An Interview with Joanne Cantor, Author of Teddy's TV Troubles

Q: Why do you think a book like Teddy's TV Troubles is needed now?

A: Today's children are being bombarded with so many scary messages on TV. 24-hour news channels bring stories of terrorism, war, sniper killings, kidnapping, deadly diseases, and natural disasters at such a steady rate that it is almost impossible for children avoid them. Most families don't want to give up TV altogether - indeed there are some good things on TV! But, parents are at a loss as to how to protect their children from this barrage of negative images, and they are finding that it is very difficult to reassure a young child who has seen something this disturbing.

Q: Can't parents simply reassure children that everything is going to be OK?

A: Research shows that young children are much more responsive to the vivid visual images they see on TV than to any words that parents use to try to calm them down. As I explained in my parenting book, Mommy, I'm Scared, early childhood is an age when words won't work to ease children's fears. What I advised in that book was for parents to turn off the TV, give their children their attention and warmth, and get them involved in soothing activities that make them feel safe.

Q: How did you come to write a children's book to solve this problem?

A: I eventually realized that the advice I was giving was easier said than done. Someone who had read Mommy, I'm Scared contacted me and suggested that I distill the advice into a book that parents and children could read together when a child was scared. My first reaction was that this was impossible, because words are not the answer for young children. But then I discovered that I could use the book as a framework around which parents and children could perform fear-reducing activities together. So I created a story about a little bear who is scared, who has a mother who is warm and sympathetic, and takes him through a series of activities that we know work to reassure children. My aim in this book is to get this message out to both parents and children.

Q: How do you suggest that this book be used?

A: Parents can read the book to their child, while the child looks at the charming pictures, to see how Teddy and his mother learn how to make him feel better. They can also put down the book and copy the activities the bears engage in. For example, children can make their own drawings of what was frightening, and then modify their drawings to make them less scary. Or children can involve their own stuffed animals, the way Teddy does, to pass the reassuring activities along. The book can also be used as a comforting activity at bed time. This is why I've called it a story book, an activity book, and a going-to-bed book, all rolled into one.

Q: I noticed that Teddy's mother admits that she was scared when she was a child. Why did you decide to have her do this?

A: Children are often embarrassed to admit they're frightened, and it makes them feel a lot better to hear that they're not alone. Admitting that she was frightened also gives Mommy Bear a store of activities that worked when her mother helped reassure her. I think the involvement of the grandmother's good ideas and the notion that this is a problem that has been solved over the generations also gives a sense of stability and strength to the family's comforting abilities. Another reason I included the grandmother is that grandparents are often in the situation of needing to reassure their grandchildren, and in this book, Grandma's advice turns out to be very effective.

Q: Why don't we ever find out what it was that scared Teddy in the first place?

A: This is a very important point. What scared an individual child who reads the book is most likely different from what scared Teddy. So information about what caused his fear would likely introduce a new fear that the child had never thought of. I want to be very careful not to raise new fears in children while trying to calm them down! Fortunately for this age group, since verbal explanations are not very effective, the specifics of the frightening event are not important in the solution. I have also been very careful not to include any scary images in the book. There are a few children's books on the market that make the mistake of scaring children with pictures of frightening creatures while unsuccessfully trying to calm them down.

Q: Why did you choose to have Teddy draw what frightened him?

A: At an age when children aren't very articulate in talking about their fears, drawing pictures of what has upset them has been shown to be very effective. And using humor to make scary things look ridiculous is also an effective strategy.

Q: What about children who are not scared. Is there anything in this book for them?

A: I designed this book for all children, not just those who are scared, because I wanted to give children a blue-print for how to behave when they become scared. The book can be viewed as simply a story-book about a little bear who was scared, and reading the book can leave a lesson behind. I want children to learn that a parent or caring adult is the best source of comfort for their fears. And I also want parents to understand the importance of being sympathetic and comforting when their children are frightened.

Q: I gather that this book went through a process of pre-testing to make sure it hit the right tone. How did you do that?

A: The primary reason I wrote this book was to help children - not to sell books. So I wanted to make sure it was effective before I let go of it. The typical way children's books are published is that the author submits the words and the publisher hires an artist to illustrate it. Usually the author doesn't have much say in how the pictures turn out. Even though the techniques in the book are based on research, I didn't want to send the story to a publisher before testing it. I realized, however, that without pictures, I couldn't read the story to my target audience (preschool and early elementary school children). To solve this problem, I got myself invited to some fourth-grade classes at a local elementary school. I read the story to the fourth graders and asked them to draw pictures illustrating it. They did a great job, and then I used some of their pictures to illustrate the story when I read it to kindergarteners. I received really helpful feedback from all the students, and then made modifications. Finally, I went to a Montessori school and read it to even younger children. The children and their teachers were all very enthusiastic, and I really benefited from the process. When I was satisfied with the story, I chose a publisher that would let me be completely involved with the development of the illustrations. We found a wonderful illustrator, Tom Lowes, who took the fourth-grade students' illustrations into account in making his sketches. He was also very responsive to my concerns that the pictures establish the warm and comforting tone that I had intended.

To schedule an author interview or to request a review copy:

To purchase Teddy's TV Troubles
 Return to Teddy's TV Troubles page

Joanne Cantor's Home Page