PVLF 2025

Interview with Chitwan Mittal, Author Are your emotions like mine?

Chitwan Mittal, author of Are Your Emotions Like Mine?, crafts value-driven children's books blending emotions, bilingual learning, and South Asian culture.
on Dec 16, 2024

Chitwan Mittal holds an MA in Values in Education from the University of London. Actively involved in childrens education since 2005, she was part of the committee that established the Indian Institute of Teacher Education and the Childrens University by the Government of Gujarat, India. She is now foraying into the field of writing childrens picture books. Her books encourage engagement and diversity and focus on value-oriented education, bi-lingual learning and South Asian culture. She lives between India and Singapore with her husband and two sons.

Frontlist: Are Your Emotions Like Mine? explores the theme of understanding emotions. What inspired you to write a book about this concept? Did you have any specific experiences or observations that led you to focus on this topic?

Chitwan: Children's literature, in particular, can help start conversations about difficult topics and help children navigate situations that may seem overwhelming. As a parent, I've noticed that many kids struggle to express their emotions, and parents are often unsure about teaching them to manage feelings healthily. We've all seen moments like a child throwing a loud tantrum in public because they don't get their way or a child bursting into tears because they are too tired. I've found that the way to avoid such situations is to be honest and teach kids how to be more aware of what they are feeling and articulate it. That is what inspired me to write this book as a way of guiding children towards self-awareness, developing emotional maturity, and encouraging good mental health.

Frontlist: How do you think children will connect with the characters in the book, particularly as they explore emotions? How did you tailor the language and themes to resonate with young readers?

Chitwan: The goal was always to give kids a relatable story and a lovable character to go on a journey with. We consciously designed the little girl character and the lion character to be appealing in style; the little girl reflects the age of our intended readers as well. The colours we've used are also gentle, pastel shades, and the language has been tailored to children who are at the most basic reading level. We adhered to one rule: keep it simple and immersive, whether it came to the main idea of the book, the character design, the layout, or the words on the page.

Frontlist: In the book, a young girl has a lion as her friend to help her navigate her emotions. Can you share the significance of the lion in the story? Why did you choose this particular animal as her companion, and how does it contribute to the message of the book?

Chitwan: We spent a long time on the design of the animal companion character, who also represents the child's inner self. We had originally thought of an elephant, but we ended up choosing the lion. The lion represents our character's inner strength and confidence; it is meant to reinforce to our readers that they are strong and resilient, even in the face of strong emotions.

Frontlist: Writing about emotions for children requires a delicate approach. How did you make sure the emotional content was accessible yet meaningful? Were there any challenges in striking the right balance?

Chitwan: I am a big proponent of the idea that kids are capable of understanding anything so long as you present the information in a manner suited to them. I think the key to writing this book was always to imagine the child reader and their inner world. That meant using scenarios that would be relatable to toddlers, thinking of the kinds of emotions they experience on a given day, and putting across the ideas as simply as possible. The biggest challenge was conveying the essence of an emotion and how to handle it using only a few words! But that is where illustration can play a big role, and we had a great illustrator in Shruti Hemani. Her art does a great job of capturing the mood and tone of every emotion.

Frontlist: How can parents and educators use this book to guide children through emotional learning? What advice would you offer them in using this book as a tool for emotional development?

Chitwan: For really young kids, this could be a way of introducing emotions-based vocabulary and teaching how to identify each emotion. This is the first step towards teaching kids that all emotions are okay to feel and that their family is a safe space within which they can express themselves. Parents, too, can use the words in the book to model good emotional health and set an example for their kids.

Frontlist: You have written several works focused on education and philosophy, such as Education for the Complete Person and The Arguments for the Existence of God. How do you balance your academic approach to education with the creative freedom needed to write picture books for young children?

Chitwan: The academic approach and research are important for helping to crystallize the main idea or concept I want to convey. For example, reading philosophy helps me identify what I want to distill from large bodies of work, like the teachings of the Buddha or Guru Nanak. Once the idea is clear to me, I can then convey the essence in a way that is accessible to young kids and not too heavy or boring. My understanding of pedagogical practices also helps me craft my books into stories that cater specifically to my very young audience.

Frontlist: After Are Your Emotions Like Mine?, do you plan to write more books that explore other aspects of emotional development for children? What themes or emotional topics are you most excited to explore in future works?

Chitwan: I am working on a few other books that are focused on the place children occupy within their communities and the wider world. For instance, I'm looking at aspects of identity like culture and traditional practices, and how modern kids can feel connected to them. I'd especially like to write stories where elements of Indian culture like eating with one's hands, or saying namaste are normalized. I hope this encourages kids to embrace these aspects of their culture without feeling embarrassed by them.