The King with the Cold Heart - A book for children
with a toxic parent (recommended for ages 5 and up)
Confirm your gut feeling and find words for your emotions.
Content
Flo lives with his family in a village ruled by a power-mad king. He tries to improve the situation for himself, his little brother and his mother. When he fails, they make a courageous decision.
What the readers say
„This book opens doors to talk to children about narcissistic family dynamics - inspiring, empathetic and heart-warming.“
„For the first time, a book addresses the topic of narcissism in a child-friendly way.“
„The topic of narcissism is presented in this book with clear words and evocative images in a very emotional yet light-hearted way. Be brave and follow your gut feeling, don’t ignore it when it shows you the way.“
„Friederike Sternberg succeeds in using simple and child-friendly language to illustrate key aspects of narcissistic behavior, such as unreliability, not keeping promises, loudmouths (“I’m the best cook around”), tantrums, aggressive attempts to justify oneself and so on. The form of the fairy tale fits well with the aim of talking to children about narcissism and the fact that it is not their fault if a narcissistic caregiver hurts them or ignores them. The beautiful illustrations by Francesca Cudignotto do their bit to turn this unwieldy topic into a book to look at and read aloud.“
Narcissism explained in a child-friendly way
Narcissism is a term that often crops up in discussions about adult relationships and personality traits. However, children can also understand what it means to be too self-absorbed and overlook the needs of others.
In order to convey this complex topic in a child-friendly way, I have created a story: “The King with the Cold Heart”. In this story, children experience that their feelings are true and right. They can compare themselves with the main character Flo and find words to describe their own feelings.
For parents with a toxic (ex-)partner, the book offers an opportunity to talk to children about the topic of narcissism in a child-friendly way and to give them the opportunity to categorize their experiences and feelings.
The book also contains further links and a foreword by child psychologist Jan Steinitz (Berlin).
„Children are told a story to put them to sleep. Adults to wake them up.“
„This book addresses the topic of narcissism in a child-friendly way and can help affected children to validate their gut feelings and find words for their emotions.
It can help parents and therapists to talk to children about it.“
„The topic of narcissism packed into a story in a child-friendly and understandable way.
An important and well-done children’s book to introduce affected children to this difficult topic and also to show them solutions.“
About the author Friederike Sternberg
After studying business communication, she specialized in personnel and leadership development as well as supporting companies in change processes. Her many years of experience in coaching and working with leaders have given her insights into the often subtle effects of narcissism, both on an individual level and on teams and organizations.
Her experience spans over 20 years of working in these areas.
These insights and her experiences as a mother inspired her to prepare the topic for a new target group: Children.
About the illustrator Francesca Cudignotto
Francesca Cudignotto (born 1990) is a freelance illustrator from Vicenza, Italy.
In 2012 she graduated in Fine Arts and in 2014 in Business and Management of the Arts and now... she draws all day long! She especially likes rough textures and irregular lines and does her best to preserve these features in her drawings, even if she works completely digitally.
If you like her work, you can contact her directly or check out her portfolio.