Shy, quiet, timid, reserved—these are just a few of the labels children may be given growing up. For Shannon Schaefer, these labels masked what was really the beginning of her journey living with anxiety. Now fresh out of university, the Guelph-based writer has turned her lived experiences into an educational resource with the release of the illustrated children’s book ‘Rudy’s Belly of Bees,’ which is already helping kids, parents, and teachers around the world.
Following its November release, Schaefer’s book has been picked up by the likes of Google and Apple Books, Indigo, Walmart, and Amazon, landed on multiple bestsellers lists, and, thanks to its earlier-than-anticipated release, become a welcome Christmas gift for many kids experiencing their own “belly of bees.”
As she continues to reflect on a whirlwind year, I connected with Shannon to get the backstory on her quick transition from journalism graduate to published author and the milestones that have mattered most.
Tell us about ‘Rudy’s Belly of Bees’ and what inspired you to write it.
We meet the main character, Rudy, on the day of the school relay race, which should be a really fun day, but instead of feeling excited she’s feeling what we call a “belly of bees,” or anxiety. We get to follow Rudy throughout the day as she navigates the new emotions and what they make her act like and feel like, and then also as she starts navigating coping strategies. She’s not overcoming those emotions as if they’re gone forever but learning how to live with them because with anxiety, that is what life can be like. Rudy speaks to and was written from a place of my own experience but also something that I think is so relatable to so many kids.
Referring to anxiety as having a “belly of bees” is a very fitting analogy. Can you share more about how that description came to you?
The way I’ve always explained my anxiety is that I feel like I’m buzzing. Sometimes that’s in ways that make me feel anxious and jittery, but sometimes it’s very internal and my stomach actually feels like it’s rattling. When I thought about that noise and feeling, I started to think about beehives, especially when the queen is in it and they kind of shake. That beehive is exactly what I feel my stomach would look like sometimes. Everyone knows what a bee is, we know the sounds that they make, we know what they do in the hives, so it’s easy to kind of visualize that for children.
What role do you hope ‘Rudy’s Belly of Bees’ plays in the broader conversation about youth mental health?
I feel like we’re getting a lot better, but I think this is a situation where the more people we have presenting different ways of explaining that feeling of a “belly of bees” and different coping strategies, the better. I just definitely wish that something like this was around when I was younger so that there was a character that I could have had to be like, I am like Rudy and I can see how Rudy gets through this and I can mimic that. I am 100 percent a book person and I think we can all find so much safety and so much of ourselves in books sometimes, so I hope for children they can also do that with my book.
We met in journalism school. Did you find that degree helped you with writing and publishing the book, and if so how?
In journalism you have to be very succinct and get your message across quickly and with kids, even though you can elaborate a bit, you actually don’t get that many words either. Most children’s books are originally 700 to 900 words, which when you’re trying to do a full plot, especially describing emotions and introducing coping, it’s not that much to work with! So, I think journalism helped with figuring out, for example, on the first page, what do I need readers to know to understand the rest? I would also say there are similarities in the sources and accountability aspect because I have a minor in psychology, but when my book was getting edited I had a children’s psychologist read it. I thought that, like a journalist, I wouldn’t just go into a community acting like I know everything and start writing about it.
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This is just the beginning for you and ‘Rudy’s Belly of Bees.’ Is there one milestone in particular that you’re especially proud of ending the year?
I think the best milestones are when I’m able to distribute this resource that I am hoping is exactly what some kids are going to need. I had an individual comment on my Instagram that they read it to their class of 30 kids, and that is beyond how many books you sell or lists that you make. The fact that I can maybe help one or two kids avoid some of the things I didn’t get to avoid is very exciting. I hope for any kid they can better understand the classmate next to them or their friend and be able to say, “Hey, I know about this one technique. Do you want to try this mindful breathing exercise?” The stronger your support system, and the more resources within your support system, the better chances you’re going to have success yourself.
