Stratford author turns mental health journey into children's books on navigating feelings

Barb Howard holds her children's books at The Local Community Food Centre in Stratford. Howard says creating the stories helped her reframe her own mental health struggles while teaching children about emotions and resilience.

By: Amanda Nelson

Barb Howard, a Stratford resident, was inspired by her own mental health struggles to create a character named Emily. That idea grew into a series of children's books focused on social-emotional learning (SEL). The books help children understand their feelings, build confidence and develop empathy through gentle, relatable stories.

“I was going through a difficult time in my life and one day Emily just popped into my head,” said Howard. “I started drawing her with emotional and quirky little faces, and it snowballed from there and evolved into writing her story.”

“Once I started writing, it became very therapeutic,” she continued. “I would stay up at night writing and laughing my butt off – really, laughing at myself – and that felt really good.”

Before her writing journey, Howard overcame shyness and anxiety, finding solace in a community advocacy group at the Local Community Food Centre. She later joined the organization as a staff member.

“I was support-phobic for years, but eventually I started coming to the Local for meals as a community member, and I just felt really safe here,” said Howard. “Then they started a peer advocacy group, and I joined that. After that, I ended up getting hired on the staff. It all felt quite amazing. The Local really helped me heal.”

From there, Howard wanted to help others learn to understand their feelings, and Emily was born. The stories follow Emily and Emma through everyday moments, unexpected challenges and the kinds of experiences that shape us. The books are written to feel honest, relatable and a little funny at times because figuring things out and growing up rarely goes perfectly.

“I'm very shy, I have anxiety and OCD, and sometimes I feel like I'm falling apart,” said Howard. “Emily very much put a smile on my face. Since creating Emily, I can laugh at myself, and I think, 'Oh, I'm having an Emily moment,' which has been a way for me to reframe my feelings into something good.”

Her first book, Emotionally Awkward Emily, dives into the hilariously relatable world of young Emily, where overthinking is a full-time hobby and mental health is tackled with a light-hearted touch. The book is for anyone who's ever felt a little awkward, misunderstood, out of place and perfectly normal all at once.

Howard's second book, Emma Feels the Rainbow, is a vibrant journey through Emma's emotions, where every feeling, from joy to sadness, is a colour in her unique rainbow. The heartwarming story teaches children that all emotions belong and that expressing them openly is a path to understanding ourselves.

Another obstacle for Howard was learning how to self-publish her books through Amazon. Guided by ChatGPT, she learned the process and now has all of her books available online and in print at Formally The Glass Shop, 19 Downie St. in downtown Stratford.

“I really didn't know how to get anything published, and it can be very overwhelming,” said Howard. “Once I started looking into it, I used ChatGPT to self-publish on Amazon, and everything started coming together.”

Howard also has two new books in progress, including one about a character named Adeline who has OCD.

“The book isn't about OCD,” said Howard. “It's about how Adeline navigates the world and how she interprets it. She also works in a bookstore!”

She continues to encourage others to pursue their passions and take small steps toward their goals.

Julie Docker-Johnson, community connections manager at the Local Community Food Centre, is one of Howard's biggest supporters. She said she has watched Howard go from someone who rarely left her home to someone who worked full-time in the community at the Local, and now an author.

“The work that she has done to get here is amazing,” said Docker-Johnson. “She didn't give up, and she kept going. Out of all of that came these books, which I think are exactly what little kids and parents need. Barb poured her heart into them, which is very difficult to do, especially when she has faced so many challenges. Those challenges didn't stop her. There may have been stalls, but there was never a stop.”

Howard's books are available on Amazon and at Formally The Glass Shop in downtown Stratford. Her titles include Emotionally Awkward Emily, Emma Feels the Rainbow, Emma It's OK to Be Me and Emma's Cozy Comfort Box.