Childhood Revealed: Art Expressing Pain, Discovery & Hope

I found this book a few years ago in my local library, when I was 13 or 14. It stuck in my mind, and now an Early Childhood Ed. student, it was brought back to me when I was faced with a research assignment. An amazing book - The age of children spanning from 4 - 18, and Art works with a variety of themes and a variety of differences in the children. One of my lecturers commented in a class not involved with my research that she had never seen a book so beautifully put together of children's art. It was definately worth the wait, the price was great, considering it wasn't available in Australia, and the shipping reasonable. It definately helped me, and will continue on to be an amazing coffee table book after my studies!

When I first saw Childhood Revealed, I was amazed at the wonderful artwork. But, then I read some of the descriptions with the pieces, realized who had made the art, and was very moved. So many of us take our health for granted - but, even more so, I think we take the mental health of our children for granted. I feel so lucky that my own two children do not suffer like those in the book. But, sharing this book with them created an opportunity to talk about the problems that some children, even their own classmates have. I learned a lot from Dr. Koplewicz's first book, "It's Nobody's Fault." This one helps bring a unique personal insight into the lives of these very special children.

Through art, the reader learns and experiences aspects of mental illness. The young artists give great insight into their pain yet the overall message is hope. Outstanding effort by all.

This book shows us that children have astonishing powers to communicate their innermost experiences. It is a privilege to view this glimpse into children's lives. Anyone who reads this book -- and anyone who has ever had contact with a child should read this book -- will be filled with profound respect for the honesty and dignity of children as they struggle with life challenges. Despite the focus on children with mental health problems, this book is not gloomy or depressing -- in fact, it is inspiring to see how much hope shines through. I am still moved to tears every time I read this book.

As a child psychiatrist, I struggle on a daily basis to gain access to the psychological lives of the young patients I treat. Childhood Revealed offered me the unique opportunity to share in the emotional experiences of the courageous children who contributed their surprisingly honest words and remarkably beautiful artwork. I would recommend this inspirational book to anyone who is curious about the inner lives of children, as well as to anyone who is interested in how mental illness impacts child development, self-image, and self-esteem.