Heart to Heart: Connecting with Your Child

This is a book about conscious and conscientious childraising. Heart to Heart shares inspirational and yet practical information to help parents and caregivers of young children lessen their stress and establish healthier communication in their relationships with children. Uniquely, designed as a children's book, it encourages adults and children to consider together how they can deepen their bonds of love through care, active listening and genuine attention. Picture books as a medium for parenting education are particularly useful. They are fast and easy to read, and generally light-hearted, a fact most appreciated by busy and overstressed parents.
Co-authored by Jeff Goelitz of the international Heart Math Institute, this book addresses issues that are integral to a child's sense of acceptance and security. In an age when bullying in the playground and at school assail our kids, and terrifying news reports bombard their lives, the need has never been greater for parents to commit themselves to giving the highest quality of care and attention to their children as is possible. Children need the sanctuary and safety that conscious parenting invites.
Twelve delightful illustrations of a hippo family mirror the spirit of each written page to communicate simple but powerful messages to the whole family. The backmatter embellishes some of the core concepts with more in-depth content and practices.

Jeff Goelitz is currently a program developer, senior trainer and education specialist with the nonprofit Institute of HeartMath. He regularly consults with school professionals around the US to help improve classroom climate and performance. Jeff has authored The College De-Stress Handbook, and developed many programs to improve social and emotional learning. He hosts a quarterly webinar featuring nationally-known authors on a wide range of topics relating to children, including mental health, learning disabilities, self-regulation strategies, autism, stress, parenting.

Elyse April, MS in Early Childhood Education (SUNY, New Paltz) was a licensed preschool teacher, and homeschooled her son for six years. She was also a caseworker for Child Protective Services for the Poughkeepsie, NY, Child Welfare Department. Since 2001 she has devoted herself to advocacy for children, by writing, lecturing, and promoting books related to health and wellbeing for children and parents. She is the author of four titles in the Kalindi Press Family and World Health Series, and Ready to Wean (Fall 2012) from Hohm Press.

Born in the Venezuelan Andes, Laura Stagno graduated in Fine Arts from the University of Caracas and began a career as a freelance illustrator for children's books. She received a Monbukagakusho Scholarship from the Japanese government to study a master course in animation at Musashino Art University, Tokyo, and worked for ten years in Japan as the exclusive Illustrator for the Design Studio OPON. She has published several children's books internationally. Currently, she resides in her hometown, Merida, Venezuela, where she works at home and is expecting her first child.