WARNING: This story includes the topic of childhood sexual abuse.
Illustrating Tiny Finds His Whisper – a story about a mouse with a painful secret – encouraged Ladner’s Jurnee Johnston to start voicing her own story of childhood trauma.
The children’s book written by her mother, Marvel Katz, tells the story of a mouse named Tiny whose whispers are too quiet for others to hear, and it aims to give young children the tools and vocabulary to understand and communicate about sexual abuse.
“Even though I’ve already received counselling and have started moving forward in my healing, Tiny just gave me an avenue to start speaking about it and allow my story to be heard, as well. And that’s part of why we created Tiny – it’s giving that safe space [to talk about it],” says Johnston.
Motivated by her daughter’s story, Katz also intends for the book to act as a safeguard to protect children from potential sexual abuse.
“Unfortunately, Jurnee was sexually abused as a young child and I didn’t find out until she was 16 what had happened ... it was too late to go back [then],” says Katz, who has worked in early childhood education for over 30 years.
Tiny Finds His Whisper doubles as a resource and a children’s story, meant to be read aloud by an adult, and includes mindfulness exercises, breathing techniques and free trauma-informed training opportunities and support.
Tiny’s mission, reads their website, is, “to give even the smallest child a voice. A chance to say ‘NO!’ and to stop the abuse in its tracks. To give parents the resources to help their hurting child, and to create a path of healing together.”
The mother-daughter duo has more books planned for the future, all centred around childhood trauma and coping, and are in the process of having Tiny Finds His Whisper translated into multiple languages.
“It’s something we need to be having a conversation about and actually doing something proactive about ... We’re paying it forward and taking the pain and the mess of our story and opening the door for another child to receive healing, to get the help they need from a very young age,” says Katz.
They are working with Little Warriors’ childhood sexual abuse treatment centre Be Brave Ranch and counselling and consulting services Tipping Point, says Katz.
Tiny Finds His Whisper is available for purchase on Amazon.
If you’re interested in reading more about Tiny Finds His Whisper or Katz and Johnston’s work, check out their website at www.tinywhispervoices.com.
