Family Counseling Insights brought to you by Patricia McTague-Loft

The American Psychological Association (APA) has a valuable YouTube channel devoted to children’s books. It’s associated with the APA’s Magination Press, which publishes books written and illustrated for kids of all ages. On the YouTube channel, the books’ authors (or sometimes another reader) read a portion of or their entire book. Often, the author follows the reading with a short activity to illustrate a lesson learned. Each reading is just right for a youngster — typically five to eight minutes, although some readings are 12, 15 or even 20 minutes.

The range of subjects covered is what makes this channel so valuable. Some books — A Feel Better Book For Little Worriers, for example — deal with common issues facing younger children. But the range of topics runs the gamut. Why? A Story for Kids Who Have Lost a Parent to Suicide deals with one of the most painful subjects imaginable. The author reads this latter book with calm compassion, and it’s likely many children have been comforted by the honest approach to a difficult subject.

Browse through the titles — Once Upon My Dad’s Divorce, The Fears You Fear, The Sound of Kindness, What Boys Do — and one will surely capture your interest.

See the YouTube catalog of videos here.

Here’s an example — The Hugging Tree — to give you a feel for what Magination Press Storytime is all about.