The Sparkling River | A healing story for young children about a flood

In this video, I share a healing story about a small town on a river that experiences a devastating flood. This story helps young children and their families process loss, grief, and confusing emotions.

Navigating the aftermath of a natural disaster is confusing for everyone, especially our children. Healing stories are a powerful instrument of healing.

It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are. They do their work in silence, invisibly. They work with all the internal materials of the mind and self. They become part of you while changing you.
~ Ben Okri
(from Birds of Heaven; quoted by Susan in Healing Stories for Challenging Behavior)

Healing stories connect us during difficult times, normalize difficult emotions, and help us talk about our grief.
Perhaps most importantly, as Susan Perrow says in her book Stories to Light the Night, “They attempt to offer children and their family and community a glimpse of how they might, in due course, be able to live well with their big loss.”

With Susan’s warm permission, I offer you a reading of her story, The Sparkling River. This story is for young children and their families.

You may watch the video above or download and listen to the audio.

Susan Perrow generously permitted me to read two of her healing stories about floods. This story, The Sparkling River, is for children through middle childhood. The Flowered Kimono is appropriate for teens and adults. 
Susan has a very generous website full of healing stories.

She has also authored several supportive books. The following books are in my library:

• Healing Stories for Challenging Behavior
• Stories to Light the Night: A grief and loss collection for children, families, and communities.
• An A-Z Collection of Behavior Tales: From Angry Ant to Zestless Zebra

You can find Susan in the following places:

• Websites: www.susanperrow.com https://rainbowtales.app
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healingthroughstories/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susanperrow_author/

Little Round Schoolhouse sends a weekly newsletter with seasonal songs, nature-based stories, and creative projects for parents and caregivers of preschool and kindergarten-aged children. Those on our email list tell us they look forward to our newsletter each week. (In fact, if something happens and we don’t send it, our inbox fills up with parents asking where it is!)

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