Whimsy's Heavy Things

by Julie Kraulis

Whimsy's heavy things are weighing her down. She tries to sweep them under the rug, but she trips over them. She tries to put them in a tree, but they fall on her. She even tries to sail them out to sea, but they always come back. Eventually Whimsy decides to deal with the heavy things one at a time... and a surprising thing happens. With exquisite illustrations and delightfully simple text, Whimsy's Heavy Things is a sweet story about changing the things that weigh us down into the things that lift us up.

Genres: Picture Books, Emotion, Childrens, Mental Health, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2013

About the author

Toronto-based artist and illustrator Julie Kraulis is passionate about ideas: the unexpected, profound, whimsical, smart. All that she encounters in this wide world becomes her inspiration. Since completing her Bachelor of Design in Illustration at the Ontario College of Art & Design, Julie spends most days in the studio with a pencil or paintbrush in hand, working on a wide range of projects from fine art to illustration to picture books.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another one of those dealing-with-emotions children's books that appeal to adults, but leave kids bored and/or confused. I'm with the kids on this one.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

So that was cute, but definitely not a stand alone book for how to deal with anxiety. I'm not sure how understandable it would be to small ones.

Still, HIGHLY relatable.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A metaphor that children will understand, showing all the hard things of life as heavy weights being carried,. The illustrations are nice, too. But the solution if breaking the heavy things down into small pieces is a bit too simplistic for some problems.

[Jess Klug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful book. More of a children’s format for adults type book.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book tells young readers what can happen when you let big things weigh you down. A metaphor for dealing with problems by taking them one by one and breaking them up into smaller things that are easier to manage, this book uses simple text and whimsical illustrations to tell the story of a girl who tried a bunch of ways to ignore her heavy things until she couldn't anymore. This book would be a good companion to What Do You Do With a Problem? by Kobi Yamada.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think the analogy in this story of taking the heavy things that weigh you down and breaking them down works in real life. The illustrations will help children understand the concept. This is a book that could be good for adults, teens and children. The name Whimsy also reminds the reader that life is easier when it's whimsy rather than weighed down. It's a you can't hide from your problems type of story.

Bonus: It's a Canadian author!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great picture book that reminds us how worries can overwhelm us and weigh on our hearts. When we face each one and try to break them down, they can become more manageable. With so many worries on the minds of our students, I’m always looking for books like these to suggest to teachers for sharing.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few adults I know may be getting a copy this year for Christmas...

[Jeani · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Heavy things are light things in disguise"? IDK what that means. Another website said "Whimsy's Heavy Things is a sweet story about changing the things that weigh us down into the things that lift us up." That seems accurate, but I would caution anyone not versed in offering real strategies for dealing with the emotional baggage from reading this with children/an audience. It would be neat to see a new edition with strategies in the back for starting to transform heavy things into light things.

[Tara Tetzlaff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Use this in an all ages story time. The adults got it, the kids didn’t write no what it meant. If reading with kids it may be necessary to talk about the things that weigh us down....worries etc. the 10 year olds in the group connected with it when I said the heavy things could be all the things you have to do; like breaking assignments into smaller tasks & doing them one at a time. A nice story, but best used as a means of approaching the topic with kids rather than as a solution itself.

[Biblioteca lui Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books are written for kids, but they work for older people just as well. Whimsy's Heavy Things is one of them. It speaks about the baggage people sometimes carry around, the one that weighs them down, body and soul. It’s a powerful book, beautifully illustrated and we love it so, so very much!

[Cheriee Weichel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the art work in this book a lot. I appreciate what I think the author is trying to say, that overwhelming things are easier to deal with if we break them into smaller bits. I agree with this, but I also think it depends on what these heavy things are. Sometimes heavy things can't be broken up and this isn't really clear here.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book with a metaphor being the entire premise. Once my 7yo daughter understood that the weights stood for Whimsy's difficult feelings, she really got it. It was a nice opportunity to talk about what a metaphor is, how big feelings that can make us feel this way, and how important it is to find someone to help us with the problems.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Because Whimsy had discovered that heavy things are just light things in disguise.” Love this line.
Whimsy has a lot of heavy things weighing her down. She tries to get rid of them in creatively different ways, but they still bother her. It’s only when she figures out how to break each worry down into smaller pieces that she’s able to make positive change.

[Lindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book had an interesting way of representing hardships in life. I think that because the "heavy things" in her life are depicted as weights, it gives children a better understanding of the concept.

[Linda Gibbons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that adults will understand more than kids.
The illustrations add a lot to the story.

[B.M. M. Polier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great message and wonderful art.

[Vanessa]

This is a picture book for adult or mature readers. I am not sure why, but my 3 year old likes this book.

[Beth Bauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nice metaphor and visualization of carrying about heavy things, whether that is depression or anxiety or trauma or anything, really. Loved the pictures.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't provide enough of a talking point for children to open up

[Zoë Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the really excellent picture books are just as memorable for adults as they are for children, and Whimsy's Heavy Things by Julie Kraulis definitely falls in that category. This is the story of Whimsy, who has a bunch of heavy things that are weighing her down, and what she does to make herself a little lighter, by dealing with each thing one at a time. Not only does the story have some fun elements to it, but the art is beautiful and the overall message is really poignant as well. I think Whimsy's Heavy Things would be a great book for an adult, or pair well with a discussion about the message behind it if read to a child. 

[Emmaline MacBeath · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUMMARY: "Whimsy's heavy things are weighing her down." She tries everything to get rid of the heavy things including hiding them under the carpet, putting them in a tree and throwing them in the sea. But the heavy things are still in her way. Then one day she realizes she could simply deal with one heavy thing at a time to make them smaller. This works beautifully and she learns to look at her heavy things in a completely new way.

ILLUSTRATIONS: I love love love Kraulis' illustrative style. These were done in oil. They are gorgeous, rich in detail and subtle in color. I could read this book many times just to look at the pictures. She includes several pictures with quirky humor to break up the seriousness.

REVIEW: This is a "heavy" book for kids in that it talks in a more abstract way about the things in life that weigh us down. But I think a parent or teacher can easily translate this for kids by talking about how difficult things in life make us feel and we how can deal with one thing at a time as Whimsy did. This book would be a wonderful springboard book for numerous conversations with kids about how to deal with the feelings that accompany difficulties and strategies for dealing with the tough stuff.

AGE RECOMMENDATION: AGES 4-8

[Vernon Area Public Library KIDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated picture book with a great message! The main character, Whimsy, carries around some very heavy things that she just can't get rid of. At the end, she realizes that if she breaks up the the heavy things into smaller pieces, the load is lessened. A "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff" for children. Highly recommend!

Reviewed by: Julia Pyatetsky, Youth Services, Vernon Area Public Library

[Raegan Rocco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful picture book for children about letting go of things that no longer serve us well...the child can interpret or be taught what that is, ie. a feeling/belonging/incident etc. It is the kind of book that can be used as a brilliant teaching tool for helping children process difficult things. I would highly recommend this book. The illustrations resonate beautifully with the tone of the story.

[Liz H {Redd's Reads} · Rating 4 out of 5]

The emotion in this book is very thought-provoking. The subject of depression is aptly described in an easy metaphor (heavy things) for children to grasp, and parents can find a great starting point for discussion. The illustrations are rich with detail and give an extra layer of depth to the emotional portrayal.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic picture book addressing the way things we worry about can weigh on us. Approachable in the writing so that students/kids will get the message, and an ultimately uplifting story that reminds us how to tackle the things that weigh us down and find our way through. The use of color/light in the illustrations highlights the meaning of the text.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

You really don't see very many children's books about depression. This one does an excellent job of showing how a child may deal with big issues and what might actually work for them. It turns all those difficult things to deal with into real "heavy things." Excellent.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely LOVED the illustrations. Combined with the creative use of text throughout the story, this story tells the story of Whimsy who was weighed down by her heavy things and how she was able to break her "heavy things" into small pieces and see the beauty in them.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are falling down on me
Heavy things I could not see
-Phish

We've all at one time had heavy things weighing us down . This beautifully-illustrated book will be enjoyed by both kids and adults who have experienced or are going though times of great stress.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Metaphor.