THE SOLUTION:

Full Mouse, Empty Mouse is appropriate for children from 1st grade and up. It follows the struggles of two little mice who use food in an effort to cope with the stress of their lives (cats, traps, children with brooms, etc.). The boy-mouse, Billy Blue, overeats to comfort and soothe himself. The girl-mouse, Sally Rose, under-eats to gain a sense of control. Their wise auntie-mouse teaches them some important lessons about healthy eating, listening to their bodies and getting their emotional needs met in effective ways.

The content of the story makes it universally appealing. Children and adults can relate to the mouse characters since many of us turn to food or dieting to cope with the stress in our lives and most of us could find healthier ways to meet our emotional needs! The story is an effective catalyst for discussions addressing body image, emotional eating, the hazards of dieting, weight-related teasing as well as exploring healthy ways of coping with uncomfortable feelings.

Full Mouse, Empty Mouse is truly a story for our times. It can be used by educators addressing these issues in class, parents concerned about a child’s eating habits or poor body image, or therapists and nutritionists looking for a way to help eating disordered clients of any age. At the back of the book are sections devoted to helpful information for parents, discussion questions and other great resources.

Key Messages in Full Mouse, Empty Mouse

• Children can have experiences which are difficult for them to understand, process or cope with.
• At times, important adults may be unaware or unavailable of a child’s internal struggles
• Sensitive children may hide their emotional distress to “protect” parents they perceive as already over-burdened.
• Children may withdraw and turn to food as a “solution” to their problems:
  • Overeating may become a means of soothing emotional pain or filling in for real nurturing
  • Under-eating/dieting may become a means of numbing feelings, or an attempt to control an environment which feel out of control.
• Both overeating and under-eating are ultimately ineffective and create their own set of problems including:
  • low energy
  • mental distraction
  • physical discomfort
  • inappropriate responses from peers and adults
    • teasing
    • misplaced jealousy over a thin body
    • a focus on the physical manifestation of the eating problem rather than the underlying emotional root cause.
• There are healthy ways that children can cope, including talking about their feelings with loving adults, finding effective ways to address stress, eating a balanced diet and learning to relax and have fun.
• Ultimately, loving connection with self and others can help alleviate food problems.