We all know books can be faithful companions in hard times. Today Palmerston North Youth Librarian Alan Dingley gets out his prescription pad and suggests excellent books for children going through tough stuff. My six-year-old daughter asked me the other day, 'Dad, why do we have to be sad?' I prefer to answer as honestly as possible without scaring them in these situations, so I replied, 'So we know that we’re missing someone, or know that something is wrong.' She looked at

How many children's books have you read that tell stories of family violence and abuse? Today author, speaker and survivor of family violence, Tim Tipene, argues for more books that show the reality of life for far too many children in Aotearoa and beyond. Content note: this essay contains descriptions of child abuse and family violence. As a child I grew up in two worlds. In the first, I had to deal with the anger and misplaced hurt of the adults in my family. I was beaten a