Bristol native, author and director Nicholas Tana has written a new book, "The Little Lion That Listened" to encourage families whom, like himself, are raising a non-verbal child.
Tana, who now lives in Los Angeles, is a graduate of Bristol Central High School. Growing up in Bristol, he said he loved to read at Bristol Public Library. His first job was at Lake Compounce and he also formerly worked ESPN. He has signed copies of his books available at St. Joseph School, which is where he went to elementary school.
"The Little Lion That Listened" is dedicated to his daughter, Catalina, who is just under 2 years old and suffers from a rare genetic disorder that makes it difficult for her to speak. She is currently enrolled in an early start program designed to help her to develop her communication skills and catch up.
"Trying to help alleviate the stresses of parents of special needs children was something that I felt strongly that I wanted to do," he said. "A parent of a child who is struggling can often feel like things are spinning out of control as they try to foster growth and development. It is hard to not feel anxious, set expectations and make comparisons."
The book was published Aug. 10 by New Classics Books on "World Lion Day," features illustrations by Jessie Fox and creative story design by Matthew Molleur. Tana said the book is about "doing things your own way in your own time." He said it also "contains an inspirational message for children struggling to develop and the parents who care for them." He hopes the story will resonate with those trying to find their voice and who appreciate the value of listening.
The following is the plot synopsis for the book:
"Little Leo is a great listener. His listening skills even save his family from danger. But Leo refuses to roar. His father worries that Leo will never earn the respect of the other animals. Only Leo's mother believes her son will roar when he is ready. Will Leo find his voice when his family needs him most?"
Tana said he has already received a lot of positive feedback for the book.
"It has been a joy to see the response; it's inspirational," he said. "There have been a number of parents who have reached out to me and said that they were very grateful. I've also heard from educators who have added it to school libraries. Psychologists who are dealing with anxiety therapy and child development have endorsed it as well."
Tana has written several children's books, including the Halloween-themed "Monsters Are Afraid of Babies." Two years ago, he was also hired by Disney to write a story about Snow White and a wishing well for the book "5-Minute Easter Stories." He has also created the horror comedy story "Hell's Kitty," which he has adapted into a comic book, web-comic, musical and film, available on Amazon.
"Hell's Kitty is based on my life of trying to date in LA with a cat who is very possessive of me," Tana said. "Monsters Are Afraid of Babies is based on my nephew and dedicated to him. It's about a child who finds that his baby sister is able ward off monsters."
Currently, Tana is directing "We Are Animals", an animal rights documentary with Nikki Glaser, Patricia Manterola, Mya, Moby, Alison Pill, Elaine Hendrix, Alexandra Paul, Daniella Monet and Mallika Sherawat.
"Animals are a big part of a lot of my stories," Tana said. "I've always had a good relationship with animals. Also always appreciated the idea of giving a voice to people who are struggling to find a voice. Animals lack a voice in society; they can't speak for themselves in a language we understand. I would like to see more underrepresented beings, animals being one, find their place in society and be respected. I see it as helping the underdog."
Tana said he was drawn to writing because he has always liked the ability to dive into different stories and worlds.
"It's almost like living more than one life," he said. "You can write about anything and almost time travel in a sense. As a kid, I loved to read. I thought the fact that even authors who were deceased were able to communicate with me through their books felt very surreal and magical. I write to reflect and understand the world and the experience of living. It allows me to be able to step out of my experience, put it down in a creative form and make sense of it all."
People can find "The Little Lion That Listened" at thelittlelionthatlistened.com and newclassics.com as well as Amazon, Target and Barnes & Noble. Tana also encouraged people to order it through their local library or bookstore.
Brian M. Johnson can be reached at 860-973-1806 or bjohnson@bristolpress.com.
The Little Lion that Listened was written by Nicholas Tana, whose daughter lives with a rare disease. Today he shares what he’s learned from his daughter and why he wrote this children’s book.
As a parent of a child with special needs, I often draw parallels between the questions I ask myself while navigating the troubled waters of caring for a child with a disability and those I ask myself as an author. As a writer, you boldly make sense of the world through the stories you tell. As a parent of a special needs child, you often try to make sense of the world through the stories you tell yourself.
What’s the point?
My daughter Catalina lives with a disease similar to Dravet Syndrome. Her condition is so rare, there is not yet a name for it. It severely impacts her development. At two years old, she doesn’t walk, talk, or crawl. Faced with this struggle, I have to find a way to give meaning to what can often feel meaningless. I do this by finding ways to alleviate her pain and learning about things I can do to help others on similar journeys. In a way, purpose comes from how we rise heroically to alleviate others’ suffering, despite it being an inevitable part of life. But how do I accomplish this if I don’t know what she wants?
What do the characters want?
Understanding what a child wants is not always easy for parents of disabled children, especially if a child is non-verbal. In our case, the wants and needs of Catalina often come first. She has a complex medicine schedule and requires tons of physical therapy and doctor visits. But I can’t neglect the needs of my partner (her mom) or myself. By paying attention to what we all want, we stay tuned into how our characters will change, and we can do our best to plan for that change and care for each other along the way as our story unfolds.
How will the characters change?
Change is always happening. Parents of children with disabilities have to plan ahead to run through the scenarios of what could happen, in order to anticipate what might go wrong so as to be prepared. This is similar to how a writer has to imagine the future in order to plan their tale. How will the characters evolve with time and what does that mean for the story? Though change can feel scary, character arcs are what drive the plot and give rise to those conflicts that keep the story interesting. If one views such life alterations as a mystery to be experienced, one which creates a page turning life, it can help to put a positive spin on what can often feel intimidating, frustrating, and overwhelming.
What are the conflicts?
As things change, we face new conflicts. Depending on the disability, the types of struggles we face can vary greatly. Whether it be a life-threatening seizure, falling while going down the stairs, or an increased risk of infection due to hospital visits. Sometimes it’s the emotional struggles that arise from anxiety and depression. These challenges are what gives the hero something to battle and surmount. However, too much strife can feel impossible. But as a parent of a child with special needs, if you focus on the little wins, you can marshal your will to keep going until the end, much like an author who must overcome writer’s block and fear to get to the end of the story. And this leads us to the ultimate question.
How will the story end?
Like any good author, parents of a child with special needs must imagine the future and try to control how the story unfolds; perhaps even guide it toward a favorable outcome. But the truth is we don’t know how the story will end when we are in the middle of writing it. Still, we must approach the blank page with a sense of mystery. Despite our fears, we would do well to have faith that the story will unfold as it should. And we should try not to rush the ending. Instead, it is better to take things one page at a time. If we do this, the story will have a way of writing itself.
“The Little Lion That Listened” is a story about doing things your own way, in your own time, and contains an inspirational message for children struggling to develop and the parents who care for them. Written by Weehawken native Nicholas Tana, the book is dedicated to his non-verbal daughter, Catalina, who suffers from a rare genetic disorder that makes it difficult for her to speak.
“She’s taught me a lot about being intuitive and listening, trying to understand what her needs are. And that’s good because all writers should have the ability to listen.”
The book follows “Little Leo,” a young lion who is a great listener but refuses to roar. His father worries that he’ll never earn the respect of the other animals and his mother believes he will roar when he is ready. His listening skills eventually save his family from danger. The book was released on World Lion Day, Aug. 10.
“They’re the king of the jungle and we often want to be the king. They’re at the top because they have the strength and ability to intimidate others. In many ways, I think that’s a parallel for life and a lot of our political figures and other folks. That’s the news that gets attention. The one that roars the loudest.”
He hopes the story will resonate with those trying to find their voice and who appreciate the value of listening. The book also features illustrations by Jessie Fox and creative story design by Matthew Molleur.
“We live in a culture that kind of reveres and almost rewards loudness in general. If we’re going to change that, it’s going to be up to the future generations. For me, I want to take the figment of what that is, that animal, and reverse it into how that animal can be sensitive and a listener. What would that be like? Could it survive? At the end of the day, a lion is going to be a lion. But I think for human nature, when we’re in an emergency situation, we do need to hit that fight or flight response, and that adrenaline rush, that ability to roar is necessary to save people’s lives or our own lives. That’s part of our nature. But it doesn’t necessarily mean we should abuse it constantly.”
Tana is also currently in production on the animal rights documentary “We Are Animals,” which he is also directing. The film takes a candid look at the historical treatment of animals as property, pets, tools, transportation, food, and for scientific experimentation. The film features interviews with celebrities including Nikki Glaser, Patricia Manterola, Mya, Moby, Alison Pill, Elaine Hendrix, Alexandra Paul, Daniella Monet and Mallika Sherawat. Information about the movie can be found at www.weareanimalsmovie.com.
Tana currently resides in Los Angeles with his life partner Denise Acosta and two-year-old daughter Catalina. Before starting his own production company, he was working at ESPN as an associate director in the international department. Although he has been in LA for the past 12 years, Tana says he never really left Weehawken.
“All through my life, even when not living there, I’d still go and spend most of my Christmas’ and holidays or visit family there,” he says. “It always has a special place in my heart. Especially the food.”
He received critical attention in the horror community through his “Hell’s Kitty” TV series, and later movie of the same name and series, which is based on Tana’s experiences living with his very possessive cat named Angel, rumored to be possessed.
“The Little Lion That Listened,” along with Tana’s other works, can be found at https://amzn.to/3z6m3uq. His main website is https://nicholastana.com/.
