Najla Ali
Anna's Monster Children's Book
Art: ANN-NAJ-1773
Description
Anna's monster isn't like most monsters.
It doesn't try to scare her, it tries to keep her safe.
It stops her from doing scary things, whispering about the bad things that could happen, and stays close when the world feels too big.
But how safe is too safe?
When Anna takes a brave step away from her monster's comfort, she learns that being brave doesn't mean you're not scared. It means you keep going, even when you are.
Anna's Monster is a gentle story about anxiety, being brave and finding the courage to try new things, one small step at a time.
Written by: Najla Ali, Anderson Island
About the Author:
My name is Najla. I am the first person in my family to go to college in quite a few generations. I grew up in poverty in a physically and mentally abusive two-parent household with seven kids. I am desperately trying to break the cycle. But I do need help.
When I was 11, my 13-year-old brother, the sibling I was closest to, ended his own life in front of me. He passed a few hours later. My parents never got help for any of us. At 20, after a few unsuccessful attempts to end myself, I finally realized that I needed some kind of help and reached out to a therapist. She taught me about boundaries, helped me build my self-esteem, worked through many of the traumas, and overall helped me realize my self-worth. At 22, I released 3 children's books into my community that I wrote and self published, that touches on mental health in an indirect way. Touching on themes like depression after losing a loved one, and self image and acceptance.
My end goal is to pursue my Bachelor's and Master's in Psychology and eventually become a Mental Health Counselor to learn and eventually be able to be there for struggling humans like myself and make a difference in the world. I aim to continue writing and publishing children's books with storylines that help with hard mental health themes.