DEAR TEEN

This streamlined guide offers gentle encouragement to teenagers.

The opening chapter acts as a helpful introduction and reassures readers that they are whole, unique, and worthy. Teens are encouraged to embrace labels that feel right but to disregard those that feel “unfair or painful.” Staying in the present moment and cultivating awareness are recurring themes. Emotions are compared to weather—ever-changing and unpredictable—and teens are advised to talk about or write down their feelings. A four-step process suggests naming emotions, feeling them in the body, noticing how they shift, and doing something kind for yourself. Self-care suggestions include hydration, movement, rest, and nourishing food. A chapter on screens describes them as a tool and offers the reminder: “Beyond the screen, life is quieter.” When something goes wrong, the book advises acknowledging that things are hard and then asking for help. Readers are prompted to define their values and to consult both head and heart in decision-making. The book’s scope then extends care to the wider world in actions like reducing food waste or planting flowers and concludes with a key reminder: “You get to choose, again and again, what matters to you and what to leave behind.” Rainbow Kids compassionately offers support to adolescents in this companion book, which normalizes the emotional roller coaster of adolescence in lines like “Some days you feel light and full of energy. Other days, even small things can weigh you down. That is okay. Feelings simply are.” The book offers sage, easy-to-grasp advice on navigating digital and interior landscapes as well: “Being online connects you to others and shows you their world. Being offline gives you space to notice your own.” The book’s varied format, from self-talk scripts to a self-care checklist, allows readers a number of accessible ways to interact with its ideas. However, while the book provides a high-level overview of well-being strategies, it neglects to address certain specific challenges modern adolescents face.

A well-intentioned guide for teens that lacks actionable targeted advice.