Disasters...What do we tell our kids?

OMAHA, Neb. - Dec. 2, 2013 - PRLog -- December 14 marks the one year anniversary of the terrible tragedy in Newtown, CT.  Over the last 18 months, we have been bombarded with other unthinkable events in Sparks, Nevada; Aurora, Colorado; and Boston, Massachusetts.  As a result of the ripple effect caused by these horrors in today's world, parents and teachers need to know what to say to our kids, but how do we find the right words?

These are hard conversations to have with children, yet parenting expert and children's author Julia Cook has created a reactive book to read with kids after a man-made or natural disaster. The Ant Hill Disaster helps assure children that through love, empathetic understanding, preparation, and effective communication, they can stand strong, even in the midst of uncontrollable events.

“The Ant Hill School Disaster addresses the difficult task of talking to children about natural and man-caused disasters,” says Greg Crane, Founder/President of ALICE Training Institute. “With violent events happening in our world today, parents and educators are often at a loss of knowing what to say and how to say it.  Julia has managed to effectively address this issue of moving forward when things happen that are out of our control.  As much as we wish to shelter our children from knowing about these tragic events, they are a part of our reality and need to be addressed.”

After the Ant Hill School is destroyed, a little boy ant is afraid to go back to school.  His mom caringly explains to him that sometimes things happen in life that we have no control over, but we have to find a way to keep living and growing.  The Ant Hill Disaster thoughtfully addresses fears associated with both natural disasters and those caused by man.  It models effective parenting and teaching responses.

The power of Julia's books is her ability to translate complex subjects into kid language, and she works closely with subject matter experts like ALICE Training Institute to provide the most accurate and helpful information to parents, educators and children

About Julia Cook, MS
National award winning children's author and parenting expert Julia Cook travels the country talking to kids, parents and educators about tough subjects like bullying, predator safety, anxiety, depression, anger management, just to name a few of her 51 book topics. As with all of Julia Cook’s books, she works with experts to present the most accurate and helpful information to families and to help teach lifelong problem-solving skills to kids.

As a school counselor, Julia was searching for an effective story to teach children about the differences between tattling and telling. When she couldn't find the right resource, she decided to write her own book - Tattle Tongue. Fast forward seven years, and she has 51 published books from the National Center for Youth Issues, Boys Town Press and the CDC. Cook's ultimate goal: make a positive difference in the lives of children, parents and educators by teaching lifelong problem-solving skills to kids. This modern day Dr. Seuss (actual comparisons) has been endorsed by EAGALA, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Childhelp, Darkness to Light, USA Volleyball, the Alaska Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control, and the list goes on. Her product: the ability to effectively translate important adult information into kid language. Cook’s books have been referenced in such publications as Parent’s Magazine, The New Yorker, The Chicago Tribune, Yahoo.com, dr.laura.com and babyzone.com has. She has also been featured on CNN’s HLN News, and several large metropolitan networks.

Julia has presented in more than 800 schools across the United States and regularly delivers keynote addresses at national education, counseling and character conferences. Julia has been featured in major markets such as Chicago, Orlando, St. Louis and Anchorage and is now speaking at conferences with authors like Mem Fox and Eric Carle. This former teacher and school counselor chose to think outside the box and is now a rising literary star, teaching thousands of children, parents and educators and helping them learn skills that will last a lifetime. For more information, go to www.juliacookonline.com.

About ALICE Training Institute

The ALICE Training Institute, based in Medina, Ohio, is changing how schools, universities and businesses respond to armed intruders. ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate), developed after Columbine, teaches strategies to survive a life threatening event. Supported by educators and law enforcement organizations, ALICE is quickly becoming the new standard of care across the nation. For more information, go to www.alicetraining.com.