You Can Tell Me Anything

All profits from sales of  You Can tell Me Anything will go to EducAid, a charity which runs an educational network of free schools and school improvement projects, working on gender equality and improving community resilience in Sierra Leone.

As psychiatrist Curt Thompson MD observes, we come into this world with two longings: to be truly known, and to be truly loved. Beautiful both visually and in meaning, this 32-page picture book, samples of which are shown here, is a wonderful tool for parents and other caregivers to respond to these longings in their child. Going further than simply expressing a parent’s love, this gentle and honest poem assures the child that an important adult in their life is deeply interested in them, and truly wants to know what is in their heart and mind. Helping the child feel in their depths that they are heard, seen, and known, You Can Tell Me Anything communicates to the child that they really can speak openly, secure in the knowledge that they will be loved no matter what.

We are so excited by this book. The poem ‘You Can Tell Me Anything’ aligns with so much of what we believe in about being listening educators and ensuring that all the children we work with are, and know they are safe. Enormous thanks to Lizzy for her creativity, sensitivity, and perseverance.

Miriam Mason PhD, Founder and Country Director of EducAid.

In any institution around the country which deals with children or vulnerable people of any sort, safeguarding is a major issue today.  It’s not just something concerning those whose job entails guaranteeing that standards of safety are met for the purposes of compliance.  It’s a question facing every parent or responsible adult who has care of children: how do I get the child in my care to tell me if anything is wrong?  How do I help them to know that it’s safe to confide in me any fears, concerns or questions they may have?  It may not be as dramatic as a safeguarding issue, but if children misunderstand or misinterpret something they have been told or witnessed, they can easily blame themselves or develop anxieties which a timely intervention from a trusted adult could prevent from growing into unnecessary pain and distress.

Elizabeth Peck’s beautifully illustrated poem, You Can Tell Me Anything offers a wonderful resource for parents, teachers and carers of any sort and the children within their care.  It offers reassurance by opening up the conversation in a way that is unobtrusively encouraging and supportive while offering a way through which children can voice their concerns without feeling disempowered or threatened.  It’s a remarkable piece of writing by a teacher with an instinctive knowledge of children and a surefooted way of navigating potentially challenging conversations.  The poetic style avoids anything doctrinaire or overly didactic and the illustrations are sufficiently in storybook mode to make it accessible to young children, while sophisticated enough not to make older children feel they are being spoken down to.  All in all, it’s a considerable achievement and a much-needed resource in a difficult area of child development.

Sr Dr Gemma Simmonds CJ, St. Edmund’s College, Cambridge