Cleo the Crocodile Activity Book for Children Who Are Afraid to Get Close

Book excerpt: Amongst the beauty of the Okavango delta in Botswana, Cleo the Crocodile loved having fun with all of his animal friends. That is, until one day Hogan the Hippo, who was supposed to look after Cleo, started to act mean and hurt him. Cleohas to leave the swamp to find a safe new home - he's scared and puts his prickles up for protection, so all the other animals are afraid of him. How can Cleo find a new safe home? How can he make new friends when he doesn't know who he can trust? This activity book developed by expert child psychologist Dr Karen Treisman combines a colourfully illustrated therapeutic story about Cleo the Crocodile to help start and enrich conversations, which is followed by a wealth of creative activities and photocopiable worksheets for children to explore issues relating to attachment, relationships, rejection, anger, trust and much more. Activities are accompanied by extensive advice and practical strategies for parents, carers, and professionals on how to help children aged 5-10 to start to name their tricky feelings. It will help children to understand their own prickles, to trust others and begin to invest in relationships so they can let others close again. This activity book is complemented by a standalone picture book of Cleo's story, also available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Cleo the Crocodile, ISBN 9781839970276). This resource is also complemented by a host of bestselling publications and card sets all created by Dr Treisman (search on 'Therapeutic Treasures Collection' to discover them all!).