Luisa For Martina, my love and my inspiration, I love supporting you through this journey.
Nic For Josema and Leo, my explorers forever, good luck on your first day!
Diana For all the children and adolescents who have crossed my path. Thank you for showing me my purpose and how to live, love and serve.
Project, Text and Editing: ©Diana Otoya ©Luisa Fernanda Pérez ©Nicole Lilliegren
Illustrations and Design: ©Ana Susana Martinez
Translation: ©Mauricio José Pérez
All rights reserved. Copyright and other intellectual property laws protect these material. Copy of the material, in whole or in part, in any matter, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law.
A NEW SCHOOL ADVENTURE
By: Diana Otoya - Luisa Fernanda Pérez - Nicole Lilliegren Illustrations by: Ana Susana Martínez Translation by: Mauricio José Pérez
The great day had come. Many things had changed in every school around the world with the arrival of the Topo Moles. Because of this, the children knew that it would be a different school year. They needed a pinch of creativity, eagerness to explore and a heart ready to conquer.
While the children in America went to bed to get ready for their first day of school Ming, who was on the other side of the world in Asia, just returned home from school.
Ming had a lot to share about his first day back to school with the Topo Moles. Since he was a child with great ideas, an INCREDIBLE one just came to him. He would send flying letters with great news to all over the world to tell us about his return to school.
Ming´s letters came in through many windows. One of those windows was at Nina’s house, in Colombia. Nina was just waking up, cuddling with Mommy and Daddy.
Another came to Leonor’s window, in Mexico. Leonor had just felt her mom’s warm hands and knew it was time to wake up. Nina was very excited to go to school for the first time ever, while Leonor was very curious to know what her virtual school day would be like.
Amazed, they ran to see what it was.
-What is this?- the girls asked. -Wow! It looks like a letter! - A letter? Let’s read it!- with excitement they said.
Hi!
Im Sin a ba
I c
T
W
s cho o l in y m t a 4t h grade d e y. Afte r t a r d a o t t s r t a s e u y j have u r s cho o l o y to g o t r le a b t a s m Ming, I y u ll o a y in f I kn ow y I was a d o t , s e ngap ore an d s s o n line cla f o e im t g lo n o o l! gs have in h a ck t o s ch t t a h p s said t u n w etu rn! o r r g o t s a d e , it s c u le ne rvo as ve ry ex w I , e im was a litt t t he same t a t u b , d chan g e e re nt. f if d e r e w e t hings m o s t a h t is The trut h e ate. w e il h w t up ne w ay, exce p e d d ll a a m s e k s w a wear m gro u n d, so y la p e h We had to t g o o ut to t n ld u o to kee p c d a h We e . w m o t o a r he clas s to ld u s t h r e h n ot f u n c s a a e game s in t w t e t h a t h T an d t he n parated. e s e r e w s Eve ry n ow k d o u r de s n a e c n a t is our d ble to a l il t s at all! e r e nge, we w a r t s again. n lt o s e r f e p s le in u r s my fr ie n d he s e ne w e t e s h o g u t o y h p lt p A as ve ry ha w I d n a n u have f d a lot! e n r a le e w d, oh...an d e y la p d n a have fu n o We laughed t s y a w w it h ne w p u e m o c tu rn to r u o y s it Now fr ie n d s. w it h y o u r M an dar in). in K C U L s GO O D n a e m t a h (t n Zhu hao y u
¡Wow seré una exploradora!
Ming´s letters spiked Nina and Leo´s imagination. Their mothers explained that they were going to experience many new things.
ยกEstoy lista para empezar mi aventura!
They explained that changes can be a lot of fun, they are a GREAT opportunity to explore and learn new things.
Leonor loved the idea of being an explorer. However, her little head was still full of doubts after reading Ming’s letter.
-Mommy, what is my new teacher going to be like? Will she know who I am through the computer? Will she be as good as Ms. Kelly? Mom knew how much she loved Ms. Kelly, her teacher from last year, so she said: -Imagine that you and your teacher are two clouds and our internet is a beautiful rainbow that connects them both. Although they do not see each other in person, they can feel each other and communicate whenever they need it.
-Mommy, is my school always going to be through the computer? Will I go back to my school? When? Leonor´s mom was waiting for that question, which had already come up on previous occasions.
-Leo, your school will be there waiting for you when we are ready to return. In the meantime, let’s imagine that we’re growing a small plant at home. It takes some time, we must take care of it and when it is strong enough it will be ready to be taken to the garden. Likewise, when our country is stronger, the children will go back to their schools. Leo kept thinking; she was beginning to have a better understanding of how the world around her would be and this calmed her mind a bit.
Meanwhile in Colombia, Nina was very curious to know what her school would be like, would it be similar to Ming’s, or would it be completely different? -Mom, can I be close to my friends? Can I hug them?
-Probably not sweetie, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t have fun. I have an idea, what if we imagine that you and your friends have magic wings? These wings can help you hug from a distance and bond with each other. Nina imagines how it would be and smiles, then she suddenly remembers something that makes her feel uneasy.
-Mommy, my friend Luki said that we can run into the Topo Moles when we go out! -Well, imagine that you are wrapped in a bubble that always protects you. Every time we eat healthy and express our feelings as we feel them, that bubble becomes stronger and stronger, so strong that no Topo Mole can get inside of it. Nina felt calmer, but her little head kept thinking about all the changes coming ahead.
-Mom, Ming told us that we have to wear a mask, what is that? -Oh! They are mouth costumes that grown ups call masks. They can have different prints; of animals, princesses, fairies, whatever each child wants. Tell me, what would you like yours to be? With great excitement Nina answers: -I want it of an Ice princess that has magic wings, and who will always be protected by her bubble! -I love it! That is amazing!. Well, Princess, we are here, are you ready for your new adventure? Nina nods with excitement!
-Mom, what if I miss you? -Sweetie, of course you will miss me and I will miss you too, but remember that our love is so strong that we can feel one another without seeing each other. We can also use our magic wings.
-Mom what if I have a question or don’t know how to do something? -Sweetheart, I have doubts, too, since this is also new for me. Do you think we can solve it together one day at a time?
And that’s how Nina, Leonor, Ming and all the children in the world had their first day of school. The Topo Moles came to change many things, but they didn’t get away with it because children always surprise us by learning and overcoming new challenges.
In the end, everyone learned that we are connected by love. Although we know that a hug makes us feel better, we discovered new ways of bonding with each other to make that connection stronger than ever.
A letter from the authors to parents This therapeutic story stems from the desire to support our children, patients and students on their return to school in the midst of the pandemic. This world crisis has brought about changes and implications at the family, social and, above all, emotional level. In order to counteract the impact on children’s psyche, we developed a tool for parents and educators that lovingly and respectfully supports the process of adapting to this new school environment and manages childrens’ fears, concerns and anxieties. The moments of crisis and change reflect the importance of children having a consistent adult in their lives. Children need our presence and support to understand the world and manage their emotions. It’s fundamental to relate to them from an unconditional, connected and loving place as we are their sole resource for security, protection and trust, which they require when going through any difficult situation. What really protects the psyche and emotional world of our children is the quality of the bond that we establish with them. Anticipation is a very effective strategy for handling difficult situations, so circumstances that children may encounter when they return to school are presented throughout the story, as well as the concerns that will arise from them. The story seeks not only to prepare children for the situations they will face, but also to offer alternatives and different perspectives to face the problem - always from a framework of empathy and validation of their emotions. Through the story, children will have a better understanding of the situation as well as its intrapsychic conflicts, allowing them to express and elaborate on their feelings, facilitating alternative ways to view the situation from more relieving and enlightening places. Metaphors are a natural language f or children; therefore, they are used in the story as the resource that helps to indirectly show them content specific to their emotional world. This, in turn, allows children to be able to process and elaborate what generates their anxiety. We hope that this story has been an ally during this experience and that you and your children enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed creating it. To expand your knowledge on the topic, we invite you to follow our Instagram accounts: @con.tenerte, @psic.dianaotoya, @littlegreen_bookclub and @arbol_de_familia
DIANA OTOYA
LUISA FERNANDA PEREZ
I was born in Cartagena in 1992. I currently live in Singapore.
I was born in Cartagena in 1987.
I am passionate about childhood, development, parenting, and motherhood. My great mission is to raise the voice of children so that their needs are met in a loving and respectful way. Throughout my career I have met children and families from all over the world, who have been my best teachers and have left an indelible mark on my heart. They are the ones who make me dream and create, motivating me in my career as a Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist.
I am a mother and psychotherapist. Childhood, parenting and motherhood are my passions. I’ve always loved books and now that I’m a mom even more. Children’s stories have become a great tool to support my daughter in her development processes.
As a result of my training as a Play Therapist, I fell in love with therapeutic stories, leading me to this moment. I am happy to share with all of you the first story of many more to come.
@psic.dianaotoya
I was born in Guayaquil in 1983. When I started working with children, I fell in love with books. Soon after, I realized that they are a key tool for their development and for learning life skills. I am a mother of two little readers that have been reading since they were in my belly, therefore in my house we have more books than furniture. Throughout my career as a Children and Adolescent Clinical Psychologist, I have been able to create and use therapeutic stories. This story brings together every child in their first day of school, some online, others in person, but all of them with one mission: create new ways to have fun with their friends in this new world.
@arbol_de_familia
@con.tenerte
@con.tenerte
NICOLE LILLIEGREN
@littlegreen_bookclub
This school year is special, my daughter starts school for the first time in the midst of this pandemic. This led to my interest in creating a tool to support not only her but all children, parents and educators around the world.
ANA SUSI MARTINEZ Colors and pictures have enchanted me since forever. Creativity runs through my veins and I have dedicated myself to create and develop ideas as well as conceptual projects in the area of themed entertainment. Illustrating is my hobby and I have always been in love with children’s books which enrich my imagination. Being able to give life to Ming, Nina and Leo has been quite an adventure, traveling all the way from Singapore, through Mexico and arriving to my beautiful Colombia. I am sure this return to classes in the company of the flying letters will be unforgettable.
@touchingstarsbyasmt