Clay Vilhauer published his first book at six. At nine, he and his mom Amber wrote a second one together, for kids who have big feelings and zero interest in discussing them directly.
Clay Vilhauer wrote his first book at six. It won three awards. At nine, he and his mom, author and strategist Amber Vilhauer, wrote a second one: What Nature Teaches Us, a book that looks at a mountain like a feelings chart.
Dr. Sheryl talks with Amber and Clay about how the book got written: on hiking trails outside their home in northern Colorado, with Amber asking Clay open questions and refusing to edit his answers into something more adult. One line came from a drawing Clay made in January: a mountain with one side in shadow and one in light, still the same mountain. Clay explains why a soccer ball, not a conversation, is what actually helps him when he's mad. Amber explains why getting outside the city limits is what lets her ask better questions in the first place.
They also get into the book's closing idea, "be the light," which started as Clay's own dedication at age six and turned into a phrase he now wants other kids to carry too.
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