The Tangled Buck

Many children's books about emotions still reinforce coping habits that are linked to increased risk of future mental health problems: distraction-based coping and a rejection-style response to negative emotions like anger and anxiety. Dr. Hayley Ellwood noticed this quickly as she purchased books for her own son, and as a clinical psychologist, this was surprising and concerning. She works every day to help patients unlearn these problematic habits - the habits that begin in childhood, and that unfortunately go unaddressed until an individual develops a mental health condition.

"The Tangled Buck" follows a young deer who desperately needs help when he loses control of his antlers after feeling angry one morning. With sunlight fading, he persists through the forest; tangled in plants and leaving a trail of destruction. A forest fairy sees his struggle and intervenes using the wisdom within a special rhyme passed down through generations. Her advice at first seems unhelpful, until he experiences for himself the relief that exists within emotional acceptance and awareness.

The story provides a powerful metaphor for the longer-term difficulties that come from unprocessed emotion. It offers the counter-intuitive remedy of mindful attention to the three components of emotion, as understood by psychologists today. This story is ideal to share with children aged 5 years and older, but there is surely something for everyone to learn from the young buck's predicament on this autumn day.