AUTHOR'S INSPIRATION
Shanna Truffini’s children’s book You Are a Gardener™ uses gardening vocabulary as ‘emotional metaphors’ to teach young children the importance of identifying the ‘flowers’ and ‘weeds’ in their everyday life. (The flowers are the things that make you feel happy and the weeds are what make you feel sad, scared or mad.) The book was born out of Truffini's determination to find a positive solution to help her family overcome obstacles put in their path. Through embracing the gardener’s lifestyle and using the child friendly vocabulary of this book, Shanna Truffini’s young family was able to communicate and problem solve life’s everyday challenges.
This new path that opened up for her family has empowered her children with the gift of knowing what it takes to care for and maintain a healthy and happy garden. She encourages families, teachers and anyone who interacts with young children on a daily basis to embrace this system with the hope it will raise a new generation of gardeners. The book came out in January of 2018 and since then Truffini and her young family are on a mission to get out in their community and plant the ‘seeds’ for emotional well-being in children and adults alike.
