• Theme: Communication, Emotions, Sharing, Children's mental health, Friendship, Anxiety, Internal burdens
• Style: Tender, encouraging, sensitive, with messages of hope and understanding.
• Age: 3–7 years

Children who may have difficulty expressing their emotions or talking about what troubles them and "weighs" them down internally. It is an excellent book to help children understand that they are not alone with their worries and that talking and sharing what they feel can really help. It is also aimed at parents and educators who want to encourage open communication and healthy emotional expression in children.

• With a beautiful and very apt metaphor (the pebble that weighs down), it speaks in a simple, symbolic, and understandable way about the internal burdens that children may feel (such as anxiety, sadness, fear, loneliness).
• Marina Gioti, as an author and illustrator, creates a story full of sensitivity and images that touch the soul and uniquely capture the emotional world of children.
• It shows the therapeutic power of true friendship and meaningful communication.
• It encourages children to talk about what concerns them, not to keep their feelings hidden, and to seek support.
• It is a book that promotes mental empowerment, understanding of our internal worlds, and the importance of being there for one another.

Book with a hardcover and 40 pages, featuring the tender and distinctive illustrations of Marina Gioti, which uniquely capture the atmosphere and deep meanings of the story.

• Ideal tool to start a discussion about the emotions that sometimes "weigh down" children and how they can manage them.
• Helps children understand that it's okay to ask for help or simply share their thoughts and concerns with someone they trust.
• Can be used to encourage children to find "safe" friends or adults (parents, teachers) with whom they can speak openly.

Inspired by the book, you can:

• Discuss: What was Ann's "pebble" in reality? Why did it become heavier the more she kept it to herself? How did her new friend help her? What does "talk to me" mean to you?
• Ask the child: Have you ever felt like you're carrying a "pebble" that weighs you down? Who could you talk to about it? What makes you feel better when you're sad, scared, or anxious?
• Create: Draw how you imagine the "pebbles" of emotions (e.g., a pebble for fear, one for sadness, one for anxiety). You can make a "worry box" or an "emotion diary" where children can write or draw what weighs them down and then, if they want, share and discuss them.

Author & Illustrator: Marina Gioti Marina Gioti was born in Athens in 1975. She studied Marketing and Fine Arts at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and later visual communication design and illustration at Pratt Institute in New York. After a successful career in advertising, she followed her childhood dream and dedicated herself to writing and illustrating children's books. Her books, such as the award-winning "Yeti: The Power of Yet" and the tender "Talk to Me," are characterized by messages of mental empowerment, positive thinking, sensitivity, and humor, and have been loved by thousands of children and parents in Greece and abroad.

Parents who read "Talk to Me" describe it as a very nice and wonderful book. They particularly appreciate the way the story presents emotions that are not easily expressed and how these can grow over time, which moves them. They believe that the book gives the child the "stepping stone" and the opportunity to talk about what concerns them.