional development."
- Phillip Laidlaw, Psy.D., licensed psychologist, child and family therapist, clinical supervisor, and mentor in Framingham, MA
