WELCOME
WELCOME BACK FROM SOCIAL DISTANCING TO FINANCIAL STRESS. MANY OF US
ARE STRUGGLING RIGHT NOW AND
IT'S NOT ONLY THE ADULTS WHO
ARE HAVING A HARD TIME. AWARD
WINNING CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR
BRIAN RAY JOINS US NOW FROM
HOME FROM HIS HOME WHICH IS IN
NEW YORK. GOOD MORNING TO YOU,
BRIAN. YOU WENT FROM
SCREENWRITING FOR COMPANIES
LIKE WALT DISNEY TO WRITING
CHILDREN'S BOOKS. WHAT INSPIRED
THAT? LET'S BEGIN WITH THAT.
WELL, I'VE BEEN WRITING AS LONG
AS I CAN MAKE WORDS. I LOVE IT.
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED IT. IN 2003
MY SCREENWRITING PARTNER AND I
WERE AWARDED THE NICKEL
FELLOWSHIP BY THE ACADEMY AND
THAT LED TO MANY WONDERFUL
OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDING AS YOU
MENTIONED, WRITING FOR DISNEY.
AND REALLY WHILE IT WAS I WAS
THERE WHERE I FELL IN LOVE WITH
WRITING FOR CHILDREN AND IS
SCREENWRITING BEGAN TO SORT OF
EVAPORATE I NEVER LOST THAT
PASSION AND SO I SHIFTED MY
FOCUS TO WRITING PICTURE BOOKS
.SO HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU
WRITTEN CHILDREN'S BOOKS AND
LET'S ALSO TALK ABOUT STORY
TIME AND HOW DO WE MAKE
THE BEST OF IT DURING THIS
PANDEMIC? WELL, I THINK NOW
MORE THAN EVER IT IS IMPORTANT
TO MAKE TIME FOR OURSELVES TO
RELAX AND TO PROVIDE
THE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR
CHILDREN TO RELAX. I THINK IT'S
IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT
WHILE THEY MIGHT NOT FULLY
UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON,
THEY'RE FEELING IT TOO. THEY'VE
BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM THEIR
FRIENDS. THERE'S NO SCHOOL, NO
SOCIAL ACTIVITIES LIKE SPORTS
AND SO MUCH CHANGE THERE CAN BE
SADNESS AND ANXIETY AND
CHILDREN AREN'T ALWAYS SURE
WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE FEELINGS.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THEY
DON'T SUPPRESS THEM BECAUSE
THAT CAN LEAD TO SOME NEGATIVE
THINGS. YEAH. I KEEP HEARING
FROM SO MANY PROFESSIONALS LIKE
DOCTORS YOU CHECK IN WITH KIDS
DURING THIS PANDEMIC YOU'RE
SAYING THE SAME THING AS YOU
JUST SAID. WHAT SHOULD PARENTS
BE ASKING? I THINK WHAT'S
IMPORTANT IS TO GIVE THEM
LANGUAGE. CHILDREN HAVE
THE FEARS AND ANXIETIES AND
WORRIES THAT ADULTS DO. WHAT
THEY DON'T HEAR IS THE LANGUAGE
TO ARTICULATE THEM. SO HELPING
THEM BUILD AN EMOTIONAL
VOCABULARY IS A GREAT WAY TO
GET THEM TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES.
ONE WAY TO DO THAT IS TO JUST
IDENTIFY THEIR FEELING THAT
THEY'RE HAVING IN THE MOMENT
YOU SEEM ANGRY BECAUSE WE CAN'T
GO OUTSIDE OR YOU SEEING AN YOU
BECAUSE YOUR SIBLING ISN'T
SHARING THE TOY. AND WHEN YOU
START TO IDENTIFY THAT EMOTION
IT GIVES THEM THE VOCABULARY
AND EVENTUALLY THEY'RE ABLE TO
ARTICULATE IT THEMSELVES BY
HAND AND ONCE THEY'RE ABLE TO
TO I'M SORRY I'M SORRY YOU CUT
OUT. THAT'S OK. KEEP GOING. I
WAS JUST GOING GIVING THEM THAT
EMOTIONAL VOCABULARY IS A BIG
FIRST STEP AND THEN BEING ABLE
TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT
THEY'RE EXPERIENCING. YES, I
USE THOSE WORDS SAYING ANGRY,
SAD, AFRAID LIKE YOU JUST SAID
.CAN YOU RECOMMEND SOME OF
YOUR CHILDREN'S BOOKS? MY FIRST
BOOK IS CALLED UNRAVELING ROSE.
IT'S ABOUT A STUFFED BUNNY WHO
HAS A BIG WORRY THAT WON'T
LEAVE HER ALONE. AND SHE HAS TO
LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH THAT BIG
WORRY WITHOUT IT GETTING IN
THE WAY OF EVERYTHING SHE
ENJOYS DOING IN HER LIFE.
THAT'S ONE BOOK THAT MIGHT BE
GOOD RIGHT NOW FOR EVERYTHING
THAT'S GOING ON. AND MY SECOND
BOOK MAX BOX IS ABOUT A LITTLE
BOY NAMED MAX WHO'S GIVEN A
MAGIC BOX THAT WILL EXPAND TO
HOLD ANYTHING HE PUTS IN IT.
AND HE LEARNS THAT IT DOESN'T
JUST HOLD ONTO HIS TOYS BUT IT
WILL GROW TO HOLD HIS EMOTIONS.
SO WHEN HE HAS AN EMOTION THAT
HE'S NOT SURE WHAT TO DO IT. HE
STUFFS IT IN THE BOX AND
THE BOX GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER
AND BIGGER UNTIL IT PREVENTS
HIM FROM DOING ANYTHING THAT HE
USED TO ENJOY DOING. BUT WITH
THE HELP OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS
,HE LEARNS HOW TO TRANSFORM
THAT BOX INTO LET ALL THOSE
FEELINGS GO OK. THAT'S A GOOD
BOOK AND PEOPLE CAN FIND IT ON
AMAZON BEFORE WE WRAP UP.
BRIAN, I KNOW I MENTIONED HERE
FROM NEW YORK. HOW IS IT GOING
THERE? IT'S GOING WELL. THERE'S
A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE
PULLED TOGETHER AND UNDERSTAND
THE IMPORTANCE OF ADHERING TO,
YOU KNOW, WEARING THE MASKS,
SOCIAL DISTANCING. AND SO
THAT'S VERY ENCOURAGING. IT'S
MADE THINGS A LOT EASIER IN A
VERY STRESSFUL TIME. SO NOTHING
IS REALLY OPENED RIGHT FOR YOU
GUYS. IT'S ONLY A CENTRAL
BUSINESSES LIKE SUPERMARKETS.
YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW MOSTLY IT'S
SUBSTANTIAL BUSINESSES THAT ARE
BETTER OPEN. WHEN DO YOU GUYS
PLAN TO GO INTO THE NEXT PHASE?
I'M NOT SURE OF THE DATE BUT
I'M HOPING WITHIN THAT. I THINK
IT'S IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF
WEEKS. ALL RIGHT. WELL, MEGAN,
OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE A BIG
IMPACT. YEAH, OF COURSE. YES,
OF COURSE. AWARD WINNING
CHILDREN'S BOOK AUTHOR BRIAN
WRAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR
SHARING YOUR BOOKS WITH US AND
YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR