<p><b>Your amygdala works hard to protect you from danger, but what about when it gets things </b><i><b>wrong</b></i><b>? This amusing character-driven narrative helps children learn to calm their amygdala and control their fight-flight-freeze impulses.</b> </p><p>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 <i>from</i> the amygdala, how it can sometimes get confused, and simple ideas to calm and train it. </p><p>The amygdala in <i>How to Train Your Amygdala</i> 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."</p><p>Throughout the book, the amygdala and the reader practice anxiety-calming and mindfulness strategies such as deep breathing, visualization, and progressive relaxation. With anxiety on the rise among children, learning how to calm the amygdala is a critical life skill. <br /><br />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.</p><p>How to Train Your Amygdala<i> is a 2024 NYC Big Book Award Distinguished Favorite winner.</i></p>
<p><b>Anna Housley Juster, Ph.D., LICSW,</b> is an award-winning author, child and adolescent mental health clinician, and early childhood education consultant. She began her career as a Head Start teacher and has over two decades of experience supporting children and families across a variety of contexts including schools, museums, libraries, and clinical mental health settings. During several years in children's media, she served as director of content for <i>Sesame Street</i> developing curriculum for the series, publishing, product development, and interactive technology. Anna is a firm believer in the power of play, her favorite number is 3, and she lives with her husband, two daughters, and one very soft dog near Boston, Massachusetts.</p><br><p><b>Cynthia Cliff</b> is a self-taught artist and author who grew up in a tiny historic village in rural Virginia surrounded by her large superstitious family, and farms and woodlands where she spent every waking hour. This upbringing provided her with a deep love and appreciation for history, family, nature, and folklore—themes that find their way into much of her whimsical, folk-art inspired, and optimistic artwork. She resides in northern Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., with her partner and four-legged family.</p>
<p>"This is a really cool book, packed full of lots of great information about the brain and why one needs to be in control of their emotions. I would recommend this as a great book for families to read and practice together."</p>
