Find your own path, in little loving ways

The road of parenthood rarely runs in a straight line, and sometimes we all need a little extra encouragement. Here, author and illustrator Tarsila Kruse offers her little love lessons – observations and suggestions from her own motherhood journey.
Let her touching words and sweet, evocative images help you and your child to find moments of light, understanding, inspiration, gratitude … and above all, love.

Little Love Lessons by Tarsila Kruse is a beautifully illustrated book that will encourage parents to make more time for light-hearted fun, understanding and love in their daily interactions with their children … heart-warming words and images

Little Love Lessons by Tarsila Krüse is a wonderfully gentle book, encouraging its child and adult readers to consider the beauty in the mundane, the joy in the routine, and the happiness they may have lost sight of. Written in page-long vignettes with beautiful illustrations, the book suggests ways for children to change their perspectives, calm their worries, embrace other cultures, and share difference to promote inclusion. The book also shares strategies to help with low mood and anxiety, such as making up dance routines, listening to music, and connecting with others. The tone of the book is never judgemental, and much of this seems to stem from the author’s experience, as she speaks honestly about her own journey of healing in a note inside the back cover. Adult readers will find themselves reconnecting with their own childlike curiosity, thinking about new ways to express themselves and using creativity to reflect and grow. Lending itself to numerous lessons from topics as diverse as differing perspectives, finding the colours of emotions and naming them, and using imaginative play to explore feelings and thoughts, this book would make an excellent companion to later stages of the Aistear curriculum as a teachers tool, up to 4th class or perhaps beyond, depending on the group in question. I would also recommend it for students in the senior end of primary school who may be struggling with identifying and expressing emotions in a healthy way, as an independent reading task or guided meditation. Equally, I would recommend this book both as a teacher and as a parent, as not only are there many practical strategies for the classroom, there are wonderful ideas for the home, cultivating your relationship with your child as you tend to your shared wellbeing. This book does not talk down to its reader, rather it hones in on pragmatic strategies that can be read in a few minutes, making it an excellent transition tool for the classroom, or a tool for the home when difficult moments arise. Little Love Lessons seeks to normalise instead of stigmatise, and embeds healing in curiosity and creation. I highly recommend this book both as a parent and teacher, and give it a 10/10 rating - Dr. Muireann O’Sullivan-Byrne, Co. Kerry

At a quick glance, you might think this is a sweet little picture book of the “mindfulness” type for you to share with your child at bedtime or in quiet moments. Well….yes and no. This is a book on parenting and parenthood. Beautifully illustrated by Tarsila, she takes us on a journey through the challenges and joys of life as a parent, based on her own experience of becoming and growing as a mother. It is so encouraging. Becoming a mother was a life-long dream for Tarsila. But the reality didn’t match up to expectations, as happens with so many of us. She didn’t realise how challenging it could be. She knew about the “baby-blues” but didn’t quite grasp the concept or postnatal depression. She didn’t realise that you might need some extra help. Here, lovingly expressed with full understanding that parenting is an individual path, one you must develop your own way through, are just a few lessons she learned that will help remind us of the truly important things…how to see things through the eyes of your child; using creativity as part of the day-to-day hustle to express yourself and make life together more enjoyable; taking the time each day to just relax; finding the funny side, even when it seems there isn’t one. The gentle, heartening words and expressive images help you to relate to your child, to see what they see, to find moments of inspiration, enjoyment, gratitude and understanding. And as this book is about finding your own parenting path, it does help you think outside the box to ignore the pressures and noise a bit and reconnect with the joy and love. (Personal note: my active parenting days are long behind me now. But here I found encouragement to remember my own path and a few lessons/reminders that I can use today.) A lovely little book; full of heart and light that recognises the depth of what we feel and do when raising children, that lets us still be ourselves. Kind, encouraging, joyous, poignant and simply wonderful. A perfect gift for Mothers’ Day…or Fathers’ Day…or any day for any new parent

a perfect gift for new parents! ... The 'lessons' are short and sweet ... It's also a book that parents and children can read together - fostering that positive connection immediately!

Children’s Book of the Week - this gentle and kind book urges both parent and child to come together to celebrate the beauty and love in ordinary things. In a world where we're all busier and often more anxious, the message of slowing down and enjoying the little things in life is one we can all relate to. Ideal for reading to or with smaller children

filled with brilliantly creative ways to enrich the time you spend with children by learning and playing together with recommended entertaining activities that are easy, fun, and won’t cost you a penny. Whether it’s taking a moment to admire the different types of trees on your walk to school or noticing a flower that has managed to grow in between the cracks of the footpath, Kruse’s writing encourages us to consider how changing our point of view can open our eyes up to our surroundings and embrace the here and now. These sentiments are a wonderful reminder that, no matter what age you are, it is vital to take time to embrace your inner child, to never stop playing and to find joy in the simple things. Even if it’s only for one minute of the day, these reflections might just make you stop and actually smell the roses. Recommended for all ages