This fun and entertaining book, Astro is Down in the Dumps, was created to give children the skills they need to build resilience and cope with depression and anxiety. Astro is feeling so sad and blue he can't get out of bed. Then there's a knock at the door... who could that be? He is visited by his friends and each one tells him what they do when they are feeling sad. Rocky writes in his journal, Indy runs and plays outside, Stella talks to a friend, Digger eats fresh food, Dotty dances and Alfie paints. They convince Astro that there are ways of coping when you're sad and skills you can learn to help. This book was written after personally losing a loved one and dealing with that tragic loss. It was also driven after hearing of so many youth suicides. What if these kids could became more resilient? What if they learnt coping strategies? What if they learnt these things before they became teenagers and had a skill base they could draw from when their lives seemed to be getting out of control. There are worksheets at the back of the book for further ideas and ways of extending the skills presented in this book. Susan Day along with Jen Graham have also created a comprehensive teachers' resource book with practical lessons and activities that meet the National Australian Curriculum program. They are practical and engaging and can be used all over the world. There are telephone numbers for direct access to helplines included in this book too. Written in verse and with stunning full-color illustrations, this book is designed so that it can be shared in the classroom and at home. All monies raised from the sale of this book go to sending a free copy to each school and library in the country.
About the Author: Susan Day is the creator of the Astro's Adventures series of children's books. Her books are about a secret organisation of dogs that save other dogs from neglect. Well, they try to and while they do succeed it is more by chance than by skill or expertise. Susan wrote Astro is Down in the Dumps after experiencing the shocking trauma that youth suicide can cause. It was written to help develop resilience in younger children so that they might have the skills and coping mechanisms to help with life's challenges. Each book Susan creates encourages and promotes the wonderful art of story-telling with organic illustrations that reach to the very essence of the reader portraying similar character traits that their pets share. Susan traveled around the world twice before she was seven years old. It was the sixties and the cheapest way to circumnavigate the globe was by cruise ship. It seemed only fitting that the wonderful events she experienced and the places she visited be recorded for history. Thus, her story telling skills began. Firstly, to Rupert Bear, her lifelong companion, and then to a host of imaginary friends and finally to her pet dog once the family finally set down roots in Australia. Now, Susan shares her country home with four dogs from the Astro's Adventures series, Rocky, Stella, Alfie and Digger, as well as, two rescue guinea pigs, two bossy cats, a blue budgie and a very patient husband.