NOTES ON THE TALK TO ROTARY, SEMINYAK, 18 SEPTEMBER 2024
There are many good books for children of all ages and today we will look at how and when to use bibliotherapy with children. The name, Bibliotherapy comes from two words: biblio meaning books and therapy meaning to help. Bibliotherapy in traditional clinical settings is one of many ways to enhance talking therapy and includes play therapy, art therapy, dance therapy, and of course, bibliotherapy as a way of entering a child’s world.
When it is used with children the therapist needs to be aware of the child’s age, interests and why this is the best way to help that particular child. Depending on the age of the child the therapist will either read aloud or if possible, share the reading. Books can normalize the problem, give the child alternative ways of looking and tackling a situation and let the child know there are others in a similar situation so relief and solutions can be found.
When I lived in Egypt, I was introduced to the idea of bibliotherapy by students in an independent studies class for seniors while I was a professor at the American University in Cairo. A few years later, when my son died in an airplane accident, I decided to honor his life by writing bibliotherapy books for children because he was an inveterate reader. I also knew that there were few professional therapists for children in Egypt but it was a literate culture so parents and children could be helped by having bibliotherapy books for various ages and on needed subjects. After doing a needs assessment, I wrote books that were published in Arabic and English on child abuse (one for children and another for the adults that care for them), pediatric and parental cancer, Down syndrome, disabilities, and differences. I also wrote a love poem to Cairo that was illustrated to help children appreciate being Egyptian.
Coming to Bali I found a very different culture, one that was not involved with books. It took me time to assess where and what to write. When one of our Balinese friends introduced his little two and half year old to my husband and myself, the little boy burst into tears, having never seen “white” people before. When I found a lack of books about Bali for Balinese children in the language they used, I thought of doing a bilingual book dealing with both fear of people who look different and also describing what an average life might be like for the child of a rice farmer.
I also understood that books have not been prevalent in Balinese homes so Inside the front cover of what became CERITA PUTU I have a section for parents on how to read to children and how to help them look at the illustrations. This helps encourage children to look more carefully, and to enjoy the drawings as well as the text. The book is simple and hopefully encourages a child to be aware of differences, take pride in who they are and what their culture has to offer that is special. Being dual language, Bahasa Indonesia and English, gives the child a simple way to begin to learn another language that might be useful to them later on. It also provides the parents a fun way to learn English and to understand the importance of books for children.
A companion book for CERITA PUTU about Bali is currently being illustrated: CERITA NI MADE is about a city girl living in Denpasar whose father works in an office and whose mother makes dresses at home. This book helps a Balinese city child be able to identify with someone similar while also showing her life and encouraging imagination through the text and illustrations.