About Nancy
I write for the feelings that don't always have names.
Nancy Hawse is a children's author and the creator behind Brave Young Hearts.
Why Brave Young Hearts exists
Her work brings together children's storytelling, emotional wellness, and practical tools designed to help children understand what they feel — and find a way forward.
She writes about the things children may struggle to explain: missing someone, feeling different, having feelings that feel too big, changes at home, and trying to be brave.
Because sometimes a child doesn't need someone to tell them how they should feel.
They need someone to say: “I understand.”
The philosophy
Children are constantly being asked to explain themselves.
Why are you upset?
Why don't you want to talk?
Why are you acting like this?
But emotional understanding doesn't always begin with an explanation. Sometimes it begins with a story. Sometimes with a drawing. Sometimes with a question. Sometimes with simply having the right words available when a child finally needs them.
Brave Young Hearts was created to give children those words — and give the adults around them better ways to listen.
“What if we listened to children before asking them to explain?”
Explore Brave Young Hearts →