A Terrible Thing Happened: A Story for Children Who Have Witnessed Violence or Trauma

"A Terrible Thing Happened" is a wonderful book for any child that might be coping with having witnessed something shocking or tragic, as well as a very nicely illustrated picture book. What actually attracted me to the book was its illustrations, but I was drawn in by the story as well.The book is about Sherman, a young raccoon, who as the title suggests, witnessed something terrible. We don't find out what it was that Sherman witnessed, which allows the book to be used for a variety of situations. We do learn that keeping his feelings inside has affected Sherman in a number of negative ways, including feelings of anxiety, not sleeping well, and eventually acting out and hurting others. Fortunately, Sherman gets the help of a caring counselor at school. The language is simple but nevertheless straightforward and appropriately-detailed and the afterword section, "A Note to Parents and Caregivers," offers a number of a well-thought-out suggestions, as well as a list of other helpful reading material. The illustrations go well with the text, at times dark representing Sherman's feelings, but also very soft and tender, and bright as things start to look up. The counselor's office is presented as a very reassuring place that would be welcoming for a young child, with a soft, pastel-colored carpet, a vase of flowers, a small and tasteful display of stuffed animals on the top of the bookshelf and comfortable furniture.One thing I really liked about this book is that despite the situation covered being very generic, the main character, Sherman, is not generic. Although it is somewhat subtle, he is given a personality. For example, we told that it is normal for Sherman to tease his sister. Perhaps not the most admirable thing, but nevertheless something that kids do. Also, when he is asked to draw a picture of how he felt when he is angry, it is said that it "seems strange" to him but that he did it anyway. Again, a subtle sign of personality, as for some children this may feel like a normal and natural way to express their feelings. Readers are also reassured that Sherman is not a "bad kid," that when he started getting into trouble at school for acting out, he felt bad, as this wasn't normal for him.I think this book would be great for a variety of situations and audiences. Though it is clearly targeted at young readers, the story would resonate with anyone in a similar situation, as it is very well-presented. At the end of the book, readers are presented with a simple, reassuring message.

I love that this book is vague about what the actual problem is, never specifying what terrible thing the main character saw. I feel that this is helpful so that if something is bothering a child, that it might help them to think about what is bothering them instead of the character in the book. It expanded on all of the negative ways the terrible thing was affecting the main character and offered him hope of feeling better through talking to a trusted adult who could help him figure out his feelings about what he saw.I love the line: "Sometimes parents help children figure out their feelings. Sometimes teachers or other grown-ups help. That is how Sherman met Ms. Maple." I love that line for a couple of reasons 1.) Not every child is raised by mom or dad - and it is nice to see that other adults are mentioned as other credible options and also 2) Although many parents are helpful, there are some who are not...or unfortunately may be the major contributor to the child's issues, so for these children it is important to offer other options.Because you can't flip through the book online to see if you like it before buying it, I thought that it might be helpful to write it out below since it's relatively short:Page 1) "Sherman Smith saw the most terrible thing. He was very upset. It really scared Sherman to see such a terrible thing."P 2) "Sherman did not like feeling so afraid. He did not want to remember what happened. So Sherman decided not to think about the terrible thing he saw. Sherman thought that would make him feel better."3) "At first the plan seemed to work. Sherman woke up every morning. He brushed his teeth and he went to school."4) "Sherman played with his friends. He teased his sister and he walked his dog."5) "Everything seemed all right for a while. But something inside of Sherman was starting to bother him."6) "Sherman had to play more, run faster, and sing louder in order to forget the terrible thing he saw."7) "Other things started happening to Sherman, too. Sometimes he did not feel hungry."8) "Sometimes his stomach hurt or his head hurt."9) "Sometimes he felt sad, but he did not know why."10) "Sometimes he was nervous for no reason at all."11) "Sometimes he did not sleep very well."12) "Sometimes when he did sleep he had very bad dreams. The bad dreams scared Sherman."13) "All of these things made Sherman angry. It seemed like Sherman was angry all the time."14) "Sherman started getting into trouble at school. Sometimes he felt so angry that he did mean things."15) "Getting into trouble so often made Sherman feel bad."16) "Sherman did not understand all of his bad feelings. He felt confused.Sometimes parents help children figure out their feelings. Sometimes teachers or other grown-ups help. That is how Sherman met Ms. Maple."(Pic of Ms Maple appears to be in a school-counseling room type setting, but it does not specify).17) "Ms. Maple helped Sherman think about his feelings. She listened while Sherman talked to her. They played while they talked. Sherman did not feel as mixed up when he talked to Ms Maple."18) "Once when Sherman and Ms Maple were coloring, she told him to draw a picture of how he felt when he was angry. This seemed like a strange thing to draw, but Sherman did it."19) "After that, Sherman drew lots of pictures. Pictures of the pain in his stomach. Pictures of the bad dreams he had. Pictures of the fear he felt."20) "And at last, pictures of the terrible thing he saw. (Illustrations of the terrible thing he saw is a bunch of black, grey and red scribbles in the shape of a cloud)"21) "Sherman and Ms. Maple talked about the pictures. He asked if the terrible thing he saw was his fault. Sherman said he worried a lot about that."22) “No,” Ms. Maple told Sherman, “it was not your fault.”23) "Nothing can change the terrible thing that Sherman saw, but now he does not feel so mean. He is not scared or worried. His stomach does not hurt as much,. And the mad dreams hardly ever happen."24) "Sherman Smith is feeling much better now. He just thought you would want to know."The illustrations in the book are great! Also, the "Parents and Caregivers" section in the back is insightful and practical.

I use this book to help my child clients process trauma, and it’s been especially useful for my younger clients. This is a must have for every child therapist’s library! The storyline is wonderful in facilitating trauma processing, and the illustrations are engaging even for kids with the shortest attention spans.

I’m sorry I needed this book for two of my students but it was exactly what they needed. They had some horrible things happen and they needed to find someone safe to talk about this with.

Talks about how kids try to deal with it, feelings they might feel, and how to talk to grownups (like therapists).It has been a good resource for me as I help my own kids. It was recommended by their therapist.

Good book to help a child understand that bad things can create alot of problems for the way people feel, and that this affects their actions. Book never says what the terrible thing is, so that makes it great for working with kids that have had a variety of bad experiences. Good opener for talking about difficult subjects - even with an adult you might suspect that could relate to the child in the story

Recientemente mi hijo ha comenzado la escuelita, así que comencé a buscar la manera de enseñarle que podrían pasar cosas que le causen conflictos en su cabecita pero no quería ser muy agresiva con el tema, así que esté libro me pareció buena idea, y lo fue.El tema es un mapachito con cambios de humor debido a que presenció algo muy feo, nunca se menciona qué más al final del libro enfatizan que puede ser desde un mal trato, hasta un accidente, algo que a la mente de un niño pueda ser demasiado para procesar, y muestra como el mapachito va teniendo problemas y como pudo solucionarlo, la historia es sencilla y directa, guía al niño a comunicar lo que siente y a buscar formas de no quedarse él solo con el conflicto. Sigo practicando el tema con él para lograr la comprensión lo mejor posible (tiene 2 años), pero si recomiendo el libro, nos gustó mucho.

Great book.

As a child counsellor, I use this book frequently and is just the thing to help children make sense of the reactions they feel to witnessing or experiencing a bad event. It also reminds children it's not their fault what happened which is an essential message for them. Sometimes having this in a book makes the truth of this statement more 'official'.

As a child therapist, working with trauma and violence, this book is one of my "must haves" in the consultation room. Kids get it at the first read, and helps them to understand what they are being put through.

This book explores things that are very hard to discuss with younger children especially. I use it in my work. It has been very helpful.